Barbra Rodriguez (she/her)’s Post

Often after I write and upload a post, I can't help coming back to it to make some changes. Not once or twice, but several times, again and again. My texts are like the sizzling dish served in a wok; they are still being cooked as they are served. The thing is that often, after I write something and go outside for a walk or to water the plants, there is a voice inside my head that keeps working on it, revising it, structuring the sentences, and correcting mistakes I may have missed. This voice is my inner editor: it evaluates, critiques, and refines our work, aiming to improve and perfect it. It tells me: "Why don't you start with the second paragraph, which is more impactful?" "Don't you think it would flow better with a different intro?" "Are you sure the reader will like the use of this word?" I know I should not make changes after I have posted, but this self-revision and self-correction are truly essential to good writing. I have found that it is important to listen to this voice trying to counsel us and guide us to write better, rethink our decisions, and live our lives better. But what really is this voice that does not need us to tell it what to do and that goes to work on its own? This is actually a principle of organization present in nature and all creation; it is the principle that brings order through chaos. All artists, writers, and musicians have learned not to ignore this voice but to be in tune with it.

5,999 out of every 6,000 writers who try for a literary agent this year will fail.* Sure, you might be... ...talented ...persistent ...fully deserving of success ...but if you don't write those agents a great query, all that time you spent sweating over your book will go to waste. 3 elements of a great query: 1️⃣ Open with a hook —If your first sentence isn't creative within 10 words or so, why should the agent trust that you'll hook them with your manuscript? Watch how this opening hook** starts in media res: ex.: ❌ "I have written a book about the circus. This story is about a man named Numb." ✔ "In summary: Numb is a man who cannot feel physical pain. When he wanders into a dying circus, he doesn’t know who he is or how he got there." 2️⃣ Insert exposition with flair —Your query needs essential information (character, setting, genre). Sprinkle in these details as noun modifiers, NOT as the central beats of your query. Watch how this example sneaks in exposition in parenthesis that make it more fun to read. Now we trust this author with our time: ex: ❌"Numb joins the this circus because he has an ability to handle being shot with nail guns, due to being numb." ✔"When it is clear that his “talent” (if you can call being shot with nail guns and staplers a talent)..." 3️⃣ Establish clear stakes by the end —Your query should establish why your character can't simply walk away from the novel's central problem. You don't need "save-the-world" stakes; you just need to show why we should care ex: ❌ "Numb goes on a journey of self-discovery..." ✔"After undermining or losing friends and lovers, Numb is forced to figure out how to find a place for himself instead of just taking up space." If you don't bother learning how to write queries, remember that number: 5,999 out of 6,000. If you want to be 1 out of 6,000, you've got to be willing to learn the art of the pitch. Otherwise, you're rolling the dice. And the odds are against you. The beauty of great writing is you can use it to swing the odds back in your favor. *WordsRated **Link for this query in the comments

How do you write a query? It stumps a lot of writers. Thank you Georgia Wohl For this great breakdown of what a good query looks like and what each sentence is working towards. #writer #storyteller #writing #creativeideas #query

Many writers in some of the writer and author forums I have participated in on a variety of social media sites, including LinkedIn, have asked the following question. Can I use someone famous in my fiction story? The answer is yes and no. You can if you do not introduce the character as the real person in question without permission. If your character looks like a celebrity, yet is not the actual person, then under most circumstances it is allowed. But be extremely careful of saying anything disparaging about them. You could be held liable. The following video has two people I make reference to in book 2 of the metaphysical sci-fi trilogy, "Her Immortal Menagerie." I've already made reference to one of them in book 1, which was released in October 2023. However, I consulted an attorney first. I consulted an attorney adept in publishing and literary law who reviewed my manuscript. She approved of the way I approached the use of three names (two of which are not in the following video). I do not say that they are the actual people. There are people who look like them, but they are not the actual celebrities. If your character is the actual person in question, especially if they are still alive, I highly recommend calling their agent or publicist to ask permission to use them as a real character in your story. Most often you may not be allowed to do so. If you are granted permission, you may be charged an extraordinarily high price or a piece of your royalties for the life of your book. It may also be conditional upon them being granted the right to review the story in order to determine how the character is presented. Under no circumstances may you say anything disparaging about them. That will not be tolerated. I hope this clears up a few questions regarding the use of celebrities in fiction. This is only a rudimentary answer to a complicated question. Consult an attorney well versed in publishing and literary law before publishing a story when using celebrity names, otherwise you may be..."Under Pressure." https://lnkd.in/gapKEvuw

Wonder Boys – directed by Curtis Hanson, based on Michael Chabon’s novel – is a beautiful film about being a writer. In one scene, the prodigy James Leer looks over Grady Tripp’s writing studio and sees Tripp’s work in progress – a massive tome at page 2611, and no end in sight. Their exchange is in the excerpt from the script here. Whether you believe in writer’s block or not, there are times when things just don’t seem to go forward. When I’ve come to a block, or had trouble moving through some sort of creative obstacle, I’ve found it usually comes down to not knowing enough. In fiction, that means it’s not knowing enough about the characters. It’s usually something in their motivation or the scene’s subtext. In non-fiction, it’s either that I don’t know enough about the topic, or the structure is lacking dynamic so I can’t see how the ideas flow in the chapter. That makes it another issue with subtext. Knowing that this is usually why I’m stuck help save time getting past it. I can look there first. But sometimes that’s not enough. Sometimes there are other reasons. The creative process is so fascinating. Over the last twenty years or so, I’ve collected a lot of different strategies and techniques to tap into the creative process. These come from reading books and interviews, talking with other writers and artists, watching documentaries, and searching out strategies that worked for my favorite writers and artist. These strategies and ideas have helped me in my own writing, my coaching, and ghostwriting. They’ve made up a tool chest to use when I’ve been working with bands and other musicians. I’ll be dropping a short post on each Friday over the next months to share one of these strategies. If there are any other creative strategies you use, then please tell me about it in the comments. If you want to discuss how I can help you with your creative process, then drop me a message.

99% of fiction writers never translate their ideas into stories. Not because the idea is incorrect but because it's incomplete. As Albert Einstein said, "𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏'𝒕 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒗𝒆 𝒂 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒎 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒄𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒎." Every story begins with a dramatic problem. But you can't solve it at the same level of consciousness that created the problem. So, you've to let go of the idea of what you think the story is for the truth of the story to emerge. Simply put, by the time you finish writing your story, your idea will evolve and grow in ways you can't foresee when you're so busy celebrating that you've got an idea. But most writers don't let this happen - imagine, as a parent, if you keep your child close to you at all times, not allowing it grow on its own, what would happen? In writing, marination is not a passive process. The story marinates when it's in your mind - learn to live with it for some time. Once you've access to an idea, allow it to grow; follow the idea, don't control it; let it control you (honestly, that's the most fun part). There are three ways you can translate the idea into story - - Write the first draft ASAP. Don't think. Just put it all out there. - You can't write a perfect draft (ever), but you can always make a half-decent draft into a good one. - Use the outside-in method to look at your story from a bird's eye perspective and then slowly get into the details. (𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘤. 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴) When you start with the details, it's a recipe to fail. But when you have your external story well-crafted, details reveal themselves to you. Check out my newsletter, where I share my fiction writing journey with frameworks, how to write with AI and insights about healthy creative living with 95+ amazing writers, creatives and filmmakers. #AmeyWrites

I intentionally post my Books at various stages of development for lessons to New Writers and Artist. Final Books, Art Prints, and art Works shared have hidden codes, that only the Literary Agent in my Agency knows are there that are there. This is how we catch Art Theft and theft of intellectual properties. I am a Traditional Independent Art Publisher, but I have my own original trade secrets. I groom writers and Artist to be published, but, the remind them the industry is often biased toward sure things. But the readers are not like that. They love the creative, original Artist and Writer. The Agents do the grooming of Artist and Writers, what used to be done by the Editors. I leave grammar to the computer, or the gifted in that discipline of grammar, to help writers in that technical aspect of their Art and craft. Besides as the great F. Scott Fitzgerald revealed a good writer is their own best editor. Writing is editing your written work into perfection, or imperfection, for Arts sake. I am Traditional, but I am an Artist, there are no rules in Art, disciplines yes, science true, being polished after the work and in the stages of the work, in control of the process, that is what I seek to quicken your soul to understand. I am a writer. Sit in my seat you face the great view a beautiful thing in the midst of learning in the school of hard knocks, but you will learn, because you write, because you have to. It waits for you, the poet, the novelist, the story teller. You can't help it. You love writing, words, the very idea of being a writer, to breed self educated that becomes an ademic. If you save a heart, a dreamer, a romantic, a thinker, a mind, and add something to save a soul from the world with the gift from God to write, with your book, your words, it is the joy you have found in it of what you love, by which you give love and hope. It was God, using me, using you. It was worth it. It is always worth it. I write, but always by inspiration, you write your own way, your voice it comes there is no other like it, by writing and learning to write.

Ever Worry You’re Just Too Much? Writers are generally curious people. We want to pose questions, find solutions, change the debate, and open new perspectives. It’s what we’re drawn to. Sometimes, the results are gratifying, and other times, they can be downright terrifying to our readers and ourselves. Nothing illustrates this more than my latest project, where my curiosity led me to some dark and perverse places. It’s not my habit to write this way — usually, I let other artists drown in their dark pools while I merely dip a toe in. This time, I dove in headfirst. I’ve always been fascinated by the dark side of life. I’m drawn to villains even more so than heroes. Yet, I usually write up to the edge of darkness and then retreat, which is probably why I haven’t been satisfied with my work. Taking the advice of my peers, I decided to embrace my dark side fully. I didn’t expect it to shake me to my core, leaving me wondering what kind of person I am. Ironically, the measurement of my newly found depravity comes in the form of colorful pads of sticky notes, each color representing a different arc of researched destruction. At the top of each sticky note and written in my now seemingly serial-killer handwriting is a location, like ‘greenhouse,’ and a list of everything I can think of that could be used to murder my characters. Who knew plant care could be so deadly? Purple, blue, green, yellow, and pink paper stacks of indoor hazards and outdoor carnage potentials lined up, ready to be dispensed, fill my desk. And then there are the other stacks, the seemingly sedate rainbow-colored squares detailed with poisons at my disposal. Yikes! The thought that keeps spinning in my head is, what kind of sick profession is this? Besides a hired hitman, who thinks like this? Thriller and Horror writers, of course! Another new facet of my writing experience is the music. I usually write in silence, the scratch of pens across notebook paper (I know, I know, archaic) or the click-clack-clack of my fingers tapping into my laptop as the hum and beat that guides me. But since I started this project, I’ve collected morose music, a solemn playlist that sparks images of the gaunt, the goth, and the ghastly. However, despite my full-fledged, card-carrying, people-pleasing nature, what scares me the most isn’t the possibility of alarming my loved ones or even the thought of someone sending the cops for a welfare check. What worries me the most is the fear that all this research and energy poured into writing might not pan out. Now, that’s something that keeps me up at night. What about you? Have you ever taken a writing direction that haunted you in the name of getting better? I bet you have! Share your thoughts in the comments.

Writers ... boost your fan base! Four simple elements can help you master the skill of writing a scene and optimally shape your reader’s journey. Click to find out more. #writing #writinglife #writingtips #writingcommunity #writinginspiration #leonconradstory

I aimed to sell at least 300 copies of my self-published book, Echolocation and Other Stories, in the first year. I surpassed that. It's wild because I almost didn't let myself publish this book. The manuscript sat, rotting in inboxes for sometimes up to a year before a human read it. I wanted so badly for traditional publishers to pick me. Let's be real, in the back of my mind, I still do. I even submitted the final version to a well-known self-published book contest for a professional review. The reviewer maybe read it. They said the characters were passable, the editing clean and reflective of the region's language, the formatting flawless, the voice original. They said there was no plot (it's an experimental collection of vignettes). No specifics though. They could have been talking about anyone's book. I paid a reading fee for that too. When will I learn my lesson about gate keepers? Most of them don't have the time. And many of them eat writers for breakfast. It's a miracle I let myself have this. As someone who has worked in online publishing for years--I know if it doesn't smell like money immediately, it gets the ax. But I thought, I could die before a reader who could really use my words got their hands on my collection. Someone needs this collection. Plus, I worked hard on it. I wasn't alone. The individual stories had beta readers (other lit fiction writers in my writing group). One story had one version, another 11. I workshopped bits of stories in classes. Got a professional editor who specializes in short fiction to help arrange the collection. A cover designer. Most people would advise writers not to spend this kind of money, but I wanted the absolute best for this collection. I paid for it out of pocket, slowly, over years. I finally broke even on editing and the cover. I don't even want to think about the time and emotional labor haha. Thanks to that initial leap and the journey that followed, I also learned that I adored selling in person at art/craft shows. Not only did I get to connect with my target audience in the flesh, but I made some solid friendships with other artists and writers who inspire me. I've gotten a lot feedback from readers. One of my favorite bits of feedback has been from an indie musician friend I hadn't heard from in a while. He said he hasn't read a book cover to cover in years, that my writing relaxes his brain. It's one thing to attract people who already enjoy reading. It's another to attract those who would like to read but don't. His reading experience and others' experiences have been invaluable to me. What a thrill this has become. What love. What labor. The things you do for your art. There's nothing like it. #writing #editing #selfpublishing #art #fiction