Book List!

This semester at Pine Manor I have a fantastic line-up of books to read.  I have already tackled seven - almost eight! - and felt like it might be interesting to show our readers and contributors the annotated bibliography that I have to keep for my readings.  What you see below has been copied and pasted from my personal account at EasyBib.com, which has been a godsend for this project.  Please note that my annotations are meant as a personal guide for myself to see what I learned or liked about a book and perhaps even why.  They contain spoilers and also some of my immediate reaction.  

Abbott, G. The Executioner Always Chops Twice: Ghastly Blunders on the Scaffold. New York: St. Martin's, 2004. Print.

• It is interesting reading how someone methodically describes the actual mechanics of bringing people to pain and to death and giving an objective bird's eye view of the process. Helpful to me in my own detailing of execution in writing. This book is a fast and interesting read - the best part of it is the accidental intimacy we begin to feel for certain hangmen by the end and for the Sanson family in particular. It gives a bit of humanity to the ones carrying out the sentences as well as a bit of justice (or scrutiny) to the one's being killed. Also has great insight to the mental rationale of the executioner (one says he executes while his predecessor hung them - another says that he doesn't kill them, he let's them kill themselves at the end of his rope).

Dickey, James. Deliverance. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1970. Print.

• Favorite parts were the owl on the tent, the making love to the rock wall, and the part when he cut out the arrow. I had visceral reactions to much of the 'gore' or 'pain' descriptions and oddly enough, not as much of a reaction to the rape. It reinforces some of the rape culture beliefs of the time and makes the victim feel tainted through Ed's POV. Overall, this is a fantastic example of effect and poetic prose. The ending was subtle and I wouldn't have minded just a bit more of something - it sort of just stopped after a wonderful cool down period. I loved all the non-sentimental and yet extremely sad mentions of Drew and his death. Excellently haunting. This is the 1970's version of Lord of the Flies for me: Drew = Simon, Lewis = Jack (in his savageness), Bobby = Piggy, and Ed = Ralph. Very archetypal in that way. Highly enjoyable read.

Gaiman, Neil. The Ocean at the End of the Lane. New York: HarperCollins, 2013. Print.

• He wrote the first part intending to make it 'boring' so that it might dissuade young, young readers from continuing on - so that only kids mature enough to get through the boring part would persist. I love the dip back into memory and the part when he feels it's a 'ghost memory' that it didn't happen when he gets his heart ripped out by the varmints. I love the end so much that he is still recovering even at forty-seven and that he's suffered as a human and is growing a new heart. This is a fantastic and quick read with so much imagery and such a raw-innocence in it that it just had to be told through a child's eyes. There's something beautiful about this story that makes me feel like Gaiman is a web weaver - like he wrote the epilogue long before he wrote the first chapter (probably not) but he had such precision in getting from the start to the end. Such tight story telling and no wasted words. It was wonderful and the repetition of water and fabric were just gorgeous.

Gardner, John. Grendel. New York: Vintage, 1989. Print.

• An interesting look at POV - I really fell in love with this poor monster. I melted every time he screamed, "Wah! Mama!" It was fun and full of anachronistic moments, phrases, 'knowings', that made it highly humorous yet no less serious. Gardner's use of dialogue mixed with action is fantastic and reinforces the aesthetic of the novel. Fun stuff in the book: moments when the structure takes a movie type turn as well as moments when the first line of the paragraph is flush with the margin and the rest of the paragraph is indented. This inversion really caught my eye. Fantastic resource for structure. Something else that I loved and found to be very effective was that it went 'oh so smoothly and sneakily' from first person past tense to first person present tense. That was brilliant especially since the ending of the novel portrays Grendel on a fall to his death and it ends with this suspended moment of knowing what's going to happen but having to use your own imagination for it.

Memmer, Philip. Lucifer, a Hagiography: Poems. Sandpoint, ID: Lost Horse, 2009. Print.

• Interesting take on the Lucifer myth - putting him neck and neck with Christ as a caring and sympathetic brother rather than an antagonist. I like the brother-ness. The story telling in the poetry is fantastic. Favorites include the dance and when Lucifer watches his daughter be born. I like the reaffirmation that Satan and Lucifer are different angels. It's a real twist that God wanted Lucifer to perform the Christ role initially and that this 'plan' was what made Lucifer drop out of heaven saying 'that's the stupidest thing he'd ever heard.'

Myers, Walter Dean, and Christopher Myers. Monster. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 1999. Print.

• Super quick read - nice handling of some very adult matter (prison rape and violence) without making it too graphic or turning off a younger audience. My only complaint with the book is that the main character is sixteen and much of his diary entry narrative feels younger than that. It could just be the fear making him feel that way, or maybe he's not that intelligent but the rest of the story leads us to believe that he is quite smart. The end is haunting and unsettling and leaves such a chillingly ambiguous taste in my mouth that it redeems any 'immaturity' in the text prior. Also I love the gradual and effective way Myers pulls us into the screenplay format.

Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughterhouse-five: Or, The Children's Crusade, a Duty-dance with Death. New York: Dell Pub., 1999. Print.

• It's like a dream within a dream within a dream within a dream. Craft-wise, I enjoyed the various POV narrators and the broad spectrum third person (with occasional author asides) that delved into omniscience. For satire and comedy this broad stroke style is highly effective it seems. This book also makes me proud of my affection for ugly, mutilated, awkward, and otherwise non-traditional appearance characters. No one in the book is attractive accept maybe Derby and he's doomed from the get go. Structure wise I adore the long chapters with continuous breaks (lots and lots of white space) and not just between Billy's 'time travel jumps' but also in the middle of a conversation. It gives the reader a breath and for me it makes it easier to come back and read again and pick up with a sense of knowing exactly what's going on. There's so many lovely gems in here - all of Kilgore Trout's novels and the recurring imagery of silver and blue defining the skin of the dead. Not to mention the picture of the pony and the woman. I liked the non-linear approach and it worked to make Billy even more interesting.

Reading is the Thing

I have read three books this month and will read one or two more before the calendar ticks over into August.  Reading is part of my homework for the MFA program and as a result it has helped me build up my repertoire of devoured fiction.  Each and every day I am reminded via absolutely priceless lines of verse and tear-jerking emotional dialogue and action that reading truly is the most essential building block of a writer and also the most useful tool in a writer's work box.  

What are some books that you (contributors and readers alike) have read recently?  Take some time to think about what parts of the book inspire, appall, upset, or confuse you.  Think about why and also think about how the author has accomplished these this - or not accomplished it as well as you would like.  Reading and thinking about what you've read are the two cornerstones in writing.  

Here are some books I recommend if you are in need of good reading material.  Please, please, please feel free to add to this list.  I would like to make a large posting with a composite 'must read' list as recommended by the contributor's of Detangled Writers!

• Grendel by John Gardner
• Battle Royale by Koushun Takami 
• Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi
• The Road by Cormac McCarthy
• Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

10 Rules of Writing

I recently read Elmore Leonard's 10 Rules of Writing.  It is literally an 89 page book dedicated to  white space, caricature-like drawings and, of course, the ten rules.  They are as follows:

1.  Never open a book with weather.
2.  Avoid prologues.
3.  Never use a verb other than "said" to carry dialogue.
4.  Never use an adverb to modify the verb "said”…he admonished gravely.
5.  Keep your exclamation points under control. You are allowed no more than two or three per 100,000 words of prose. 
6.  Never use the words "suddenly" or "all hell broke loose."
7.  Use regional dialect, patois, sparingly.
8.  Avoid detailed descriptions of characters.
9.  Don't go into great detail describing places and things.
10.  Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip.

 My most important rule is one that sums up the 10.

 If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.

I found the entire book to be a bit on the pretentious side, please visit my personal blog to read my full review.  Concerning these rules, I question whether or not calling them 'rules' makes us less likely to follow them, or if something like this might be more palatable if presented as suggestions.  What are your thoughts on these rules?  Do you follow them?  Do you break them?  Do you think that you have to follow them in order to get any literary credibility?  There are a few that I do agree with and many that I intend to completely disregard.  Are there any here that you would personally follow?  Are there any that you disagree with completely?  

Amanda LaFantasie (Skoora) © 2012

prompt-List of Truths

The Pocket Muse's Ten Commandments post, reminded me of this prompt from my first creative writing class in high school. This is also a prompt that I come back to every so often and re-do or re-read. It's amazing what values change and what don't.

Create a list of life's truths. Everything and anything can be included. These are YOUR truths. Pull from your experience and view point to create this list.

Pocket Muse Excerpt: Ten Commandments

TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR A HAPPY WRITING LIFE

1. Don't wait for inspiration; establish a writing habit.
2. Take time off.
3. Read voraciously.
4. Shut out the inner critic.
5. Claim a space.
6. Claim some time.
7. Accept rejection.
8. Expect success.
9. Live fully.
10. Wish others well

Excerpt from Monica Wood's The Pocket Muse: Ideas and Inspirations for Writing

Wood, Monica. The Pocket Muse: Ideas and Inspirations for Writing. Cincinnati, Ohio, 2002

~*~

These are the commandments that Monica Wood prescribes for fellow writers to have a happy and fulfilling writing life and in this list is the summary of a good deal of the lessons contained within her book.  I thought it might be interesting for us to compile individual ten commandment lists and then make a master Detrangled Writer's Ten Commandments list as a compilation of our own experience, drives, and writing desires.

Amanda LaFantasie (Skoora) © 2012

Obsession List prompt from Natalie Goldberg

 

 

Every once in a while I make a list of my obsessions. Some obsessions change and there are always more. Some are thankfully forgotten.

Writers end up writing about their obsessions. Things that haunt them; things they can’t forget; stories they carry in their bodies waiting to be released.

I have my writing groups make lists of their obsessions so that they can see what they unconsciously (and consciously) spend their waking hours thinking about. After you write them down you can put them to good use. You have a list of things to write about.

 

Excerpt from Natalie Goldberg's Wild Writing Down The Bones: Freeing the Writer Within

Goldberg, Natalie. Writing Down The Bones: Freeing the Writer Within. Boston: Shambhala, 1986

Love Scenes VS. Erotica: Pillow Talk

"It is not enough to conquer; one must know how to seduce." ~ Voltaire

In the end the real difference between love scenes (romance stories) and erotica comes down to what the author wants the reader to feel.  In a love scene the goal is emotional satisfaction and too little can be detrimental while too much might seem out of place in the context of the novel.  In erotica the goal is visceral reaction and too little may leave the reader unsatisfied while too much may very well equate porn.  It is important to handle love and sex scenes with great care because as I stated before, everything the characters do and say, and everything they don't do and don't say, is important and has meaning and can either enhance or detract from not only the scene but the entire novel or short story.  When we put the typical elements of love scenes and erotica side by side, the breakdown is as follows:

• Love scenes are about love; erotica is about sex.
• Love scenes keep it magical and obscure; erotica tends to be more blunt.
• Love scenes end with both parties satisfied; erotica may or may not.
• Both are most successful when creativity and imagination are employed.

Sex scenes and erotic elements are not limited to romance and erotica but that is where they are most commonly seen.  There is nothing wrong with adding a bit of visceral detail to a love scene, nor is there anything wrong with confessions of love during an erotic tryst.  The lines between these literary art forms exist but they are thin and easily crossed.  The most important thing to keep in mind is the feel of your novel and the development of your characters.  

*

I have included links to the first two installments of this series as well as links to other pages and sites that may be of interest to anyone wishing to explore or hone their skills in the area of romance and eroticism. 

• Love Scenes VS. Erotica: The Love Scene
• Love Scenes VS. Erotica: Erotica
• Tips for Writing Paranormal Romance
• Public Bookshelf: Romance Novels
• How to Write Erotica

Amanda LaFantasie (Skoora) © 2012

Generators, Name Lists, and Dolls! Oh, my!

I would like to talk about randomness for a moment.  First, nothing is truly random - even when we seek names, numbers, and coin flips from random generators there is some higher artistic power at work that we humans are too puny to comprehend.  Yes, I really just said that.  Secondly, when a randomly generated name or number or color or whatever is presented to us, it forces us to make a choice and therefore our choice takes away the randomness because suddenly we have ascribed purpose to whatever it is that we have decided.  Do I want Chinese food for dinner or American?  My friend randomly shouts out, "American!"  And because a choice has now been set before me, I can say with full confidence that, no, I actually wanted Chinese food.  Canton here I come!  It is the same way with random generators on the internet.  I put in that I want an Arabic male name and I am presented with one.  I now choose whether to accept it (along with all the instant images and ideas that come along with it) or reject it and press the generate button one more time.  Even if you limit yourself and say 'I will press the generate button once and whatever comes up is what I shall use' you are still making a choice.  You will use that name, research that name, glorify or slander that name, and make a character to be the perfect match or foil to that name.  

In this post I have included random generators (as well as already generated name lists) that I have used in the past.  What I would like to know, is if you find such things to be enormous wastes of time or if they help you in developing characters in some way.  Do they at least help you decide what not to do?  Further down the list I have also included generators and visual aides that might help with the design of the character and even the setting in which they might live.  I find such things to be very useful in some situations (not all).  More often than not, room design and dress up games are just a starting point for me, and then my own imagination and creativity take over.  Could such things end up being distractions from the process?  Try a few out perhaps and then decide.  And of course, it always depends on the situation.

• Name Generator Index (A list of generators that provide you with everything from Hillbilly names to names for your pony.)
• Fantasy Name Lists (A branch of the previous site wherein you can find links to various fantasy name lists, a few fantasy specific name generators, and also the 100 most essential words in anime - talk about random O_o.)
• Names Master List (Another branch of the same site with a plethora of links to name lists for pretty much anything you could think of to name.  If it isn't there, it doesn't deserve a name.)
• 20,000 Names (A personal favorite of mine and Crimson Lantern.  This is also linked to this very blog.  It is a very informative and well categorized name database for practical and fantastical use.)
• Fantasy Name Generator (Just push generate and you'll have a whole slew of interesting and unique names and if you don't like what you see, refresh the results page for more names.)
• Pet Names (as in lovey dovey, not for Fido) (If you have a character who likes to say things like 'sweetie pie' and 'pumpkin tits' this might be a good place to find inspiration.)
• New Identity (This site generates a new name and a whole new identity for you - should you need one  O_O - or can be a good starting place for a character.  I used it to create a new identity for a character who went into witness protection.)
• Random Name Generator (This site is similar to the last one but with a less intense tone.  You can generate based on ethnicity or even race of magical creature.)
• Character Name Generator (D&D) (A place to go if you want some creative names for your Dungeons and Dragons characters, or novel characters who merit such names.  Kind of fun.)
• Noemata (I have used this over and over again - it basically pumps out random collections of letters and syllables that are without trademark.  It is a good place to look up fake brands for stories or to seek inspiration for cyber-punk or fantasy names.)
• Random.Org (If you are debating on having your character go left or right - this is a place where you can flip a virtual coin or pick a number between X and Y.  You can also roll the dice.  It's nice if you don't have coins and dice handy and would like to practice randomness in your decision making.)
• D&D Dice Roller (Because I felt like I couldn't leave it off after the last entry.  If you need to know how badly your poor character took a beating in that alley last night and you want help deciding - just roll a D20 and let the carnage begin.)

And, as promised here are some other random things that may or may not help you along your way to creativity and production.

• Elizabethan Insults (The name really says it all.  Included in this site is a link to an Elizabethan insult generator above and beyond what is already presented. Good fun.)
• Fantasy Dress Up Index (A whole slew of dress up doll games that could give you ideas for clothes, looks, locations,or even anthropomorphic additions to your characters.)
• Doll Divine (The site I use more than others to find dress up doll games for male and female characters.  You can screen shot your final creations and tuck them away for further inspiration.)
• Room Sketcher (Design your, or your character's, dream house and give yourself a good visual of where things are located about the house so that you can describe it easily in your writing.  I haven't used this site very much at all, but I know others who have found it pretty helpful.)

Randomness is something that writers all come to embrace.  Dani posted picture cubes as a writing prompt, others toss word dice to come up with a plot.  Some people put names, places, and activities in three separate hats and pull out the makings for a writing exercise or story.  There was a musician (a composer) who used to walk around naked then lay on his piano and pound the keys randomly until inspiration struck.  It all seems so random and yet it is all a choice.  Choose randomness.  That is one way to keep the creative juices flowing.   In closing, here is a link to Script Frenzy's plot machine: Script Frenzy.Org.  Script Frenzy (a sister branch of NanoWriMo) is no longer an event, but the site remains intact for people to make use of their script writing tools which include this plot machine.  Randomness in motion.  If anyone has any generators or lists that they have found useful in the past, I would love for you to share them with me.  And if you have any creative prompts that hinge on randomness, please share those as well.

Amanda LaFantasie (Skoora) © 2012

Dani's prime cut short list

1. What time frame am I looking at? a year since Dani deemed it so!
2. What does your current schedule/life style look like? I have a 40 hours a week job. I also have a few goals that take up some free time (training for a 5k run, Internet dating *grumble* and helping out my friend with her brand new twins) 
3. How important is writing to you currently? Important enough to want to write and to make it a daily habit. Not so important that it's at the top of my list.
4. Where are you as a writer? I'm coming out of retirement. As a child, teenager, and college student, I wrote. I wrote many papers, but I also wrote poetry in the margins of my theory books and took the occasional C.W. since then I've been off and on with writing nights with a few friends and attempted a couple of NaNoWriMos but nothing really has come from any of those prompts/attempts. I'm looking for a chance to really dig in and get something done with my writing.
5. What goals will better you as a writer? Ugh. improving grammar and spelling and being more mindful would be beneficial. I also really need to back up my work (the computer is old and is having issues multi-tasking--- or really single tasking). And it would be nice to have everything on the computer so I don't have to go through 20 note books just to find a couple of sentences I've been obsessing about.
6. What goals are most important to you? Finishing one of the novels and keeping up with the blog (since I have other people counting on me).

Fatty List

• set aside two hours a week to write (20 minutes. a day)
• finish a rough draft on past NaNoWriMo projects
• 1st Impressions <-- I want to focus on one novel and of the two, I like Thecla better
• The Thecla Series
• complete the word total of a NaNoWriMo in the allocated time (but I would be happy to beat my word count from the last two years/ go to an event/ donate to the NaNoWriMo)<-- It's important to me to donate and support causes I believe in. I don't think I can do a NaNoWriMo this year (between the blog and rough draft of a novel)
• back up all writing material on flash drives (and organize)
• Type up all hand written notes and stories (maybe 1 hr. a week?)
• Attend 2 conference/classes about writing
• do a publishing pitch
• Enter a contest and/or submit short piece to a journal
• Once polishing-- recheck out Writing Clinic and apply the practice.
• write a writing guide-- focused on writer's block and continuing the story.
• Fill up one notebook (because I have the bad habit of starting a journal and then buying a new one and writing in that one.)
• Screen play for 20 Years Later 
• write short story on the brothers
• have a good prompt list
• daily journal, dream journal, BLOG<-- weekly
• Go to a reading and/or open mic
• perform at a reading or open mic
• create an online writing group
• good prompt list
• blog weekly (and more)
• create a 'current life's truths' list as a prompt
• write writing articles for the blog
• regularly keep in touch with writing friends through the blog
• create a current life's truths list
• create a perfect cover letter
• write a short story on Labecca's china story
• Read and practice The Artist Journey
• Regularly keep in touch with writing friends. have writing night once a week and make it a priority!
• improve my spelling, grammar, and vocabulary. And be more focused when writing emails (I tend to switch out words like 'think' with 'like' and 'should' with 'show')<-- not sure how to measure this to make it a real goal.

Short List (From most important to least important)

• back up all writing material on flash drives (and organize)
• set aside two hours a week to write (20 mins. a day)
• create an online writing group (30 minutes a day)
• good prompt list
• blog weekly (and more)
• create a 'current life's truths' list as a prompt
• write writing articles for the blog
• regularly keep in touch with writing friends through the blog
• finish a rough draft on past NaNoWriMo project book one of The Thecla Series
• Type up all hand written notes and stories (maybe 1 hr. a week?)
• Attend 2 conference/classes about writing
• write a short story on Labecca's china story
• donate to the NaNoWriMo
• Participate in a contest and/or get a short piece published in a journal
• Fill up one notebook <-- I kept this one, because I'm almost there on one and I want to cross something off my list :)

Short List Goals

Preface- Some of the contributors to our facebook club told me that they aren't the list writing type. Which is fine-- part of the allure of writing is that you can do you what you want--there are no set rules on the process of writing.  After some short talks I learned that one already has the goal of getting one for her novels published before her next birthday. And another just wants to get the creative juices flowing again (she's been out of her creative writing habit recently). So if you're at that point were you already know what you want to focus on, then just do it! I've started posting writing prompts (other contributors feel free to post your favorite prompts). After we get a good amount posted here, I'll create a prompt page that will list all the ones that have been posted (so it's easier to use).

Week 2 homework assignment-prime cut list

Ok, so now that we have a fatty list it's time to slim it down to a doable amount. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. What time frame am I looking at? For the purposes of this blog, I am willing to dedicate a year of being an engaged, interactive cheerleader. To our contributors, because of this, the longest time frame you have on the list should be a year (September 2013). If I'm not burned out or I still see that we have people still engaged we'll do it for another year.
2. What does your current schedule/life style look like? That is, 'How much time do you have to dedicate to your writing?' If you are already overwhelmed with a packed schedule-- you don't want to add on too big of projects. Keep in mind when you're narrowing your list what other goals, jobs, activities, responsibilities you have. Make sure that the intensity of your goals fit into where you are in life.
3. Kind of going hand and hand with the above question- how important is writing to you currently? Can you make it a priority? Is this a hobby or a career for you? It's alright if writing isn't at the top of the list. But be honest with your goals in how much work you are willing to do in this area.
4. Where are you as a writer? A writer that is just starting to write will, and should, have different types of goals than a writer that has been out of the habit or a veteran writer who has revised and polished pieces. Make sure your short list emphasizes where you are as a writer.
5. What goals will better you as a writer? There are always parts of the process that we favor. We like fun writing group nights with prompts or the excitement of starting a new piece or in my case outlining something. But then we lose steam, or have to do the hard work of revising, or researching publishers. blah. What good is a thousand written prompt excises if you don't do something with them? Sometimes we have to do the steps that we don't like to be better and more fulfilled as a writer.
6. And the most important question-- What goals are most important to you? If you don't care about what your goals are, you're more likely to abandon them.

Dani's Fatty List

• set aside two hours a week to write (20 mins. a day)
• finish a rough draft on past NaNoWriMo projects
• 1st Impressions
• The Thecla Series
• complete the word total of a NaNoWriMo in the allocated time (but I would be happy to beat my word count from the last two years/ go to an event/ donate to the NaNoWriMo)
• back up all writing material on flash drives (and organize)
• type up all hand written notes and stories (maybe 1 hr. a week?)
• attend 2 conference/classes about writing
• do a publishing pitch
• enter a contest and/or submit short piece to a journal
• once polishing-- recheck out Writing Clinic and apply the practice.
• write a writing guide-- focused on writer's block and continuing the story.
• fill up one notebook (because I have the bad habit of starting a journal and then buying a new one and writing in that one instead of the original one.)
• screen play for 20 Years Later 
• write short story on the brothers
• have a good prompt list
• daily journal, dream journal, BLOG<-- weekly
• go to a reading and/or open mic
• perform at a reading or open mic
• create an online writing group
• create a 'current life's truths' list
• create a perfect cover letter
• write a short story on Lebecca's china story
• read and practice The Artist Journey
• regularly keep in touch with writing friends. Have writing night once a week and make it a priority!

added from C.L list:

• improve my spelling, grammar, and vocabulary. And be more focused when writing emails (I tend to switch out words like 'think' with 'like' and 'should' with 'show')

My (Crimson Lantern ) Fatty List of Goals

For my part in the Fatty List of Goals I have been thinking and there are a few that have always been what I could call staples for myself...

1. Improve my spelling and grammar. My Dad used to tell me that I need to buy a comma.

2. Improve my vocabulary, I am always coming across words while reading that I look up. Some I retain while others I do not and I would really love to start doing a weekly vocabulary word.

3. Read more books. There are some classics that I want to tackle but it's not just the classics but not only those but read some others that friends or family suggest. I've always wanted to be well read.

4. Do more research. I adore the paranormal, steampunk, and I love reading lore from other cultures.

5. Finish something. Several years ago I actually finished a book but I'm not happy with it and often times I will write something, get 200 to 300 pages in and decide that I need to rewrite before it's even finished. I get overwhelmed or have a new idea and end up not finishing the story. Or I will get caught up on 'is this publishable' and be uber nit-picky about it, even discouraged.

6. Get something published. I've looked at going the traditional route, getting an agent, and trying to go through a publishing house. I have also looked at self publishing and e-publishing. There are positives and negatives to each.

7. New York Times Best Seller list, I've always wanted to be on it.

8. Write more eloquently and elegantly. I recently watched a documentary on H.P. Lovecraft and during the film they would quote passages from his stories that made me turn to goo and shiver.

9. Improve my writing habit. I want to work the amount of time that I do when am doing National Novel Writers month all the time. Or at least close to that. It would help if I could make a designated time to write every day.

10. Set word goals. Awhile back I tried to write x amount of words a week and I found that sometimes I managed to surpass that amount and I got a lot written. So, I think I want to try that again.

11. Being more descriptive. I've been told I am good with dialogue. However, sometimes I don't do as much with descriptions and people move darn it, I want to throw in more of people's quirks and mannerisms.

That's what I've come up with so far.  

Fatty Goal List.

Create your fatty list of all writing goals.

So take a few moment sometime this week and create a list of everything you want to do with your writing.  It can be something simple like-- 'I want pull out that favorite poem I wrote a few years back and polish it up,' to more grandiose ones like ‘I want to be the voice of my generation or I want to have a book on New Yorker Best Sellers List.’ List anything and everything.

And don’t limit the list to just producing things. Think about other aspects like publishing, communities, material storing, expanding your knowledge on desired topics (e.g. classes, conferences, books, research topics), organization of existing stories and/or articles/inspiration pieces, budgeting, writing habits, revising, list making etc.