Writing Tip #4 ~ By The WWD

by Cindy R. Williams

Writing Tip #4 By The WWD

Don't be afraid when your characters talk to you. It just means they want their story told. You are not any crazier than the next person.

Someone asked me to give them some writing tips. This sure got me thinking. Hmmm, . .  I could go online and find some for them. I could peruse my many books on writing and share. Then I realized that I have a few things that have come to me through the school of hard knocks. So I dug deep and came up with these. I call myself  the "WWD--Writer With Desire".  I will post them throughout the year.

Writing & Google Docs

by Terri Wagner

I am taking a Google Docs class from the Alabama State Board of Education offerings. The best part is the class is made up of educators all over my state. We are learning so much from each other. The other great part is that our local county school board just approved switching out Mac Airs for Chromebooks. Although, the Macs are awesome and can do so much more, I do think the more computer experience our students get the better. Before the Mac Airs, they had Windows in computer labs. We now have the 1:1 program. In view of what I do for my school, I thought it would behoove me study up on Google Docs. Since I am still collaborating with my friend, I thought we could practice. Sadly and thus far, she has not embraced the idea. I'm still working on her.

The best part of Google Docs is the ability to edit/comment directly. For a while I worked with an online publishing company. At first, we tried to use Word, figuring most people had Word or access to Word. On that note, we were actually wrong, especially with our international submitters. We also discovered that Word versions were an issue. I would open and edit and send back to the author, he/she would open and nothing would be there. Oddly now that I think about it, I always had to accommodate the author lol. So our editor-in-chief decided on using this thing called google docs. I cannot tell you how hard I found it. I was constantly downloading the pages into my Word version, doing the edits, and then uploading it. I somehow missed the whole you can edit/comment in the docs on the drive without having to download. In fact, that's the big yahoo for the word processing tool.

As a school district, we always were told you could only print in the cloud. True is HP in particular has a patch you can download and wala you can print from a Chromebook on a "classical" printer via a USB cable. That was both a relief and a roll of the eyes. A relief because my teachers love to print. They have yet to grasp the concept of grading things on a computer. And the 4-6 like to fill their rooms with printed projects. And it keeps my brother in business since he works for a paper company lol. A roll of the eyes because there is too much printing around here. And as the keeper of the printers I am always asked by the bookkeeper why I need so much ink. I have to remind her that I only have the printer in my room. And it's not really me printing things out. So the "big" issue of printing was resolved.

Another issue that came up in the publishing company that Google Docs helped with was the proofing. Multiple readers can log in, offer up comments, edit if necessary, and the master editor can accept or reject. Those comments can be marked resolved and disappear from the document view but are always there. That helped cut down on the but-I-suggested-and-you-didn't-respond. I have discovered that people like to have their comments answered.

You would think armed with all of this publishing background knowledge, my first assignment in the class would be a breeze. Create a lesson plan document and share it with comment ability and link it to the forum. My first attempt failed. When you clicked on the link, you had to sign in. I think I went wrong because I used my county school gmail instead of my personal gmail. When I redid the link in my personal gmail account, there were no problems. So who knew that would be a concern??? Bottom line: I like Google Docs and our next assignment in the class is Google spreadsheets which I hear are as easy as Excel. Begs the question why did Microsoft not go this route? I imagine you can already see how this can work well for collaborations, but it can also work for the lone wolf writer. Whenever you are, whatever device you use, sign into your gmail account, click the rubic's cube looking icon and access your docs, change them, edit them, it saves automatically, and keeps revisions of former documents. The future? We'll see.

Downsides? Possibly security issues. It is possible that someone with your gmail credentials could access your writing and then steal it away. It does require Internet access. And you are in a Cloud environment. We do not yet know how secure that is. Although with the latest issue between the FBI and Apple, maybe we are more secure than we think. Anyone else out there with Google Docs experience?

Tell yourself the story

By: Cassie Shiels

Ever get in that, I am not telling this right mode, where the words are not pouring out, but are being dragged out of your brain. Like you have to push and shove them out, and then what you read isn't right. Ah its so frustrating when the characters or the descriptions will not cooperate with you. When it worked out so nicely when you were outlining but now is a completely different feeling. The moment where writing becomes harder then you want it to be. Not fun! Anyone who has ever felt this would agree. Some people call it a version of writers block, others just throw in the towel or muddle through it only to go back and rewrite it all later. It can be super frustrating! I know.

So what do you do?

How do you fix this?

Here are a few ideas. Take a moment to breathe. If you need to step back and do something else for a day or two to let go of the frustration do it. Then something I like to do when things haven't been working out right is I tell myself the story. Be prepared with a notebook just in case it suddenly all works out.

But one of the biggest reasons that I write is because I love to read. I love to get lost in the story and sometimes when writing we loose that. So stop and take a shower, go to bed a little early and tell yourself your story, your scene what ever it is that is bugging you.

Let go of all the writing advice, let go of this has to happen this way next. Let it all go and just tell yourself the story. Who knows? It might open up new thoughts, but it hopefully should help get rid of the frustration and the anxiety of trying to get this right. But I mean it, have a notebook near by, because if you don't, you know how it works, the ideas leave for good if you swear that you will remember it later. We all know this to be true.

I also tell myself to just tell myself the story the first time I write it, but I don't always follow my own advice. But if I can do that, it makes the first draft more fun in my opinion. You can go back later and add in the other stuff.

So tell yourself the story. Let it be just for you, the first time. Or if you get stuck, put the paper and keyboard away for a moment and have a moment with your characters.

A Lesson In Friendship From Job

by Kari Diane Pike

I have so many words to say. I have no idea how to say them. At least that's what I have been telling myself.

Instead of giving up, I did the next best thing. I read. News articles, fiction, inspirational pieces, and my scriptures. Of course, having the opportunity to teach early morning seminary gives me great incentive to study and read and pray and study some more. When I prepare to teach seminary, I pray and pray to know what it is the students need to hear. I don't want to waste the efforts they make to get up extra early in the morning to study the gospel. They experience so much pressure to get good grades, excel in sports or music or other extra curricular activities, and maybe even work part time after school and on weekends. 

One student told me that her biggest challenge comes from feeling that her friends expect her to be perfect. Our topic of discussion that morning came from the Book of Job. Job had friends who misjudged him and I used to focus on how horrible it must have been for Job to have his friends rail on him and tell him that losing all of his material possessions and all of his children, and then suffering horrendous, painful physical ailments came about because he sinned. Who needs friends like that? 

This time, however, I came away with a different perspective. Have you ever shared a concern or problem with a friend or spouse and ended up even more frustrated or even angry because that person had all kinds of advice and ways to solve the problem but not really, because of their limited perspective of the situation? Or what about the times you just need to vent about something that can't be fixed...like the weather?

Job's friends had a limited perspective. They came from a culture that taught that bad things happened to bad people. Losing your crops or your family came about because you sinned and the only way to stop the punishment was to confess. But Job knew better. Job knew that bad things happen to good people and sometimes the wicked prosper. The limited vision of Job's friends caused them to bring him further heartache. What I love about this story is that once the Lord spoke to Eliphaz and pointed out the mistakes he and his friends made, they repented and offered sacrifice as the Lord directed. 

Job's friends sought his forgiveness. Job did what the Lord told him to do. He prayed for his friends.  

And "the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before" (Job 42:10). Afterwards, everyone - family and friends - met in Job's house and comforted him. (side note: I used to wonder why Job got twice as many oxen, camels, etc. but only ten more children to replace the ten he lost. Until someone pointed out that Job didn't lose those first ten children. They were born in the covenant. They were his forever. They were not lost, they were just on the other side of the veil. Job was given ten more children to add to the first and therefore twice as many.)

Far too often I am guilty of the same actions as Job's friends in the beginning of the story. I hear about a problem and I want to fix it. I don't want my friends to be in pain. I think I have good intentions. But sometimes what I say hurts them even more. Then I am scared to say anything to anyone. 

On the flip side, when I have a problem and a friend offers advice, I am occasionally guilty of assuming that person's motivations without taking the time to understand and I let my feelings get hurt. Occasionally, that leads to anger and frustration. I don't think I am alone in this challenge, because I've noticed a growing trend. Sarah Udal put a name to it during our last ANWA chapter meeting. She referred to it as "one-down-man-ship." I see it happening all over social media, talk shows, and even Relief Society meetings. Instead of sharing experiences where we try to "one up" and tell about bigger and better accomplishments (which is its own problem), we get in a rapid downward spiral of  who has the biggest time commitments, the most serious health ailments, or the naughtiest children. 

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said it best: "STOP IT!"

I think I am going to make myself a little "STOP IT" sign for my desk so that I can remember to: Stop comparing. Stop judging. Stop beating myself up. Stop being afraid to share my words and ideas. Be the best me that I know how to be. Focus on the positive. Be grateful. Be charitable - to others and to myself. Trust in the Lord and His redeeming Atonement. Be happy. Actually, be enthusiastic - because life is magnificent.

hugs~