So, to let everyone know, the next blogger here is none other than, Monika, my dear friend, mentor, and high school librarian. Long story short… (I promise, short) and I may have already spoken about it, she beta read for book one and pounded me into a bloody mess, (in a good way, Monika).
I remember sitting at Haley’s table, Tiarra going over the notes, and me, notebook out taking notes. (And yes, my bruised and beaten face still smiles about this.)
Tiarra was reading them to herself, then paused, looked up and laughed out, “Oh, prepare your butthole… this is going to hurt.”
After the session, I hoisted myself up on two crutches, blood still dripping from my face, and Haley was laughing and Tiarra just grinned, saying, “I love this woman.”
And so do I.
Without further delay, my dear friend, Monika.
Back in the 60’s, Peter, Paul & Mary sang a song called, “If I Had a Hammer.” I bring this up because I love the song, but also because every writer needs a hammer.
Writing is a solitary occupation and process. You have your characters, your thoughts, and your imagination, but that’s it for company or help. You might ask someone else for feedback, but usually, you will listen and then mentally say, they just don’t understand. Then you’re by yourself again.
So, what’s the hammer? Well, I see it as external motivation. There are writers who have sucked all the motivation out of the world (which is why some of the rest of us can’t find any!) and use it well. They write on a rigid schedule and produce a multitude of works. Good for them. I don’t believe that this is the norm for those who look at blank paper and fill it with fairies, witches, princes, and paraphernalia. Most of us need a hammer.
There are a variety of hammers out there. Jon and I got to know one another (as grown-ups) because of my favorite hammer—signing up for a writing class. The local Community College lets us old folks take classes for free, so I take advantage. My hammer is an external deadline, i.e. homework and due dates. Once you get an agent and publisher, this morphs into an editor who will nag you. For some, the hammer is money. They are freelance authors/writers and need to pay the bills. The rare writers have an internal hammer—a story that eats at them until it appears on paper or the writer goes insane.
Let’s face it. The most successful writers are the ones who don’t need hammers. They treat writing like any other job. They get up, have breakfast, go to their work space and write for eight hours. I really envy them. For most of the rest of us, we need that hammer. Find yours and… “hammer in the morning, …hammer in the evening.”
Monika Ragland
Jonathan Dominguez 