tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post2161565283225272193..comments2024-01-12T11:26:35.176-05:00Comments on Working Stiffs: One conference, one wordWorking Stiffshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270595837074553752noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-4278567409116621982007-05-29T18:01:00.000-04:002007-05-29T18:01:00.000-04:00Hey Mike, that's a mighty glum post considering wh...Hey Mike, that's a mighty glum post considering what the conference held for you!!!! Am I reading into things? I'm sure your honesty is on the pages or you wouldn't have garnered such praise from interested parties. Seriously, your storytelling voice is what sold you to the agent, it must have reeked with honesty. I missed Colleen's session but it sounds like it was great.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-90876747618011346802007-05-29T09:21:00.000-04:002007-05-29T09:21:00.000-04:00Great subject, Mike. I liken your discussion of h...Great subject, Mike. I liken your discussion of honesty to the way actors look at performance---honesty is what makes a character come alive.<BR/><BR/>But 3 weeks of not writing? Hell, honey, that's just re-filling the creative well! We need life experiences to flesh out our words on the pages.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-18137723867036184162007-05-29T09:16:00.000-04:002007-05-29T09:16:00.000-04:00I totally agree. I had to be brutally honest with ...I totally agree. I had to be brutally honest with myself this past week about my current manuscript. It was tough and I didn't necessarily like my answers to the questions, but it does help chart the path we're supposed to be following when it comes to our writing. Great blog this morning!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-82462586516001731802007-05-29T07:12:00.001-04:002007-05-29T07:12:00.001-04:00Great blog, Mike!I think a lot of us ask ourselves...Great blog, Mike!<BR/><BR/>I think a lot of us ask ourselves the same questions, and if we don't, we should. It's always good to reassess. For me, the big question was, is this going to just be a hobby, or do you really want to be published? Once I answered that question (yes, I want to be published), I quit dabbling and started setting aside the time to write. No more excuses.Joyce Tremelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00498392016497131719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-52189008060219687572007-05-29T07:12:00.000-04:002007-05-29T07:12:00.000-04:00A friend of mine decided as a child that she wante...A friend of mine decided as a child that she wanted to be a writer because "writers are the ones who get to tell the truth." That friend is our Sister in Crime, Cynthia Pearson, whose published books have honestly looked at controversial subjects like death and psychic phenomena. <BR/><BR/>Honesty is more than adherence to facts -- in fiction, I think honesty requires the telling of a parable. The story should, at some level, reveal truth. <BR/><BR/>And, Mike, you're being honest when you tell people you are a writer, even if you haven't touched that manuscript in weeks. There is a fundamental difference between ordinary people and writers. Ordinary people talk about writing. Writers write. You write.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-59752069390087473102007-05-29T06:48:00.000-04:002007-05-29T06:48:00.000-04:00Something to live by, Mike! Last week I arrived b...Something to live by, Mike! <BR/><BR/>Last week I arrived back at a new position with my old employer. Several people asked, "How's the book?" Oh yeah, I left last year for, among other things, more time to write. And I've spent the year writing websites and blogs, but no manuscript! <BR/><BR/>It's nice to know that people (not just your friends) remember when you say these things. But as you mentioned, at some point you have to deliver . . .Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com