Sharon Skinner's Blog

It’s Okay to Play

Now and then, I get a little bit overwhelmed with all of the things I am doing.

It’s an interesting problem for someone who can’t sit still for long to find themselves feeling like their brain is twirling like the loading wheel of a computer. But it does happen.

For me, this is the edge of burnout, a sign that I need to stop for a bit and just let my brain play.

This month, between coaching, writing, traveling, editing, and all the mundane daily things, I hit that place, so instead of an author post about my writing, or my time in the Navy, or even a short  spurt of poetry or flash fiction, I give you this simple message (TBH-As much or more for me than you.):

It’s okay to play…

…to do the bare minimum,

…to set aside the hard work,

…to put off the millions of decisions,

…to ignore the chores,

…even the writing,

…and play for a while.

All those things will wait for you…

And they will be easier to face refreshed.

Trust me.

It’s okay to play.

 

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To Read More About Sharon’s Time in the Navy Click Here

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Japanese Street Tacos, Sukiyaki, & KFC. Sounds like an odd group of foods, I know.

During our six-month WESTPAC cruise, the USS Jason ported in Yokosuka, Japan, for a month. It was a working port for us, so we kept pretty busy. But there was still lots of time to go ashore and see the sights and sample the cuisine.

And sample the cuisine, I did.

One of my favorite places to eat was a little shop tucked in a narrow space between two other storefronts. It was just wide enough for a service window, and from that window, they served Japanese street tacos. Of course, the taco shells were made with rice flour, and they were covered in cabbage, not lettuce, with a sweet and sour sauce that substituted for salsa. They were so good! I ate a lot of them.

I also consumed a lot of Sukiyaki, cooked table-side. Thinly sliced beef, mushrooms, and veggies were placed on the table, along with a Warshita sauce, and a hot cone-shaped grill was provided. You cooked the food yourself, eating and cooking at the same time. I ate a lot of it—it was so good.

The fun part about eating in Japan was choosing the food without always knowing what it was. Most of the restaurants only had menus in Japanese. But many of them also displayed wax versions of the meals in the window. So, I often ordered by walking up front and pointing to what I wanted. While I didn’t always know what I was getting, I always got something delicious.

The biggest surprise came when we took the train into Tokyo. The underground station was huge and crowded, and it took a while to find our way out. It was already near midday, and as we emerged from the station, we found ourselves in front of an odd yet familiar sight. A red and white building sporting a familiar face: Colonel Sanders.

A Kentucky Fried Chicken fast-food restaurant. It was quite busy, and I suddenly found myself craving the familiar.

After waiting in line, we stepped up to the window and ordered. The aroma of fried chicken and hot grease wafted through the service window, and I waited impatiently for my food.

When our orders came, we sat at a nearby table to dig in. But when I sank my teeth into the meaty chicken leg, it tasted like fish. I chewed and swallowed, then took another bite. It looked like a chicken leg. It had a chicken bone and was clearly chicken. But it still tasted like fish.

All the chicken tasted like fish to me. I didn’t like it, to be honest. It messed with my head.

Later, speaking to a crewmate of mine, I asked if they might have cooked it in the same oil as they had fish.

“Maybe,” he said, “but most farmers here feed their chickens a diet of fishmeal. That’s what you were likely tasting.”

After that, I steered clear of chicken, and I ate a lot more street tacos and sukiyaki.

 

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Want More Like This?

To Read More About Sharon’s Time in the Navy Click Here

Interested in what else I write? Check out my books!

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Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could all do what we love most in life and still live comfortably? We see people doing exactly that all the time—high-profile winners, superstars, bestselling authors. And we all wish it could happen for us. Of course, we do. We want it to be easy. And for some, it seems to be. Some people achieve great success, and some faster than others. Some even do so on their first try, or so it appears.

However, most writers who work hard at their craft and produce amazing books also have to put in a lot of effort to get published and then keep working to promote themselves and their work. Many writers, like most creatives, spend their days working a job and then dedicate much of their remaining time to pursuing their dreams.

Whether we succeed in navigating the gatekeepers and the obstacles of traditional publishing or find another way to share our words, sometimes the publishing business can feel like playing the lottery. Especially when certain books suddenly garner national attention and popularity. But writing is art, and art is subjective. Not everyone has the same tastes, and sometimes, even when someone appreciates our work, they may hang it upside down or sideways.

That doesn’t mean we should take offense. It simply means someone found a different way to enjoy what we created—sometimes from a unique or unexpected perspective. We see the world through personal lenses shaped by our individual experiences.

Judging your work based on commercial success or comparing your journey to other writers’ is a surefire way to feel bitter or discouraged, unless luck is on your side. And luck in publishing is much like hitting the lottery—you need to reach the right person with the right work at the right moment.

And who knows what will hit and when?

It’s not always easy to stay committed and focused on writing while chasing that elusive butterfly we call success. Some days, you’ll receive five-star reviews; other days, you’ll get rejection notices from your publisher.

Through all the highs and lows of writing and publishing, I try to remember to live the dream and love the dream, even while working toward it.

 

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SEVEN THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT ME AS A WRITER:

I started out as a total panster/discovery writer, but pretty quickly found that I need to have some idea of where a story is headed in order to get there. As I have written more and more books, my process has morphed along the way. Now, I use a number of plotting and outlining tools, in addition to still writing my way in and through to some extent. That said, one of my favorite mantras is, “Process is personal.” There is no right or wrong way to approach your writing, as long as you get what you want out of it.I have been writing since I was in elementary school but started truly studying the craft of fiction in earnest over 30 (yikes!) years ago. I continue to pursue that education by attending writing workshops and conferences and reading books, blogs and articles on the subject. And by teaching. Every time I craft a new workshop, it either fortifies a concept or helps me to explore that aspect of craft in a new way. And I often find myself talking to workshop participants about the exact craft element I need to focus on in my own projects. Not to mention, I always learn something from participants when I teach.In addition to being a writer, I am a book coach and editor. As a book coach, my main focus is fiction, particularly most anything that falls under speculative fiction. That said, I am certified through Author Accelerator to coach fiction, memoir and nonfiction. I read across all genres and categories, and I am a lifelong learner. I really like to know things! So, it’s no surprise that when the opportunity to become certified across the board, I went for it.My roots are in poetry. My first publishing credits were poems in magazines, newspapers and online. I got into Slam and was a regular on the Phoenix SpokenWord circuit. I even published and sold my own chapbooks. (I still have some, just in case anyone is interested. LOL) It wasn’t until 1995 that I realized I had bigger stories to tell and began writing novels. The first (very crappy) draft of my first novel poured out of me in less than eight weeks. It was conceptually a great story with fun characters but was horribly written. It took me years of studying craft and more revisions than I care to count before it was finally publishable and debuted as The Nelig Stones in 2013.I have written two published picture books. I have also written dozens of unpublished picture books. Writing a good picture book is harder than people think. Not only does the story have to hold together, if you are writing character driven-stories you have to develop an engaging character and story, tell it in 500 words (or fewer!), and leave room for the illustrations. Picture book structure and format also play into what makes a good picture book. And the picture book market is seriously competitive. That’s a lot! But when you manage to pull it all together, that’s a pretty special feeling.I used to dislike the revision process. However, I always want to make sure I give readers the best experience possible. Now, I enjoy and find a great sense of fulfillment in polishing the work and getting it right. I do think I owe a lot of that enjoyment to working with a fabulous editor. Credit where credit is due, Anne Lind.I have multiple projects going at any given and all of them are at various stages of development. I am still working on Dating and Demons, the sequel to my urban fantasy Collars and Curses. I have a few more demon stories starring Kel Fazz and Harb. (Fun stuff!) I am usually working on stories to potentially submit to anthology open calls. And I write poetry and flash fiction in between everything else.

BONUS: I host a podcast about writing for kids. It’s called Coaching KidLit and is in its fourth year. Podcasting is a lot of work, but I really enjoy talking to writers and book coaches about books and writing. I don’t only write and coach KidLit, as I said above, I work across genres and categories, but I also really enjoy helping writers create great kids’ books.

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Want more Sharon Talk?

Interested in what else I write? Check out my books!

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Conjuration Catena

 

Night

House silent

I shift and rise

Eyes falling on

A shadow in the hall

An apparition in the shape of you

Clinging beside the door frame

Fading into grayness

As my mind wakes

In remembrance

Vanishing spirit

Gone beyond

Reach

 

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Want more Sharon Talk?

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This month is another busy one with lots going on, including several appearances. I am teaching a workshop on paths to publishing on June 14th at Tempe Library, and on June 21st, I will be participating in the Mesa Library Local Authors event.

This past Saturday was Books & BBQ at the fabulous Bookmaze Indie Book and Gaming store. Authors and readers gathered together, dined on delicious food (and cookies!) and hung out, networking, talking about books—writing them and reading them—and sharing in community. So many people making connections. It was awesome.

In chatting with other authors about our books and characters, I got to thinking about relationships and motivation, and all the things that make us—and our characters—human and real. The multifaceted emotions and behaviors that make us such complex beings and our need for connection—even those of us on the introverted side—are aspects of character that need to be portrayed (shown) in their actions, words, and deeds to make them real for the reader. We humanize characters through connection, through the things they are drwawn to. Even our antagonists.

When portraying these traits and aspects of behavior, the author treads a fine line between subtlety and heavy-handedness to ensure the reader understands the character without feeling they’re being bludgeoned with information. This is especially true when using character tropes, such as the dark lord, the evil queen, or the brave knight. That is, unless you’re pushing against standard use, such as the portrayal of Alyce, the dark grace in Malice by Heather Walter, or Gregory Maguire’s portrayal of the Wicked Witch of the West in Wicked.

What makes Maguire’s retelling of the Wizard of Oz so engaging is the humanizing of the Wicked Witch of the West and the revelation that the good Wizard of Oz was not as good as we thought. To do this, Maguire had to provide believable motivation and human emotions to drive the characters to behave in the ways they do. The success of this story and its subsequent adaptation for theater are a testament to Maguire’s ability to see into the human heart and show us the ways in which our most sacred ideals can be twisted by outside influences.

With Malice, we get an entirely new version of the Sleeping Beauty story, beginning with the Graces, who, unlike the original seven fairies, are specialized magic users, and must toil and compete to win royal and moneyed patrons. Alyce is a rare dark Grace and is ostracized for the power she holds in spells of unmaking rather than making. In some ways, Alyce is a typical young person, wishing for connection and even falling in love, but Alyce is also a deeply complex, multi-faceted character, who is especially engaging because of her deep flaws and imperfect humanness, despite being a creature of magic.

One of my first experiences of a writer successfully humanizing a familiar antagonist and writing a believable story in which that antagonist becomes protagonist through humanization was John Gardner’s Grendel, a retelling of the Beowulf epic from the monster’s point of view. In this story, we come to understand and empathize with Grendel, because his motivations are understandable. He is not only consistent and true to his nature, but he is also hell-bent on seeking revenge for an attack on his mother, his deep anger for this evil something to which we can certainly relate.

Relationships are a key component of being human, whether the relationship is between a boy and his dog, someone seeking to make a connection, a person and the focus of their deep desire and love, or that of a monster and his mother. Relationships, or the longing for one, are often what motivates us to behave in the ways that we do (well, that and cookies!), and those of our characters need to be believable for our readers to relate and engage with them.

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Want more Sharon Talk?

Interested in what else I write? Check out my books!

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THE SIGNET

 

“You cheated me.” The familiar voice whispered. The shadows folded in on themselves, and a dark figure coalesced before the unopened crypt. Its features morphed like smoke rising from a house fire, but the glare of its eyes and the cut of its jaw, and the massive shoulders, the left tilting lower than the right, left no doubt as to who it was.

Harlan. Halan’s specter, to be exact.

“You’re early,” I said, feigning nonchalance, though my heart fair beat its way out of my ribs, and my hands grew slick with sweat. “It’s not yet midnight and only two days since the hanging.”

Harlan’s phantom flinched at my words before he growled out, “I come as I may.”

That was news. I’d hoped to be here and gone before his rising. Bile rose in my throat. What other surprises might I meet?

He drifted closer. “And you’re frightened.”

Could he smell my fear? Did ghosts have a sense of smell? Or did they sense in other ways?

I shrugged and twisted the witching yarn tight against my wrist. “Perhaps, but not of you.”

He laughed, the sound a rusty saw blade grating against dry, brittle wood. “You think that bit of twine will protect you, Oathbreaker?”

I let go the string. Moonlight filtered in through the mausoleum gate, casting long dark bars across him. Suitable, I couldn’t help but think but pulled my wits back in place when I heard the scraping of stone against stone.

“I’ve only come for my due,” I said, my own voice rasping with the sudden dryness of my mouth. The scraping grew louder; a grinding like a crushing mill stone.

“Your due!” he roared, his shape morphing and growing to hang above me. “Your due was to be hanged in my stead. We had a deal.” His eyes glowed crimson, as if the fires of hell burned behind them.

“A deal made under threat,” I choked out, slipping back toward the open gate. “It holds no account.”

“By whose reckoning?” he demanded.

“Mine,” I whispered, then raised my voice, “And that of the Scarlet Guild.”

He shrank back, his form thinning and fluttering. “I should have known you weren’t acting alone,” he grumbled. “You were never that capable.”

I stepped forward, ignoring the jibe. “You took an oath, as well.”

“You’ve come for the signet.” He pressed back against the crypt, then twisted aside as the lid ground its way off and crashed to the floor, cracking in two.

“Aye. I’ve come for the signet, which your benefactors should have had from your own hands. But you, in your pettiness, decided to try to use it to cheat death.”

“And you think you are capable of retrieving it from where it lies? You don’t have the temerity.” His laugh wheezed out like the chuffing of a bellows, then died on his ghostly lips as I yanked the witching string tight against my wrist, cutting into my flesh and breaking the threads at once.

Blood dripped down my hand and onto the floor. A ripping echoed from inside the crypt, and his shadow screamed as the signet tore loose from inside his broken body, a flash of gold that flew to my open hand. I braced my knees to keep from shaking and clenched my fist tight around the ring, despite the dark gore that clung to it, refusing to show my disgust. I would not cringe. For my actions were not only sanctioned but justified. This was the debt I owed the guild. This was the price due in recompense for his atrocities.

Thick shadows separated from the corners, surrounding his figure.

The shade screamed again, an inhuman wail, as the shadows cohered in a final dark embrace.

“You will not be missed,” I called out as I strode out into the night.

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Random Word Generator Flash Fiction Words:

CheatHearVoice

 

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We are the stories we tell ourselves.

Stories about ourselves and others, and the world around us.

Stories that spring from our memories, from our imaginations.

Stories we hear and repeat.

Stories we read and incorporate into our views and opinions.

Stories that whisper as we fall asleep, and those recalled from our dreams…

or nightmares.

Even the stories we reject push against us with their shapes and forms.

We are the stories we tell ourselves…

and others.

Through story, we weave the tapestry of who we are, our

truths and lies,

joys and sorrows,

ins and outs,

remembrances and regrets,

lights and shadows,

strengths and weaknesses,

goals and barriers,

wins and losses.

The weft and weave of narrative threads.

Edited versions, filled with additions and omissions,

corrected punctuation,

based on personal syntax.

We are the stories we tell ourselves,

our fictions and nonfictions.

But we are also the stories that others reflect back to us.

And somewhere,

in between,

lies the truth.

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Want more Sharon Talk?

Interested in what else I write? Check out my books!

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Sympathy Cards

 

It isn’t always bright lights and butterflies.

It isn’t always warm sun and honeycombs.

Sometimes, the darkness creeps in.

Sometimes, bad things happen.

Sometimes, the air grows thick with sorrow.

Sometimes, throats scrape raw against angry screams.

It isn’t always bright light and butterflies.

But,

sometimes,

that’s exactly what we need.

 

 

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Interested in what else I write? Check out my books!

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Thoughts on Sustaining a Story

First thought: It’s such a clever/great/amazing/ fun idea for a story!

Second thought: I need to write it down.

Third thought: I’ll just start with this character doing/saying something.

Begin writing…

Stall . . .

Fourth thought: Maybe it’s not that [great/good/workable/worthwhile] an idea.

Rather than abandoning the idea here, I remind myself that:

Writing is messy.There’s a reason people call it the “SFD” (Sh*tty First Draft).I need to first write for myself.My process always requires me to, at some point, write my way in (or sometimes through and even out).There needs to be clay on the table before I can mold it into something that looks like a story.I really do have something to say.

More importantly:

I can let this percolate.I may need time to be ready/able to write this.Not every idea works as a story.I can discard this idea if I want to.It might just need to live in [a drawer/a file/my brain] for an undetermined amount of time.Maybe it’s not my story to tell.

And that’s okay, because…

…I have more ideas than I will ever be able to use.

 

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Want more Sharon Talk?

Interested in what else I write? Check out my books!

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