Janet Q. Glaser, the Wordwright
The Writer's Life of Frivolity and Philosophy

Grand Opening for Ask an Author is at 8 pm Central tonight, July 30. Lots of give aways and of course writing info and a chance to mingle with published authors. The purpose of the site, spear headed by Keira Kroft, is to help writers with writing a novel, answer questions on publishing, and to offer writing tips. You will also rub elbows with many published authors from different genres.

If you can’t make it tonight, then stop by the website. You know they’re always open 24 hours a day!!

I always wanted to be journalist, so I gathered my courage and approached our regional newspaper editor. I offered to write some articles for the paper and to my delight, he agreed to give me a chance. I discovered I enjoyed writing profiles on business people, getting to know and interview people who make a difference in the community, taking in the theater productions, festivals,  and events FREE. With a little imagination I turned a school visit into a story and apple picking into an article. I now have people who I regularly report on their organization and contacts I can go to for community information.

Yesterday I attended a Remote-Controlled (RC) planes Fly-In at an area airport with my hubby and grandsons. Not only did we have a fun time,  you better believe that it is going to make a great story for the paper! Be a journalist to meet lots of interesting folks and to write worthwhile, satisfying information people want to read.

When you begin your story or novel, do you use an outline to guide your writing or do you just begin and let the ideas/characters/plot take you in the direction of the story? Letting the story go along with no pre-planning means you are writing by the seat-of-your-pants thus gaining the title of a “pantser.”  We have lots of discussions at The Writers Chatroom among the newcomers and regular attendees of the Wednesday evening chats, as well as guest authors on Sunday nights,  as to the best method of writing a story or novel.

In an article by Robert Campbell, Outlining,  in Writing Mysteries: A Handbook by the Mystery Writers of America, this mystery writer admits he never used an outline. He preferred William Faulkner’s method of setting his characters on the road and “walk beside them, listening to what they have to say.” Campbell admits writing without an outline causes him to start down paths that lead to dead ends, but he discovers a lot about a character spending time on pages upon pages that he may have to discard. However, he feels that at least, he exercised the writing muscles.

Later in his writing Campbell discovered outlining using his “word processor” or even hand writing a simple outline. He also makes up documents before starting the story such as Chronology, Cast of Characters, Address Book, Timeline of History, Notebook and Agenda which “sketches the goals, desires and probable actions of each principal character as I move through the body of the book.” He builds on each of these documents as the work-in-progress (WIP) evolves.  Campbell cautions that at no time is anything engraved in stone. He remains flexible with each chapter.

It really makes no difference whether you need a map, guidelines, outline or just an idea to freely write a story. The important thing is to write. Don’t be paralyzed by constructing an outline, then never writing the story. With no outline, you may write paragraphs, pages, chapters, etc that will need to be cut for the final draft. But many authors incorporate those leftover pages into another future story.

Pleeeeeezzzz…just write! It’s in you. What a shame if you don’t let it out on the page.

The fifty cent word for pen name is pseudonym. According to dictionary.com a pseudonym is defined as a” fictitious name used by an author to conceal his or her identity; pen name.” So why would anyone NOT want to use her real name as the author? 

I used a pen name for the upcoming  mystery novel to be released in March 2011. I didn’t think much about using a pen name until I actually signed a contract. As an ebook, I will need to have a presence online to promote it, but my website and writings have all been under my name, Janet Glaser. To promote this book under my pen name, I will have to start from scratch building a readership through this fictitious name. If, for publicity purposes, I do connect my name to the pen name, then what is the point of even having one?

My main reason is to separate this fictional world of writing from my articles and non-fiction works. (I don’t know that an editor would like me to write articles for a children’s magazine and then discover that same writer’s name is associated with a mystery/horror story!!) I also believe that I can assure my privacy with a pen name. I don’t believe there will be a slasher at my door who takes exception with this mystery, but the fictional name allows an extra layer of security.

Now I need to figure out how to promote my pen name. Anyone have some great suggestions?? Thanks for your help!