A Side of Backbone, Please.

So, I picked Maya up from school on Monday. We chatted about all that she'd done that day, and whether she could have an Oreo or a 'cold cookie' (that's the frozen cookies you just pop in the oven) for snack at home.

After all the administrative issues had been addressed, she said, "Isaac told a lie on me to Miss Gabby."

I said, "What? Really? And what did you say to him?"

She glanced out the car window, then said, "I said, 'Why are you lying on me? Stop lying on me.'"

I gripped the steering wheel tighter, thinking about my own reaction to Isaac's accusation. Really, the worse things you can accuse me of are lying and not working hard. I may be dishonorable in other things, but I ain't a liar. And my girl may have Princess Syndrome, but when it comes to school, and Miss Gabby, and behaving, she scores a perfect 10.

So I asked her. "Did you do whatever Isaac said you had done?"

She shook her head. "He always says that stuff."

"Next time he says that," I said, glancing at her in the rearview mirror, "say, 'You're a liar', then walk away from him. You don't have to beg him to stop lying on you. Tell him that he's a liar and leave. Okay?"

She smiled and nodded.

"So what will you say next time?"

"You're a liar," my girl said.

Good.

What does any of this have to do with writing, you wonder?

Using words to convey power, that's what.

My heroine in the story went from being needy {Isaac, why are you lying on me?) to empowered (Isaac, you're a liar). It's the same situation - Isaac accusing her, Maya being accused, but now the heroine has confidence. The antagonist may come back later with something because she's just blown him off (as all villains do), but the heroine now has the backbone to deal.

In The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler, our talk in the car would've been Meeting with the Mentor.

In your writing, use strong verbs. Give your hero some room to grow. Give her a mentor to learn from. Get rid of passive words like are, is, will. Make us care.

Will our heroine Maya tell Isaac off next time? Will she turn on her heel with her nose in the air, and return to her coveted position as Miss Gabby's helper? Tune in next week for another episode of "My Momma Says You're a Jerk."

Doom-ed Writer

For those of us who love a good story with our first-person shooters:

GalleyCat published an article about award-winning novelist Graham Joyce -- he's writing the storyline for the upcoming "Doom 4" fps. There's also a link for those of you who are interested in writing for video games.

Ah, "Doom." Loved that and "Wolfenstein." And then, I hit 30, and I couldn't play those games, or the games they spawned - motion sickness. Wah-wah-wah [sad trombone].

You... are not a Published Author.

At one time in your life, you will be rejected. By a lover, a friend, an agent, an editor. How you deal with it? That's up to you.

Back in 10th grade, I broke up with my first boyfriend. Well, he broke up with me. It was my first time being rejected in love. I thought I would DIE, and I went through all the contortions of a teenaged girl convinced she'll never-ever-ever love again. I wrote sad missives in my diary, turned off the radio if Freddy Jackson's "You are my Lady" or Kool and the Gang's "Cherish" came on. Didn't eat. You know - the usual. Eventually, I got over him. And I did love again. And now I can listen to "Cherish" - a lovely (though corny) song.

I've been rejected by agents (not to my liking, or I don't think I can sell this, or your numbers were good with A Quiet Storm, but not great, or I have a client with a book like yours). I've been rejected by editors (didn't wow me, or we're only buying erotic urban vampire memoirs, or what's with the lemmings in chapter 6 - they distracted me, and so, no).

Oh yeah, that hurts. Coz it wowed me. And my book's not the same as you lying client who's never lived in the ghettos of Los Angeles. And lemmings are funny. And then, I take a breath. Okay, several breaths. And then I rant. And then, a few more breaths.

But you know what? The Industry's rejection is not personal. Bottom line, conglomeratization, the need for more erotic urban vampire memoirs to pull publishing from the brinks of disaster.

Then again, their rejection is personal. Because art is personal. Writing, painting, designing, all of it reflects who you are, your experiences, your take on this crazy-stupid world. And so, if someone rejects your story, then they are rejecting you. And it takes all of your might to not run off the set a la "Maury", hands to your face, weeping hysterically.

But that's the writing life. Carrie by Stephen King was rejected 30 times. The first Harry Potter? Nine times. Jonathan Livingston Seagull? 18 times. 18!

I've kept all of my rejection letters. I keep them, and read them sometimes and realize that some were correct in their assessments. But just as I didn't let that 10th grade romance end all future relationships, I won't let a letter from an editor end my writing. I'll find that love again.

How do you deal with rejection? What's the funniest thing someone's said to you that broke your heart?

You... Are Not the Father.

When I'm home on a week-day, I don't start writing until David and Maya leave for school and work. Even after that, I need a cup of coffee and an episode of "Maury" to get my muse off her duff. If I'm lucky, that episode will feature DNA tests. I know, I know, but finding out who the babydaddy is? True drama. Conflict. Revealed motivations. Celebration. Everything a writer wishes to capture in words.

Holy Taco lists 7 Best Paternity Results Reactions.

You're welcome.

About that Poem...

Poet-playwright-professor Elizabeth Alexander read Praise Song for the Day after President Obama was sworn into office. A few highlights:

We encounter each other in words, words spiny or smooth, whispered or declaimed; words to consider, reconsider.

and

What if the mightiest word is love, love beyond marital, filial, national. Love that casts a widening pool of light. Love with no need to preempt grievance.

and

In today's sharp sparkle, this winter air, anything can be made, any sentence begun.

Was Ms. Alexander's praise-song too prosy? Or was the prose pitch-perfect? What say you?

This Week's Digested Read

John Crace digests How to Meet a Man after Forty by Shane Watson:

"So I know you've had boyfriends before and you've said you're better off without them, but you know you were really lying to yourself, don't you? Admit it, girls, you secretly want to be me; married to The One. And you can find your The One!! Because men are really very stupid and won't even notice your genital warts if you smother them with Chanel concealer!!"

In Keeping with Today's Theme...

Please visit this site - it's not a hint. It's just a hoot.

http://101reasonstostopwriting.com/

My favorites?

Reason #1 - You don't buy books.
Reason #14 - Youre speling is atrowshus.

What are your favorites?