In middle school, one of my Literature teachers assigned us the aptly-titled No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman. It’s been many years since I last read this book and yet it has stuck with me. One reason is the overall quality of the book. It has a wide range of dynamic characters, the plot is engaging, and the narrative voices (it switches perspectives most chapters) are absolutely hilarious. The other reason has more to do with a thread in the book which always appears in the title: dogs dying in “classic” literature. As a dog lover, I can emphatically agree with “no more dead dogs.”
I understand why the “dead dogs” trope is used so frequently. It tugs on the readers’ hearts, provides an opportunity for character development, comments on the cruelty of mankind, etc. Nevertheless, I’m more than a bit tired of it. Old Yeller, Sounder, and Where the Red Fern Grows are just some of the many examples out there. More recently, A Dog’s Purpose follows the journey of a dog’s soul through multiple lifetimes, so of course a dog dies! Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed Where the Red Fern Grows and I cried during Old Yeller, but that doesn’t mean I want to anticipate it every time a book or movie features a dog.
Today’s writing prompt is about breaking that mold. Simply put, I want you to write a short story, poem, personal essay, whatever about a dog or which prominently features the dog. In this piece the dog cannot die. Obviously all dogs die eventually. For this prompt, you cannot depict or allude to the dog’s death in your work.
It may not seem that difficult but this trope exists for a reason. It’s the easiest way to utilize a dog as a character, and it takes some real thought to give them a different plot line.
If you come up with something that you think has promise, please feel free to share it in the comments. I would love to read some good fiction, poetry, or even non-fiction in which the dog does not die.
Happy Friday! I’m here to tell you about another contest from Writer’s Digest. (There are scores of them.) This particularly opportunity is for those of you who have put the time and effort into self-publishing an e-book. Your book must be self-published in e-book format before you enter the contest, so be certain that you read all of the rules and FAQs before trying to enter.
Here are some basic details:
You must enter online.
There are several categories in which you can enter: mainstream/literary fiction, genre fiction, nonfiction, inspirational, life stories, children’s picture books, middle grade/young adult books, and poetry.
The entries are judged based on content, writing quality, and overall quality of production and appearance.
One grand prize winner will get $5000, a feature article about them and their book in the May/June 2018 issue of Writer’s Digest, a paid trip to the Writer’s Digest Conference, and more.
One first prize winner in each category will get $1000, promotion in the May/June 2018 issue of Writer’s Digest, and more.
Honorable mention winners get $50 worth of Writer’s Digest books and promotion on the Writer’s Digest website.
The early-bird deadline is August 1, 2017 and the regular deadline is September 5th.
The entry fees for the early-bird deadline are $99 for the first entry and $75 for any additional entries.
The entry fees for the regular deadline are $110 for the first entry and $85 for each additional entry.
I suggest thoroughly reading all of the details on their website. You should especially look at how your self-published e-book should be entered.
Good luck to all who participate.
Know of any upcoming writing contests? Share your knowledge in the comments below or contact me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com.
Warning: The book reviewed in this post may contain triggers for victims of abusive childhoods and relationships, as well as sufferers of depression, a fear of flying, and weight issues. This book is also heavily and overtly influenced by the Christian belief. Please proceed with caution if any of the above may cause offense or trauma to you.
I want to start this post by mentioning once again that I’m not Christian. I am agnostic with mixed beliefs. As such, I do not share most of the religious views expressed in this book. I am not trying to push Christianity on anyone, nor am I trying to discourage any of my readers from the Christian faith if that is what they believe. However, in my efforts to become a well-rounded person, I am going down yet another new road. Today I’m reviewing A Love Story: How God Pursued and Found Me, An Impossibly True Story by Samantha Ryan Chandler.
As with the sex in Watson’s Blackmail, I recognize that religion is generally not a comfortable topic to discuss. Nevertheless, religion is part of the human experience and we cannot avoid it, perhaps especially in literature.
Readers of all religious backgrounds visit this blog. I expect that everyone will conduct themselves maturely, intellectually, and respectfully in any discussion of this book. Any trolling or bullying of this blog’s contributors or other readers will result in disciplinary action against the offending parties.
That being said, I very rarely read books like this one. Part inspiration, part self-help, and part religious memoir, I have yet to encounter another narrative like it.
In this memoir, Chandler writes about her experiences growing up in a place she calls “Nowhere, Louisiana,” her adult years, and her bumpy path towards God. She details her traumatic childhood, her dynamic relationships with family and friends, and religious exploration which took her all over the world. All the while she conveys her painful life lessons in the hopes that she can help readers find their way.
This book is hopeful and uplifting for Christians and non-Christians alike. It starts rather slowly and, for the first few sections, my attention drifted in and out. The first few sections seem loosely connected. She admits throughout the narrative that she wrote the book for herself–or, rather, God wrote it through her for her benefit–but I still felt, as a writer and a reader, that the information about her childhood and experiences with her family could have been presented in a more reader-friendly manner.
Chandler best caught my attention when she relayed her childhood experiences in Louisiana with her family. The story of her mother tugged at my heartstrings. My heart went out for her mother even as I condemned and was horrified by her violent acts against her husband and daughter. More noteworthy is the narrative voice Chandler assumes during these sections. She becomes a Southern writer with a unique voice, although still reminiscent of other female Southern writers such as Flannery O’Connor. I couldn’t help but be reminded of my own Southern relatives.
By the time that Chandler starts discussing her wonderful work with sick children, she has fully captured my attention. She then moves into the true heart of her story: her divorce from her third husband, whom she calls “Darth Vader.” In my opinion, Darth Vader should be offended by that comparison.
Her storytelling had me tangled in the narrative of her divorce until the very end. I wanted to make sure that she got a satisfying ending, and I was not disappointed. The sections added after she had already started the publication process provided much-needed closure for me as a reader, having several loose ends tied.
Samantha Ryan Chandler: Mother, Christian, writer, survivor
The most important part of Chandler’s book, however, is the main lesson behind it. Her writing is, as the title implies, aimed at Christians and convincing them to trust in God even in the darkness. Still, I think that non-Christians can find a lesson here as well. If nothing else, Chandler conveys the message that everything happens for a reason. Even our worst nightmares, the darkest part of our lives, happen to make us stronger and mold us into the people we’re meant to be. I think that anyone could benefit from being reminded of that.
I can understand if you don’t want to read this book because of all the Christian references. I had my reservations as well. However, I still think it’s worth reading. In a time when so many “Christians” use scripture to condemn people, Chandler uses it to lift people out of despair. If nothing else, I suggest reading this book to remind yourself that everyone has trials and low points in their lives; the important thing is that we choose to see life through and come out of the turmoil stronger and wiser.
You can read Chandler’s book for free on Kindle Unlimited, or for $3.49 as a regular Kindle user, as well as it being available as a hardcover and paperback on Amazon. Also check out her website for more information on her writings as a Christian author.
Have any suggestions for books I should review? Any that I should read to broaden my horizons? Drop a line in the comments or contact me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com.
Writers aren’t the most organized people. Frankly, I’m lucky that stuff doesn’t fall on me in my bedroom every night. We’re especially bad at time management. After a certain point in our writing our minds start to wander. Even deadlines can’t help us all the time. It’s not because we aren’t passionate about our work or because we don’t want to write anymore. The reasons vary from writer to writer and situation to situation. Sometimes we’re too scared and subconsciously trying to self-sabotage, and sometimes we’re just distracted. Whatever the reason, time management typically isn’t a writer’s forte.
Is this lack of time management skills really a problem in our industry? What can we do to pull ourselves out of that trap?
Honestly, neither answer is simple.
For some writers a lack of time management skills can be a problem but for others it’s not. Some writers’ work will suffer if they don’t give themselves enough time. Others thrive under pressure. Still others are somewhere in between or move from one to the other depending on the project. I fall somewhere closer to the third category. While I often succeed best on a tight schedule for academic writing, my fiction writing can suffer greatly if I try to do anything at the last minute.
When deadlines are involved, it’s always best to start early enough to have wiggle room. Even last-minute writers can fall victim to writer’s block under too much pressure. That’s not to mention the array of technical issues which may arise solely because of Murphy’s law. Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. All we can do is be prepared, and starting early is one of the best ways to ensure that we’re prepared.
Other than preparing for the worst, I’m not sure if there’s anything else we can–or should–do if we have time management problems. As I said, different writers work best under different circumstances. If pressure helps you write, you may not want to change that. If it isn’t working for you, you should learn some time management skills.
If you’re looking to cultivate such skills, I’m not the best person to ask. Aside from keeping deadlines straight in my head and prioritizing what to do based on those, I don’t have any real “time management skills.” That may be one of the reasons why I’m stressed all the time (that and the fact that I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder). However, I always turn work in by or before the deadline, so my disorganized methods must work for me.
The key to time management in writing is finding whatever works for you. Your best (writer) friend may have to write down a detailed schedule of when she’ll write what, but you may do best just by going with the flow. She may set her own deadlines in addition to an editor’s deadlines and you might need to just keep your editor’s deadlines in mind. As with all organization matters, writing is organized chaos; only the individual writer can understand his/her methods because they were tailored especially for him/her.
Do you have any time management advice? Tales of woe or cautionary tales? Leave your thoughts in the comments. Also keep an eye out for more of my thoughts on writing and organization, and be sure to sign up for notifications straight to your inbox.
