Jean Oram (.com)

5 Things I Learned in My 30 Second Meeting of Canada’s Greatest Know It All

A few of my mom’s relatives came out to visit the other week. At one point, most of us decided to enjoy the sunshine and wind and to go for a bit of a walk (9 of us–10 if you count the dog). We wandered down the strip of land my parents own by the tracks, reached the end, slipped over the tracks and down the embankment and into the far end of the hamlet. South of the ball diamond and over the abandoned old teeter totters (which seemingly still work just fine) we went.

Where to next?

Out came the smart phones as we decided to see if there were any geocaches near by. And lo and behold, there was one we hadn’t found only a few hundred meters away.

My aunt, who was up the road from us a way, as our strange, disjointed meanderings broke the group apart when the phones came out. A black pickup stopped beside her and I saw her pointing to the fishing dam with one of her sister’s walking poles. When she caught up with us she giggled, saying, “I gave him directions to the fishing dam and told him good luck.”

“It’s okay, I have a 4×4,” the man had said.

“No,” she replied. “You are getting your directions from me!” (She lives about 3000kms away.)

Meanwhile, my husband was just about jumping out of his skin. “Was that the guy from Canada’s Greatest Know it All? He was on Canada’s Greatest Know it all!!! I’m sure that was him!”

However, nobody else had seen the Discovery Channel show and couldn’t verify whether or not this really was a contestant from Canada’s Greatest Know It All. (Even I wasn’t much help. I’d caught bits of the show over my husband’s shoulder, but I hadn’t gotten a good glimpse of the driver when he’d passed us on his way to the dam.)

But I knew that the dam wasn’t all that time-consuming as a destination at this time of the year and that if he’d asked for directions heading there he certainly wouldn’t take the back roads out of the dam. He was sure to come back the way he’d come.

And he did.

My other aunt offered to lie in the road so my husband could get a good look at the driver and verify if it was indeed this local celebrity. We didn’t need to fear that though, with us all milling about in the road, he slowed, his window rolled down. He had more questions. Was it free camping down at the dam?

“Yes,” I replied and then pointed in the direction of the free sewer dump saying that it was free as well.

My husband, practically bouncing beside me (and very unlike his usual quiet self) asked him, “Were you on TV? Were you on Canada’s Greatest Know It All?”

The man gave a little smile and said that yes, that was him.

My husband, who had yet to finish watching the season online, asked, “Did you win? I missed the last episode.”

The man paused, then said, “You know, I don’t remember.”

My husband, whipping out his phone asked, “Can I take a picture of you for my daughter?” (Read that: for him so he could show the kids at school (where he works) and pretty much anyone else who might be dazzled by this awesome brush with fame. Although our daughter is a fan of the show as well and had stayed behind to hang with Grandma–due to the general leg pulling that happens in our family, visual evidence is always a plus when telling a story such as this one.)

The man said sure and suddenly I’m holding the phone as my husband (usually a shy guy) is standing beside the man’s open window, smiling, thumbs up.

I can’t see the screen on the phone in the sunshine and the cab is backlit as I’m looking into the sun, but I think I sort of get a picture. I explain I can’t see the picture, but that I think I got it.

The man pops out of his truck saying how we’re not going to get a good picture shooting into the cab as well as into the sun. (It’s true.) Before I know it, he’s out on the road beside my husband, smiling, thumbs up. (His wife and dog, meanwhile, are being very patient with us.)

I take the picture.

5 Things I Learned From My Quick Meeting of Canada’s Greatest Know It All (CGKIA):

1. You Can’t Know It All

Even with the title “Canada’s Greatest Know It All” you can’t know it all. (Yes, he won.) How do you think CGKIA got to know so much? By asking. And listening. As writers, we need to stop and ask. Even if we become ‘huge’ it still pays to stop and ask a local. Or unlocal, as the case may be.

2. Be Modest

There is no point being so full of yourself that you can’t stop and ask for directions. Pride gets in the way of living and doing what you really want. If he’d been boastful about his title, my husband would not have been nearly so pumped having met him. If CGKIA had been prideful and big-headed, he wouldn’t have discovered one of the area’s best kept camping secrets–or at least he would have spent a lot more time and gas in discovering it. Make it easy on yourself–if you don’t know, ask.

3. Don’t Spoil the Ending

In the case of CGKIA, he didn’t reveal whether he’d won or not to my husband. It would have spoiled the end of the show for my husband who was obviously a fan. For writers–if you meet a reader on the street, don’t reveal the ending of your book. Say you can’t remember. We’ll know you’re lying, but we’ll love you for it. (Plus, this added to Mr. Celebrity’s modest demeanor–always refreshing.)

4. Be a Good Sport

I was so impressed with how CGKIA jumped right out of his truck so my husband could get a good shot of the two of them together. That was pretty awesome. As writers, there may come a time when people stop us to ask for our autograph or to sign their books. Be gracious. Be a good sport. What is 2 minutes out of our day to make a fan feel unbelievable? That’s what’s going to help our personal brand and image. Right there. Easy.

5. Six Degrees of Separation

While watching the show, CGKIA, my husband told my daughter that her mom (me) probably knew someone who knew someone who knew CGKIA because he lived close to where I grew up. Since we bumped into CGKIA right there on the road leading out of the town I grew up in… I’d say that the degrees of separation can pretty darn small these days.

For me, this is some pretty serious food for thought. As writers, when we become famous and are pumping out bestsellers like we’re an unspayed stray, keep in mind how connected we are to all these perfect strangers. Someone is going to know someone who tweeted with us. Or served us dinner in a diner (yeah, we’re still going to eat in diners), or gave us directions. How should we behave? Sure, writers aren’t often recognized on the street, but still. It is worth thinking about. In today’s world we’re going to be connected to fans in ways previous generations of writers never imagined.

How about you? Have you had a brush with celebrity? Has it given you food for thought?

Writing Contests for Flash Fiction and Black Moments

Do you write romance?

Do you write flash fiction? (Want to try?)

Do you have a black moment that makes you tear up every time you read it in edits?

Do you want to try writing a story of 500 words or less that includes the words “paper, crew, callipygian, angle, and novel?”

Do you want to swing your dead cat at winning a critique from a New York Times Bestselling author? (OMG, yes!!)

Do you want to win free books? (Free books! Best ever.)

If you answered yes to any of those questions, I’ve got two great contests for you:

AKRWA Breakup Contest

**Permission to Forward**

The AKRWA Breakup Contest is open for entries!

Tired of submitting your first pages to contests? Want some feedback on a different section of your manuscript? Then this contest is for you!

We want to see your best black moment or break-up scene. We want to watch your characters face their darkest fear, lose all hope, dig deep, chew the scenery, let it all hang out … Thrill us. Make us cry. Make us long for your characters to find their happy ending.

Go to http://www.akrwa.ala….com/about.html for details on how to enter.

The final judge will be Liz Pelletier at Entangled Publishing.

The first place winner will receive a critique from NYT-bestselling author Cherry Adair.

The entry deadline is May 1. We can’t wait to read your black moment or break-up scene!

From The Write Angle’s Blogiversary Flash Fiction Contest

A Blogiversary Contest!

From the Write Angle is one year old! We can’t believe it has been a year already. To celebrate our birthday month, and to thank you, our loyal fans and readers, we’re having a contest!

• What: Flash fiction, maximum 500 words
• Requirements: You must use each of the following words in your entry: paper, crew, callipygian, angle, novel. Other than that, there’s no specific theme. It’s up to you. Have fun with it!
• Deadline: Entries must be received by midnight (EDT) on Wednesday, April 18th 2012
• Method of entry: email your entry to fromthewriteangle@gmail.com with your flash fiction pasted in the body of the email. Please don’t send any attachments.
• Results: the Write Angle Crew will read and collectively decide on two winners, which will be announced here on the blog on Friday, April 27th.

Important: By entering, you agree to let us publish your flash fiction on this web site if you’re one of the winners.

We would love if you would tweet or otherwise share this post and spread the word about the contest. We’d also love for you to subscribe to our blog. However, these are not requirements for contest entry.

One last thing… PRIZES! Two lucky winners will receive book by Write Angle crew members.

1st Place: 2 Print books

The Sister Queens, by our own Sophie Perinot

Spring Fevers short story anthology edited by our own Matt Sinclair, with stories from FTWA writers Cat Woods, J. Lea Lopez, R.S. Mellette and Mindy McGinnis. (Cover design by our amazing Calista Taylor, and interior design by R.C. Lewis) Currently only available in eBook format, you’ll be one of the first to get your hands on a paperback copy!

2nd Place: 2 eBooks

Devil on a Sparrow’s Wing, by Calista Taylor. This is the second in a series. You can get the first book, Viridis, free here so when you win this prize, you’ll be ready for the sequel!

The Watchtower, by Darke Conteur

Good luck!

8 Things Successful Writers Have in Common

Everything I keep reading says, “Consistent Efforts Wins Out.” Not that quote exactly, of course. I’m paraphrasing.

But think about it:

• Those who usually reach the finish line have worked hard for years and years before they ever cross it.

• The best writers write alllll the time. Some write an hour every day. Even when they are busy or don’t feel like it.

• The most prolific writers make writing a priority and find room in their schedules to make it happen. It comes first.

• The writers who succeed never give up.

• The best writers never mistake “good enough” for “complete.”

• The writers who make it change tacts if they need to.

• The ones who get the most out of their online circles have put the work into their relationships and haven’t given up when they can’t seem to break the 200 mark for followers or 10 friends and when nobody responds to their tweets. They keep chugging.

• They are consistently the same person. They have built their personal writing brand on who they are and who they can keep being day after day. They haven’t gone for the fake flash in the pan, they’ve gone for the genuine long haul.

It isn’t easy by any stretch of the imagination, but it we want it, really truly want it… what’s standing in our way? Chances are… it’s ourselves.

I know I could improve on a couple of these things and be more consistent in terms of building my writing career. How about you? How are you doing?

Effectiveness and Distraction: The “Shoulds” of Writing

Damn all those “Shoulds.”

You know the ones. All those new fangled, fabulous must-have tools that everyone is touting and claiming will instantly make you “better” at this, that, and the other thing.

Sure, you “should” try Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Klout, Blogging, Goodreads, etc. I mean, if you aren’t on those how on earth are you going to sell your books when you get published?

Did I just give you a case of heart palpitations with that last paragraph?

Good.

Now stop.

Breathe.

Think about it. There are a lot of tools us writers “should” use to reach and build our audience. Right? But really, can we do it all? No.

Effectiveness.

If we spread ourselves too thin it distracts us from what we should really be doing–writing. How are we going to improve our craft if we aren’t actually engaging in it?

We need to follow our passion and joy–the very thing we hope will bring home the bacon. It’s that passion and joy for our work that engages our readers. If we aren’t pursuing that… then we are doing a disservice to both ourselves and to our audience.

It’s a fact of life that we can’t be effective at everything. There simply isn’t enough time and energy. If Facebook is really working for you, then why force Twitter into your toolbox? Especially if you can’t make it work in an effective way for you. Every tool has it’s own job. If you need a screwdriver and never a hammer, then quite trying to use the hammer on your screws. It isn’t effective and simply distracts you from getting the real work done.

Being busy doesn’t equal being effective.

Personally, I’m still figuring out what is effective for me in terms of building a platform for It’s All Kid’s Play. But one thing I’m going to do is finish the research books I have on the go and get the new website revamping done and keep moving forward! Then I can sort through what is distracting me, thinning my time, and reducing my effectiveness.

Tell me, what tools are distracting you? What “shoulds” are weighing heavy on you?

Canadian Writing Critiques: Be Kind

I was listening to the program Q on CBC this afternoon which got me thinking about how we writers can improve our critiques.

It just happened that Q worked it’s way into my conscious as Martin Short was discussing his judging on the TV show Canada’s Got Talent. (Interestingly enough, we came across this show online last week and immediately noticed a remarkable difference in the way the judges behaved towards to the contestants (compared to the American version of the show). The Canada version of the show was much… kinder. Much, much kinder. (And slightly less dramatic.)

Even when the judges said their bit about a truly, amazingly awful bit, the meanest they ever got was “Wow, you’re the fastest we’ve ever buzzed!”

When Martin Short was talking on the radio and was asked by Jian Ghomeshi about what one should say to to contestants who truly suck and have no talent. Should you tell them? Martin paused. He said something to the effect that doing so would be mean. And it would not be very Canadian.

What is the point of telling someone that they suck and will never make it when they just summoned the courage to show something they are passionate about in front of 2000 people? Don’t they have something right there that the rest of us don’t? Drive? Courage? Ambition? A lack of debilitating fear when it comes to public failure?

But really, what is the point of telling them every nugget of the awful truth–or what we perceive it to be? What will your crushing critique accomplish? What is the point?

That got me thinking about writing critiques. Some people feel they should be brutally honest and tell writers that they have no voice, their characters are flat and predictable, their plot goes nowhere, and that they have bad grammar.

But are we doing them a favour? Or should we be Canadian and be kind about it? Can we say, “I liked your enthusiasm. I can tell you really like to write. Something that might help bring you up a notch is to work on the cause and effect of your scenes.” And leave the rest for later.

 What do you think? Should we be honest when we critique or should we be… Canadian?