Category: Writing

original works by Debra VanDeventer

Posted on

5 Reasons I (still) Blog

a computer with a sign that says "Writer at Work" and a jar of colored pencils

This month marks the third anniversary of my blog, Seams Like a Story! My debut post “Creating a Space to Write and Sew”  was published on January 4, 2021.  Since then, I’ve published 104 posts (59,201 words) and generated 13,885 views. 

Some influencers and social media experts say blogging is dead. You’ll get no traction. No one reads blogs anymore. Go to Tik Tok. That’s where the cool kids hang out, they claim.  Yeah, maybe.  But here are 5 reasons I still blog.

  1. Through my blog I share my writing with others.

The bio on my sidebar reads : I designed this site to feel like a cozy conversation with a friend over a cup of tea or coffee. It’s a place where you can read articles that you can relate to, stories that make you smile, think, or encourage you on your own writing journey. I remind myself of this each time I sit down to compose a post.

2. My Blog is a creative outlet.

Composing, editing, and sharing 104 posts has helped me hone my writing skills in creative ways. Now when I’m out and about, I use my writer’s eye to zero in on things I might have passed by, and find ways to bring these stories to you. Using my own photographs to enhance my posts,  I see the world with a photographer’s lens as well. Though sewing isn’t the main focus of my blog, I share snippets of projects that I’m working on.  Creativity takes many forms and you, my readers, are a talented bunch.

3. My blog posts generate fertile ground for future writing projects.

Though I like to keep the content of a post concise, many of the ideas can be further developed into stories, magazine articles, or books.

4. Writing my blog helps me discover my audience.

Believe it or not, writing for you through my blog helps me discover my audience and my voice as an author.  Each post ends with “Threads of Thought”, a place where I encourage you to respond or think about something. When you leave a comment, when my words reach you in a specific way, when we make a connection, my heart sings and I know I’m on the right track. 

5. Marketing

There, I said it. The dirty word.  Full disclosure, I began my blog prior to the release of my first book in hopes that I would gain exposure as an author.  Blogs travel not only to subscribers, but out into the world on the wings of the SEO (search engine optimization) gods, thus expanding my reach. This is crucial for a self-published author.  Pretty soon, friends and family tire of buying, or hearing about my book. To take the pressure off of you,  at the end of each post, I add a link to direct new customers to my author’s page.

So my friends, I’m not going to TikToc myself.  I’m happy right here, blogging for you, and for myself , for as long as the mood strikes me.  Three years! Wow!  Happy Anniversary, Seams Like a Story!

Three pink balloons with the title 3 years!
Threads of thought icon

Threads of Thought

How did you discover this blog?

Do you have a favorite post?

Send a birthday wish to Seams Like a Story!

A bright blue book with a border of crayons across the bottom and the title OUt of the Crayon Box: Thoughts on Teaching, Retirement, and Life

Out of the Crayon Box: Thoughts on Teaching, Retirement, and Life is soon to be featured in the 2024 Tucson Festival of Books! Stay tuned for mor details or grab a copy here! http://amazon.com/author/debravandeventer

Posted on

Creativity Blocked? Paint a Room

A ladder, cans of paint, and a white room

This week, the painters came. It was time. When we moved into our home we inherited the previous owner’s color scheme–beige with a dark red accent wall and a foyer that was sponge-painted with sparkly gold paint. It’s only paint, we rationalized. We can change it. Eleven years went by, other things took priority, and I did my best to decorate around it. This week, the painters came!

Before they arrived, we had to decide on colors.

“What do you think?” Ed asked.

“White, ” I said.

“White?”

“White.”

Many Shades of White

Interestingly enough, it’s a bold choice. Most folks opt for some color. (Is white a color? Is it the absence of color?) Anyway, I was taking my inspiration from “Desert Modern” décor. Look it up. It’s a thing, and since we live in the desert it captured my imagination.

“Walls the color of white-washed adobe are the perfect backdrop for warm desert colors,” the Pinterest post promised.

Of course, what they don’t tell you is there are hundreds, maybe thousands of shades of white at the local paint store, and not one is named White-Washed Adobe. After squinting at paint swatches taped around our living room for several days, I finally narrowed it down to two.

“Deb, just pick one,” Ed pleaded.

“Ok, here, ” I said as I squinted one last time and grabbed a sample off the wall hoping it was white-washy enough.

The Big Reveal

During the painting process, our home was like a construction zone. A team of professionals swooped in, taped, primed, and painted. I stayed my office/studio venturing out to take a peek now and then. From what I could tell, I was going to like the new look. After a two-day flurry, the painters packed up and left. I stood in the middle of the living room.

“It’s a lot of white.” I said.

“That’s what you wanted, ” Ed said. “Think of it as blank slate. Now we can start creating the look you want.”

Enter Creativity

“I Walk into a White Room…”

That’s the title of the first chapter of Twyla Tharp’s book The Creative Habit. This is how she starts each of her choreography-design sessions. She walks into the empty white studio and begins the creative process of bringing music to life.

I’m not a dancer, I’m a writer, but the creative process is the same. My brain begins to re-arrange bits and pieces of my room. Could the sofa move here? This picture looks better there. We need a pop of color over here. A plant perhaps?

It’s like moving dancers around on a stage or words on a page. Playing with color, texture, and shape in this way stimulates a burst of creativity that’s bound to spill over into my work as a writer.

Work in Progress

a rusty -brown saguaro lawn ornament in a green pot makes an art installment

It’s a work in progress. Our original sofa and chair was repurposed with a hand-knitted throw and some new accent pillows. A rusty-brown saguaro lawn ornamant in a green pot makes for an interesting art installation. Some thrifted pieces have added interest.

Fixing things up, moving bits around, adding in some new elements. Yeah, I’m working on my manuscript.

Threads of thought icon

Threads of Thought

What experiences with paint colors or painting a room have you had?

What do you do when you are blocked creatively?

Don’t you wonder who comes up with the names for paint colors? What’s the funniest one you’ve come across? (And if you find White-Washed Adobe let me know)

A bright blue book with a border of crayons across the bottom and the title OUt of the Crayon Box: Thoughts on Teaching, Retirement, and Life

Grab a copy of my book Out of the Crayon Box: Thoughts on Teaching, Retirement, and Life http://amazon.com/author/debravandeventer

Posted on

Marry Me

A Six Sentence Story

My writing group recently sponsored a contest. We were to come up with a complete story in six sentences. Submissions were submitted anonymously and voted on by the group. The stakes were high. David, the facilitator of the group offered to buy a cup of coffee (or tea) for each of the top three entries.

I love a good writing challenge and this one was fun and interesting. Each sentence had to carry weight, you needed to get the reader’s attention, and carry through with a story arc ending in a conclusion. All in six sentences. And what to write about? For me, the answer was written in the sky on a recent vacation to Orange Beach Alabama.

So here it is: Marry Me , a six sentence story by Debra VanDeventer.

Marry Me

From the shade of my beach tent, I see the plane that normally flies a “Bubba’s All-You-Can-Eat Shrimp” banner is now towing one that says “Will You Marry Me Lexi?” 

Unlike the bronzed-buffed-beach guys on display in front of me, my husband wears knee-length swim trunks, a floppy hat and a long-sleeved shirt as he plays in the waves with our granddaughter. He’s not a beach guy, but he drug a wagon loaded with too much stuff across the hot sand and wrestled to set up the tent so I could relax in the shade. In the cooler, he’s packed my favorite lunch–a diet Coke and a ham-and-cheese sandwich–a recipe he’s perfected over our decades of marriage.

The plane makes another loop and I think how wondrous it is to find love written in the sky or in a perfectly made ham sandwich.

I hope Lexi says yes.

The Results?

Whoo hoo! Second Place out of 13 entries. Thanks David. Make mine a grande, two pump chai with almond milk.

Dedication:

This story is dedicated to my husband on the occasion of our 49th wedding anniversary we will celebrate this week. I’m so glad I said yes.

Threads of thought icon

Threads of Thought

I love to take small moments and turn them into stories. With this mindset, a writer need only look around. Stories are everywhere! Try your hand at a six sentence story. Who knows? It may earn you a chai latte!

Find more of my small moments in Out of the Crayon Box: Thoughts on Teaching, Retirement and Life http://amazon.com/author/debravandeventer

Posted on

Critique Groups: Why Writers Need One

You’ll get by with a little help from your friends.

A bag containing all the things I need for my critique group meeting

My bag is packed. I’m ready to go. Sorry, John, I’m not leaving on a jet plane. I’m meeting my critique group at the coffee shop soon.

In my writer’s bag I carry folders of notes for my critique group members, my lastest work to submit, and extra copy of my book (you never know who might want one…) a notebook, and my favorite black sharpie pen. I also pack a sharp #2 pencil with a good eraser. Sometimes, I change my mind about a critique.

Oh Babe, I need to go. But first, let me tell you why this meeting is important to me.

My Critique Group Makes Me a Better Writer

So, this is the obvious reason I need my critique group. There comes a point in my writing when I needed to give my work to another set of eyes. That line that I thought was so, so beautiful, turns out to be a cliche. It goes without saying, at the end of the day, I need to think outside the box and grab the bull by the horns… Did you realize I switched verb tenses in this paragraph? And where was I going with this part? See, I need my critique group even now. Group members provide fresh perspectives and offer ideas when I’m stuck.

Besides this, the give and take during critique sessions sharpens my writing skills. Looking closely at someone else’s work helps me to turn the same critical eye to my own writing.

My Critique Group Keeps Me Accountable

Our group has committed to meeting on a regular schedule and we make these gatherings a priority. We’ve established a deadline and agree to submit anything we want critiqued a week prior to each meeting. This motivates me to keep writing. My group also encourages me to “write it real” and they hold me accountable when I my writing strays from my true voice. http://seamslikeastory.com/write-it-real/

My Critique Group Provides Emotional Support

Sort of like a therapy dog, my group leads me in the right direction, calms me when I’m terrified, and picks me up when I’m feeling down. How does this work for a writer? Oh, let’s say you get your first one-star review on Amazon and think the world is ending or you thought you were on the right track, then discover you want to go in a whole different direction with your story and you have to throw out a month’s worth of work or you’ve submitted to many, many places only to learn it’s not the “right fit” and you are certain you are the worst writer in the world and…yeah. Our writer’s egos are fragile.

Critique group meeting at a coffee shop

Where Can You Find These Amazing People?

So now you’re convienced that you do indeed need these people in your writing life. Where do you find them? For me, it started with a writer’s group that meets at our local library. I saw their meeting schedule posted on a flyer and joined in. From there, friendships and common interests developed and five of us formed a critique group. We’ve been meeting regularly for almost four years now. In addition, I partnered with a friend I’d known from my teaching days who is an accomplished free-lance writer. We meet now and then for lunch and exchange thoughts about our latest works-in-progress. Her insights are invaluable to me.

Here’s where I should mention that it takes time for a group or a partner team to establish the kind of trusting relationship that will survive intense, honest feedback. I’ve been lucky enough to have this, but it may take time to find the right group.

Also, keep in mind that groups evolve. Sadly, one of my group members is moving, but not too far. We will need to adapt, but we are committed to finding a way to keep writing and supporting eachother. When you open your writer’s soul to another, deep friendships develop.

If you are looking for a resource for establishing a critique group, check out Telling Tales and Sharing Secrets : Twenty-four Years of a Successful Critique Group co-authored by my friend Diana Kinared.

But now, gotta go. My group is waiting!

Threads of thought icon

Threads of Thought

Do you meet with a critique group?

If so, what advice would you give to others?

Note:To maintain the integretiy of my site, all comments are approved before they appear. I value your comments and they are an important part of my blog community. Enter your coment in the “leave a reply” box below. Your coment will appear soon. I look forward to hearing your thoughts!

If you are looking for a fun, quick, summer read, pick up Out of the Crayon Box:Thoughts on Teaching, Retirement and Life now available at http://amazon.com/author/debravandeventer

Posted on

Beyond the First Draft

Door Closed, Door Open

the author works on her second draft
I feel another draft coming on…

For those of you who follow my blog, you know that I have recently spent a whirlwind five days finishing the first draft of my second book. You can find the hilarious recap here: http://seamslikeastory.com/diary-of-a-first-draft/ Now I’m thinking about what happens next. Every writer has their own process, but here are some thoughts from famous authors, and from personal experience with my first book: Out of the Crayon Box: Thoughts on Teaching, Retirement, and Life.

Anne Lamott (Bird by Bird) calls the first attempt the “shitty first draft” that all writers must get down. She says:

“The first draft is the child’s draft, where you let it all pour out and then let it romp all over the place, knowing that no one is going to see it and that you can shape it later.”

a closed door with a do not disturb sign
Do the first draft with the door closed.

Door Closed

Stephen King (On Writing) says that you should write the first draft with the door closed. By this he means this first draft is for your eyes only. You write it without the help or influence of others. Once that initial rough draft is done, celebrate your accomplishment! It’s a big deal! Then King recommends putting is aside for a period of time (he says 6 weeks.) During this time, work on something else. Then take your manuscipt out (door still shut) and read it all the way through with fresh eyes. Do this in one sitting if possible and make notes. Look for mundane things like misspellings, inconsistancies, repeats. Then look for glaring holes. Is the story coherent? How can I make it sing? Rewrite the parts that need work.

Things are looking better! Now it’s time to open the door…

a critique group working around a table at a coffee shop
A little help from my friends…

Door Open

Once you get it right, or as right as you can at this point, be brave! Open the door and let others read your manuscript. This could be a few trusted friends, your critique group, beta readers, or an editor. Listen to what this group has to say. This is the first time your words are traveling out of your head and into the mind of a reader and it’s a crucial step. Something that was perfectly clear to you, may not make sense to someone else. What is the reaction to your work? Are two or more people saying the same thing? Carefully consider the input from your readers, then, as a writing friend of mine once said, “See what rings true for you.” In the end, it is your work.

Back to the drafting table you go to make any changes you think are necessary.

You’re almost there!

Final Polish

Now you have things the way you want and your manuscript is glowing! Go back through for a final look (King calls this the polish) before publishing or submitting it. Yes, I know, this tweaking process could go on forever, but at some point, you must tell yourself that you’re done, that this is the best you can possibly do at this point in your writing career, the best you’ve ever done, and you are happy with it.

Publish/Submit

Finally, you are ready to send your beautiful work out into the world. Will you self-publish? Seek an agent or publisher? Query magazines? All excellent topics for future blog posts. But one thing is certain… there is nothing like seeing your work in print. You simply must send it out.

“When you make it real, it can gloriously travel to all sorts of places. Even a seemingly tiny story can deeply affect other people.” -SARK (Juicy Pens Thirsty Paper)

Now go out and make it happen!

I did it and so can you! Check it out! http://amazon.com/author/debravandeventer

a published book arises from a stack of rough drafts
A published book arises from a stack of rough drafts.
Threads of thought icon

Threads of Thought

As mentioned at the beginning of this post, each author has her/ his own process. What tips or advice would you give to others who are writing or thinking about writing? Add your comments below and join the conversation.

Seams Like a Story is a cozy blog that feels like a conversation with a friend over a cup of tea or coffee. (with no annoying pop-up ads) I’d love to have you be a part of it. Consider subscribing !

Proudly powered by WordPress