One Writers Blog
The great, good, and not-so-good stuff of a writer’s life.
12/4/20245 min read
Friday, December 20 @ 7 p.m.
1755 SW Jefferson Street, pax 97205
I’ll be reading excerpts from my first and second novels.
It would be great to see you!
.12/7/24
This is day one of my brand-new blog. I will write about the great, good, and not-so-good stuff of a writer’s life. I promise to be frank and brutally honest about the process. It’s only been in the past year that I feel like a bonafide writer for a slew of reasons.
1. I spent years attending classes and workshops, reading how-to books, getting my work trashed by editors, and attending expensive conferences, almost always feeling like an amateur.
2. Water Fire Steam, my first historical novel, received over 70 rejections until I decided to self-publish. I hope never to self-publish again. Horrible. I say that mostly because I do not have good computer mojo. Computers are always a bloody battle for me. But this summer, I received my fourth award for literary excellence. I suspect persistence had something to do with it.
3. My daily life is fully immersed in writing, whether writing this blog, writing my third novel RAW, emailing agents, reading other people’s novels, including the classics, writing short stories and newspaper features, and, yes, taking more classes. BTW, I am taking a webinar on Writing a Page Turner by Barbara Kyle right now; REALLY GOOD! Or I am preparing for an author event. Scroll up to the listing of my next event.
4. My immersion into the writing life means my mind is always thinking about story and character. Behind every corner, on the other side of any given door, or in a dream, some character insists that I listen. THIS I LOVE! My computer, a pad, and pencil, or a Remarkable Tablet must always be within reach.
5. Reason number five of feeling like a bonafide writer: I talk with pros in the industry, like Ali Shaw from Indigo Editing, and ask for advice. There is so much to know about writing and getting published; you can’t do it on your own. Or should I say, I can’t do it alone. I learned decades ago and made it part of my personal strategy to talk with anyone who will share their knowledge and experience with me. That has served me well. I always want to be open to learning and hearing different ideas.
That’s all for now, but there will be more later.
12/15/24
Today, I took two well-known children’s stories. I formatted them into puppet shows which included writing the narrator's part, characters' voices, action, and props needed. I did this for my grandson Max who is nearly five and lives in Riddells Creek, Victoria. Max has a big theatrical personality. Gary and I will be visiting them in January. We purchased a set of eight multicultural puppets with movable mouths, a few choice dinosaur heads, and Merlin the Magician (psst it’s a secret, don’t tell him).
When you live so far away, gifts take on greater importance not just because of the distance but also because of the expense of shipping. To give you an example, if a gift cost say $100, it will likely cost $100 to $125 to send it. That thins out the pocketbook fast especially when there are other grandchildren, two sons, and two daughter-in-laws to consider. The point being, that the gift needs to hit a home run, at least that’s how I see it.
I envision Max and I will act out the puppet shows for Dad and Mum and Grand Dad. I am hoping this idea gives Max a good deal of laughter and joy. I could be wrong, after all, I thought Ryan would be an architect and Jon a lawyer. Both are in the tech world, both are directors in their field, and Jon is a top-notch photographer. Trust me, I couldn’t be prouder.
Anyhoo, I was fearful formatting the stories into play format would be beyond my scope. I enjoyed it and it came to me relatively easily. Then again, no pro has evaluated it nor has it been put to the test on stage. So much of writing in different styles requires understanding the format and some key rules when writing a screenplay you can only write what the audience will see on screen. Easier said than done, trust me. For a novelist that was harder than I thought. David Poulshock of Red Door Films, a wonderful filmmaker and screenwriter, looked at my script Daizy Has a Dream and showed me the error of my ways big time, ouch! You’ve got to be able to take the lumps if you want to get good. Thank you, David, seriously.
I’ll let you know how things go, but say a prayer for me and Max, haha!
mitzizilkaauthor.com is the author of Water Fire Steam, available in paperback and audiobook.
BOLD Presents: A Sampling of Indigo Authors' Books
Join us on Friday, December 20, 7:00–8:30 p.m. at BOLD Coffee & Books for BOLD Presents: A Sampling of Indigo Authors' Books. The event is the first in a series celebrating the stellar writing of members of our Indigo community.
We're so thrilled to be featuring three phenomenal authors: Beverly Patkotak Grinage, Carolyn Wood, and Mitzi Zilka. Each featured author will read a selection from their body of work. Following the readings, Indigo founder and executive editor Ali Shaw will interview our authors and open the floor to Q&A from the audience. Arrive early to grab a tasty beverage or snack and to wrap up your holiday shopping.
12/31/24
On this last day of the year, I am thinking about resolutions. Many people don’t make resolutions, saying, “Why make them if you don’t carry them out.” For years, my dear friend Julie, who passed away last July from ovarian cancer, and I would meet at a coffee shop and share our goals for the coming year. I tried earnestly to accomplish every one of my goals. Often, at the end of the year, I would have several goals uncompleted. So, I will add them to next year's list. After three or four years, I’d typically throw them out altogether probably because they became irrelevant, or were unattainable. The unattainable ones invariably had to do with physical improvement, i.e., losing weight, running daily, etc. Even so, and regardless of my repeated failures, I continue to put them on my list. So here are my resolutions for 2025:
Practice yoga weekly
Weight train twice weekly
Slow down, take more time for personal obligations
Write the first draft for my third novel RAW
In preparation for writing RAW, I have read 18 books on WWI, the 1918 pandemic, and the suffrage movement. I have also completed a synopsis, an outline, and a timeline, composed character sketches of all the main characters, made a list of potential scenes and tropes that might fit the story structure, and written clean copies of the first two chapters. I know the story map. This story will be epic and lengthy, getting the first draft done by the end of 2025 will require persistence. Fortunately, I am not afraid to work hard. However, any words of encouragement are always appreciated.
Drop me a line, send me a postcard stating point of view on your 2025 resolutions. Until then, and with whatever comes your way, don’t lose your sense of humor.
Cheers, Mitzi
mitzizilkaauthor.com is the author of Water Fire Steam, available in paperback and audiobook.
Young Heroes will be out in 2025.