Archetype Writing Blog

New Article: The Six Writing Hats
Summary: Over the years I have studied the great storytellers, in an attempt to ascertain what sets them apart from others and sees their books sell in the millions, while tens of thousands of manuscripts never see the light of day. In an attempt to find an answer to this question I turned to one of the pioneers of thinking, Edward de Bono, and found that his seminal work on the Six Thinking Hats® applies perfectly to the art and craft of writing. So here is my version of the Six Writing Hats.

I discovered the coolest writers' website, and I just had to share.



QueryTracker.net lets you research agents, track queries as you send them out, and compare your results to other people's experiences -- for free.



Here's my tracking page. I desaturated the color to make my (red) notes easier to see. The page is really in full color.







Here is a pie chart of my querying activity for one of the manuscripts.







The site owner's goal is to collect data on agents' response behavior and share that data with everyone who uses the site. So you can see how many other people who have queried that agent got positive vs. negative responses and how long it took to get that positive or negative response.



You can also sign up for a Premium subscription to see additional statistics. All funds the owner collects go toward advertising -- the idea is that the more people who use QT, the more data is collected. And that benefits everyone in the community. Since I'm part of the community, I'm telling you so you can add to the data, too!



Here is the Premium Advanced Search, which shows you not only agents who meet the criteria you've noted (here it's agents who represent Fantasy Fiction), but also what forms of queries they accept and what others' experiences have been. The envelope represents the number of queries QT members have sent, the smilie face how many requests for partial or full manuscripts were received, and the frownie face for how many rejections were received.







The owner is also careful about who he adds to the database. He researches each suggested agent and makes sure that person is legit. A forum lets users share additional info about their experiences with agents.



I've also discovered an unexpected positive. Normally I collect rejection letters with a bit of shame and tuck them away as quickly as I can, relying on as many defense mechanisms as I can to shore up my flagging self-esteem. But I enjoy adding whatever response I get to my QT, because I'm helping other writers when I do. For me, that makes a negative into something of a positive. It also feels very organized, because I can see everything in one place from any computer I'm on. In the past I've used MS Access databases, but of course I could only access those from the computer the database was stored on.



Anyhow, I've really found it to be a great resource so far. Anything that makes receiving rejections less of a negative experience is to be applauded!

New Article: International Vampire Mythology
Summary: Modern mythology surrounding the Vampire is attributed to south eastern European countries like Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia and Romania. The general belief that Vampires are reborn from the corpse of a person bitten by a Vampire during life was contracted from the original myth, which claimed witches, evil people and suicide victims would rise from the grave in the guise of a Vampire.

New Article: Gauge or Caliber: Getting Your Research Right
Summary: Writers often need to know just what kind of weaponry their protagonists are using. Here's a useful primer as to the different terms and what they mean.

New Article: Biology of Depression
Summary: At one time, depression was seen as being solely the result of environmental factors such as upbringing, trauma, and stress. Research in the last few decades, however, has begun to reveal that depression has a strong biological basis that interacts with environmental factors to bring on the condition. Neurotransmission and brain chemicals are discussed.

New Article: The Harmful Emergence of Pro-Bulimia Attitudes
Summary: Though bulimia is classified as an eating disorder, not everyone with bulimia feels like they have a disorder. Some view bulimia and anorexia as lifestyles--chosen lifestyles.

New Article: Does Your Novel Have A Heartbeat?
Summary: Your theme is nothing more and nothing less than the heart of a novel. It is not a grade-school exercise in tedium, that single droning sentence you wrote that told your reader what you were going to tell him. In a novel, your theme is a living, vibrant, critical thing. It is your particular passion in this particular novel summed up in a handful of words. It is what you need to say.

New Article: Critiquing Fiction - Or How to Help Without Being Mean
Summary: An outline of things to consider when reading another's (or your own!) work.

New Article: Showing the Change in Characters through the Trajectory of a Story
Summary: In a good story, characters create conflict; consequently, conflict creates drama. In addition, a story shows more depth if its characters go through changes. The question is: how can a writer go about showing the changes inside his characters during the trajectory of the story?

New Article: Common Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder
Summary: Bipolar disorder’s primary symptoms are unpredictable, severe mood swings. An individual suffering from the disorder experiences episodes that subject him/her to mood swings between severe mania and depression (most times with periods of normal moods in between). He/she may be more prone to mania or depression, or experience both extremes in equal frequency. This article enumerates the more prevalent symptoms of bipolar disorder and how to recognize them.

New Article: Traits of People with ADHD
Summary: How people with ADHD experience and interact with the world differently than other people.

New Article: Types And Symptoms Of Schizophrenia
Summary: Describes the difference between positive and negative symptoms, and between catatonic, paranoid, disorganized, undifferentiated, and residual schizophrenia.

New Article: Writing Past Fear: 10 Ways To Stop Worrying And Start Writing
Summary:Many people claim that they want to write. Most won't because of a giant monster called FEAR. It looms over individuals and paralyzes them. "What if I'm no good?" " What if I'm wasting my time?" "What if..." "What if..." "What if..." Fear creates these never-ending questions, but fortunately the beast can be conquered. It's conquered every day. Here are ten ways to get over fear and start writing.

New Q&A: Could a person with schizophrenia have such a mild version that he appears completely normal except in periods of high stress?

Summary A:No to the first question and yes to the second.

First let's look at why schizophrenia doesn't really work -- and by the way, most movies and books default to schizophrenia without realizing these things below, which is why half the killers in fiction supposedly have it and yet have no symptoms of it! So it makes total sense that would sound like the right diagnosis if you didn't know the clinical info. Thumbs up for asking!

New Article: 'I Can Write A Book In A Weekend,' And Five Other Annoying Things Beginners SaySummary: Since every literate person can write, most people think they can be writers. Interestingly enough, we all can speak quite well, but few of us would deem ourselves 'speakers.' However, this prevalent belief encourages beginners to say the oddest things that make professional writers want to cringe (or preferably strangle them with a thin wire). If you find yourself saying the following, please stop...

New Article: Misconceptions about "Split" and Multiple Personalities
Summary: Looks at common myths and mistakes writers make when incorporating "split" or multiple personalities into their fiction. Also looks at how multiple personalities are different from schizophrenia and bipolar disorders.

New Article: Sociopaths
Summary: Differenting sociopaths from psychopaths, common sociopathic traits, and types of sociopaths.

New Article: Personality Disorders
Summary: A brief description of each of the 10 Personality Disorders

I have belonged to seven different gyms in my life, and either society is changing or I'm choosing bad gyms, because the last two seem to be selling eating disorders.

I left the last one because a personal trainer repeatedly advocated vomiting as an appropriate way to "get thin" and look "sexy." And to hear him tell it, all women should be doing their darndest to look sexy for him. (He was so not hot, just in case you're wondering.)

I complained to management and got a blank look. I explained some more. I got this uncomfortable look that suggested the fellow was a little embarrassed for me and my complaint. So I told the guy that I was a psychologist and that it was not ok with me to belong to a gym that was advocating eating disorders, especially so blatantly. That got a reaction, but only because suddenly I wasn't just some poor dumb little girl with a silly complaint, I was a doctor and all that might entail.

I ended up talking with several other people in charge, but I never felt like anybody really cared that there was a trainer running around telling young women to throw up. The folks in charge just wanted to placate the Doctor and get her to hush up. The trainer in question was not only not let go, he made my visits to the gym uncomfortable, and I overheard him continuing the same old schtick to his trainees.

So I quit the gym.

They occasionally call me or send me mail asking me to come back. I don't think I could go back and maintain my self-respect. They refuse to hear that.

So I joined a new gym. They built a Gold's gym on the corner near my house, and I thought -- excellent, convenient and not a fitness "club" like the last one. Maybe there will be less emphasis on personal training and unhealthy behaviors.

Man, did I have that wrong.

This gym (which is now Urban Active, still owned by the same company) shows videos on huge flat screens all over the place -- there's even a massive screen over the front desk that can be seen by people driving by. There are a few smaller screens scattered around the gym that show a constant series of advertisements.

But the videos.

All of the videos seem to feature mostly-naked women writhing around on chairs, the floor, each other, the walls, and especially on men. Enough that I start wondering if some of them might not benefit from anti-seizure medications.

I realize that people have been complaining about music videos since MTV first played Video Killed the Radio Star, but there is a distinctly different flavor to the videos they play at this gym than anywhere else I've ever worked out. Most of the music is (fully-clothed) male artists with the obligatory writhing scenery. Once in a while you see Christina Aguilera, Beyonce, Gwen Stefani, or (shudder) The Pussycat Dolls, but again, they've chosen the slinkiest, sexiest videos they can find.


For all the teaching I do on eating disorders, I still find myself filled with self-loathing as I try in vain to escape from all those video screens during my workout. I know that only 5% of women have that naturally thin physique and only 8% have an hourglass figure. I know that many, many of the models, actresses, and singers (and increasingly, the men, as well) in Hollywood are anorexic, bulimic, compulsive overexercisers, and otherwise engaging in ridiculously unhealthy measures. I know that they are often weak and exhausted from not eating properly and trying to maintain unrealistic weights. And I know that the death rate for eating disorders is one of the highest for any psychological disorder, and that half of those deaths are from suicide. So thin definitely doesn't equal happy.

But those videos are still trying to convince me that the only things that might make me a worthwhile person are being thin and pornographically sexy.

I was raised by someone who told me she jogged because it made her feel strong and competent, so to me that's what exercise should do -- make you feel good about yourself. As a psychologist, I know that helping women experience embodiment -- feeling attached to your body as a strong, effective machine -- is key to helping them live happier, healthier lives.

I just wish my gym knew that. And cared enough to do something about it.

New Article: How to Choose the Best Agent For You - by Sophfronia Scott, "The Book Sistah"
Summary: Recently I've had a few writers seek me out for consultation because they were dealing with the fortunate mishap of having more than one agent interested in their work. That may sound fantastic if you haven't been able to get anything other than single sheet rejections in your mailbox, but these writers found themselves feeling like the dog chasing cars who finally caught one! What to do now?