Let the touring begin…
Flying Without a Net
E.M. Ben Shaul
Release date: November 17, 2016
“May the words of my
lips match the words of my heart.”
E.M.
Ben Shaul’s 10 tips for becoming a better writer…
1.
Make writing a
habit: Make writing something
you always plan to do, like brushing your teeth or stopping for that first cup
of coffee on your way to the office. It doesn’t have to be an every day habit;
for example, when I am in the writing phase of a project, I write five days a
week.
2.
Allow yourself
small victories: Some days, one word will
be very easy, and you’ll go on to write another, or ten more, or 100 more. But
then there will be days that even one word is a victory. Allow yourself to see
that victory and use it to bolster yourself for the next writing day.
3.
Allow yourself to
write a bad first draft: Don’t feel like you have
to write a perfect, publishable piece of prose on your first draft. For me,
striving for a perfect first draft adds unnecessary pressure that can stall the
writing process.
4.
Don’t edit while
you’re writing: I have worked full-time
as a professional editor, and I know from experience that if I try to edit as I
go, I’ll get too focused on the edits and let them derail the writing process.
I do take notes in a separate file of things I think I may want to revise, or
at least revisit, but I don’t take the time before the first draft is finished.
5.
When editing your
own work, read it out loud: The human mind is
trained to correct for what it expects to see, which means that you will
frequently not notice obvious errors (such as the word “the” repeated). To
trick your brain into actually paying attention to every word, read the story
out loud. If you’re nervous about someone else hearing your unpolished work,
read it to yourself when you’re alone.
6.
Find other
writers to interact with: It doesn’t have to be a
formal writing group, and it doesn’t have to be in person. Having other writers
who understand the joy and the pain of writing can be a valuable asset when
you’re in the depths of a project or, on the flipside, when you are having
trouble getting a story to flow. Other writers can provide advice, or they can
just be there as a sympathetic listener who understands exactly what you’re
going through.
7.
Set realistic
goals: Some people will tell
you that you should set a 250 or 500 word goal for each writing day. But many
of the people who give this advice are full-time writers. For those of us with
day jobs, families that require attention, or other calls on our time, it may
not be realistic to write even 250 words per day. Find your realistic goal, and
aim for it.
8.
Don’t despair if
you miss a goal you’ve set for yourself: Not every day will be a perfect writing day. Some days the words just
don’t flow. I find that forcing the words to come makes it worse, and I usually
end up deleting most of what I forced out. It’s sometimes better to recognize
that you missed the goal and try to do better the next day.
9.
Find some trusted
first readers: Find yourself some
people who will read your story and give you honest and constructive feedback.
These people don’t have to be writers. Sometimes, actually, it’s better if
they’re not. Have first readers who will be fair but tough. For me, a first
reader who tells me that they love my story and has no changes to suggest is
lovely but not helpful. I need my first readers to tell me where the plot holes
are, where my descriptions are weak, where I missed the end of a sentence
because I got distracted.
10. Love what you
write and write what you love: Don’t pick a genre to
write in just because you think it will sell well. If you don’t enjoy your
subject, it will be reflected in your writing. Write something you’re
passionate about, and your readers will be drawn in by your passion.
Blurb:
Dani Perez, a secular Israeli working as a
software engineer in Boston, has never had trouble balancing his faith and his
sexuality—until he meets Avi Levine, a gay Orthodox Jew and sign language
interpreter. As they fall in love, Dani finds himself wanting Avi in his life,
but he can’t understand how Avi reconciles what his religion demands with what
his body desires. And although he wants to deny it, neither can Avi.
Despite the risk of losing Avi forever to a
religious life that objects to their love, Dani supports him through the
struggle to find an answer. Will they be able to start a life together despite
religious ideology that conflicts with the relationship they are trying to
build?
Categories: Fiction, Romance,
LGBT, Jewish, M/M
224 pages
Publisher: Interlude Press
Cover Artist: CB Messer
Excerpt:
“All of the dati people I knew before I came
out, they all thought that gay people were an abomination. And while, yes, I’m
learning that not all dati people feel that way, I still have trouble
understanding how someone can identify as dati and gay,” Danid said. I mean,
yeah, halacha doesn’t mandate thought, just action. But how many people know
that? How many people practice that?”
“A lot of people know. Think of it this way.
Halacha has a lot to say about kashrut. But not everyone keeps the same type of
kosher, even among the dati community. So, for example, I don’t hold that you
have to only eat glatt meat or chalav Yisrael milk, but other people do. That
doesn’t make my type of kosher any less legitimate than their type of kosher.
The people who only eat glatt or chalav Yisrael won’t eat the food I make, but
that’s because of how they interpret the rules. In my experience, most of them
don’t believe I’m not keeping kosher; they just hold by a greater stricture.”
“We have a difference of opinion on how to
interpret the law,” Avi continued. “Judaism allows for that; we have a long
tradition of different communities having different standards, all of which are
considered legitimate interpretations of halacha. Same with this. My
interpretation of halacha has no problem with my being gay and my being frum.
Someone else’s opinion of halacha may not be as inclusive, but those people may
also say I don’t keep kosher enough or that the fact that I have a television
in my house or an Internet connection means that I’m not frum. I disagree. My
community disagrees. If they don’t like my interpretation of halacha, they can
leave me to my life. I’m not going into their houses and saying they have to be
accepting of my kashrut standards, but at the same time they cannot come into
my house and tell me that I cannot eat my own food to my own standards of
kashrut.”
Avi
stopped and took a breath. Dani closed the distance between them and took Avi’s
hand. “Okay, motek, I get it,” he said. “I think. I mean, it’s still a huge
thing for me to work through, since I have been so used to the dati community
that I know judging me simply for whom I choose to love. I just… Until I met
you, I had never met an Orthodox Jew who was open-minded about gays. So I admit
it will take me some time to adjust my biases. Please be patient with me,
motek.”
“We’ll
be patient with each other,” Avi said, bending for a kiss.
Buy the book
It’s all about the author…
E.M. Ben Shaul lives in many communities. An
Orthodox Jew and writer of gay fiction, E.M. lives in the simultaneously
gay-friendly and Jewish-friendly Boston area with her husband and twin
daughters. A technical writer by day and freelance editor by nights and
weekends, E.M. likes to knit, cook and coin neologisms. E.M. seeks to explore
the seeming conflict between religious teachings and the heart’s desires.
…and stalking them :)
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This tour & must
read brought to you by Interlude Press
Thanks for having me!
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