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May 24

blood

Write a scene in 30 minutes

In a recent interview by Joel Chafetz, author Jack Remick, talked about how learning Natalie Goldberg’s timed writing technique totally changed his writing.

Remick who is a poet and author of the novel Blood, among other works, said he learned to use timed writing to craft his scenes. He breaks it down as follows for a 30-minute timed writing session:

  • 5 minutes on setting, place, time, season, temperature
  • 5 minutes on character description and problem
  • 5 minutes on action and dialogue
  • 5 minutes on Intruder
  • 5 minutes on Climax and Resolution
  • 5 minutes on Hook to the next scene down the line

He doesn’t set the timer for 5-minute intervals but he carries the story in his head as he’s writing. He says it’s not easy to get to this point but the more you practice, the easier it gets.

Remick advises, “If a writer works this way, in just a short while, you will be able to write any scene at any time and have it fit into the flow and ebb of the story without much dithering.” He wrote each scene or section of his novel in these thirty minute sessions. His start line is always: “Today I’m writing about…”

A big fan of timed writes myself, I noticed lately that I’ve been working more on the computer and less with pen and paper.  As I mentioned earlier this week, I had a problem getting past a certain chapter in my current work so I took Remick’s advice, pulled out my notebook and pen and dusted off my timer.

It took me a few sessions to get in the flow. At first, disciplining my mind was like trying to tame a roomful of wild, naughty monkeys. But, as Remick promised, the more I did it, the easier it became.

Eventually, I came up with a metaphor that really resonated with me on a level I wasn’t expecting. It’s a simple line in a scene, but I realized the layers of meaning behind it, how it mirrors the larger theme of my story, and how it also reflects the fighting spirit of my protagonist.

If you want to be inspired to take your writing to the next level, I recommend reading the entire interview and visiting his website.

May 23

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

What’s your writing call to arms?

What is your writing watchword — the guiding principle that drives your writing life?

Writing has always been a central focus of my life. As a writer and reader, I love words and the power they have to move people and create change. So I was intrigued to see what entrepreneur Gianni Vega does to create art out of words and inspire people to commit to their passion and goals.

Vega, who calls himself a “Thot Provoker,” named his business Knots Thots. His artistic products are boards with quotes meant to spur people to, “live a life with no regret, no exceptions.”

Customers pick a board or have one custom-made with a quote that has meaning to them. The boards, which come in three sizes, include operating instructions: He urges customers as an act of faith and commitment to write down their dream or goal on the back of their board, sign their name, and date it. Read more

May 22

big idea magnifying glass
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Banish writer’s block with this tip from poet William Stafford

“There is no such thing as writer’s block for writers whose standards are low enough.” –American poet William Stafford

Poet William Stafford wrote every day, rising early in the mornings before the rest of his family. This discipline resulted in about 20,000 completed or attempted poems over his lifetime—of which only 6,000 or so have been published. Occasionally accused of being “too prolific,” Stafford would say, “if you get stuck, lower your standards and keep going.”

I needed this advice this week. Stuck on the same chapter for two weeks now, I realized that something needed to give. It’s not that I don’t know where this chapter is going—I do and I’ve even scratched out an outline of the scene. My problem is that I’ve been too hard on myself. I’ve been tired and stressed lately and beating myself up for not getting further in my story AND I’ve been expecting my prose to be at top-notch level during all this. Rubbish.

Taking Stafford’s advice, I realized that I just need to lighten up and get on with it. Write the crappy chapter. Let my prose suck. I can go back and fix it later when I’m not so stressed and fatigued. After all, this is a first draft. And, as my poetry mentor says, “First drafts are meant to be sucky.” Read more

May 21

Sticky notes on the computer

Create order out of writing chaos

Writing is a messy business. Maybe you have a certain degree of chaos on your desk, with notebooks, bits and piece of paper, Post its with scrawled notes, and index cards from your hipster PDA. Not to mention the paper cuts.

It’s just part of the process.

When I write nonfiction features I have a system I usually follow that adds order and helps me stay focused. I create an outline but not in the sense of those outlines with the Roman numerals we learned about in grade school.

This is more of a skeleton with the main sections of the story noted: Lede, elements of the story that go in the body with a few notes about what each section will contain, and the conclusion. I visualize the story and tend to write from my notes and the mental image, but these notes serve as a guiding force. Creating the bones of the article gives me momentum and a way to relax into the writing. I can focus on the the words and ideas because I generally know where I’m going. Read more

May 20

sleeping dog with books and pen
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British writers weigh in with tips to defeat writer’s block

Despite our best efforts to stay in the flow of our writing and showcase our brilliance in every word and idea that flashes through our mind and onto our white space, we still have times when the words get stuck.

Currently experiencing one of these frustrating moments myself, I thought I’d explore the idea of writer’s block this week and see what other writers have to say about it.

In this seven-minute video, “Getting Through Writer’s Block,” BBC writers share their tips on getting yourself unstuck, including:

  • Try to write something—improving nothing is impossible, improving rubbish is entirely possible. Read more

May 17

goblinproofing

Winner of the weirdest book title of the year

For all our readers waiting to learn the winner of the Diagram Prize for Oddest Book Title of the Year, the suspense is over.

The 2012 winner is Goblinproofing One’s Chicken Coop: And Other Practical Advice In Our Campaign Against The Fairy Kingdom by Reginald Bakeley. This winning book is your go-to guide to banishing pesky dark fairy creatures who threaten to thwart every last pleasure, be it gardening, country hikes, or even getting a good night’s sleep. It beat out, “God’s Doodle: The Life and Times of the Penis,” and “How to Sharpen Pencils,” among others.

Back in March, I announced the contest in this post, Is your book title odd? Check these out and vote for the weirdest one. (You’ll also find links to two posts about writing book and screenplay titles.)

The prize for oddest book title is named after the Diagram Group, an information and graphics company based in London, and The Bookseller, a British trade magazine for the publishing industry. The contest was started in 1978 at the Frankfurt Book Fair, and the first winner was “Proceedings of the Second International Workshop on Nude Mice.”

For more information about how the prize started and past winners, check out the Wikipedia page, Bookseller/Diagram Prize for Oddest Title of the Year.

May 16

levitating girl

The yoga of poetry

In her wonderful book, Saved by a Poem: The Transformative Power of Words,poet Kim Rosen writes about the different ways in which we can experience poetry–intellectually, emotionally, and even physiologically.

In a section of her book called “The Yoga of Poetry” she explains that the word yoga means, “to bind, join, attach and yoke, to direct and concentrate one’s attention on, to use and apply. It also means union or communion. It is the true union of our will with the will of God.”

Rosen, also a spoken-word artist, explains that memorizing a poem can also be a yoking or union of ourselves with the larger meaning of the poem. She says that if we choose a poem we know will take us beyond our comfort zone, the yoga of joining our consciousness to the consciousness inherent in the words of the poem will stretch us from the inside out.

The words of the poem enter our body as well as our mind. She says, “It affects your lungs, your pulse, and the tones and textures of your voice.” Read more

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