Jun 29
Because reading is so important to learning the craft of writing, I wrote recently about the late Ray Bradbury’s advice to read a short story, a poem, and an essay each night.
So when I saw this post from Michael Haynes (@mohio73), who has also been influenced by Bradbury’s advice, I had to pass it on. Read more
“I’m convinced that fear is at the root of most bad writing. . . . Good writing is often about letting go of fear and affectation.”— Stephen King
I’m starting a new book with the goal of finishing my first draft in 90 days. I started writing the book last year but was sidetracked with other writing and editing projects. I was also sidetracked by fear:
As Stephen King suggests, I’m learning how to let go of my fear to become a better writer. Read more
The trick to publishing a best selling novel just might depend on how deeply you build your protagonist’s emotional intensity.
In an interview in The Irish Echo online, best-selling author Michael Connelly explained why his first two novel writing attempts didn’t work. While shadowing a homicide detective on his job as newspaper reporter in Florida, Connelly noticed the detective – intent on his investigation – would place the earpiece of his eyeglasses in his mouth as he examined the crime scene. Later, when the detective took off his glasses, Connelly noticed that the detective had bitten a groove into the earpiece.
That telling detail revealed the depth of the detective’s internal emotion and intensity for his job. Read more
When meeting a new person, sometimes I mention that I used to be shy but now I can’t shut up. Though I say this jokingly, it’s true. When I quit my job and went to work for myself years ago, I had to break out of my shyness in order to survive and eventually thrive out there in the big, bad world.
I modeled people who seemed to be naturally outgoing. It took years of practice to overcome my shyness and even now, after being in my own little writing world for too long, it’s an easy mode to slip back into.
On a recent trip, I was forced to be around people and so practiced being my outgoing, extrovert self again. One way I did this was through storytelling. Read more
Do you ever feel rusty?
Maybe you’ve had to take a break from writing due to a health issue, a day job that is sucking the life out of you, or to round up a rogue band of unicorns that’s been terrorizing your neighborhood.
For whatever reason, the ideas aren’t flowing, the words aren’t coming, and you need to regroup. I’ve been there. Here’s how I get back into my writing groove and how you can too.
Revisit my routine. For the most part, I think humans thrive on routines. If I have a set writing schedule, my brain knows it needs to get into writer mode. If I’m off track, I know it will help to get back into my routine. Read more
I’m a writer who appreciates being able to connect to a community of other writers. Some days I’m in the flow and fine working on my own. Other days, I need that extra little nudge. This week, I found three posts to help me stay connected:
Michael Haynes’ “Write Every Day,” shares a tip for keeping ourselves on track with our writing goals. I use this same tip to track writing contest entries.
David Farland’s, “Ten Reasons Why I’ll Quickly Reject Your Story,” has tips to keep in mind when writing any kind of story.
Author Bob Mayer has a page of five short video clips taken from his writing workshops including clips on “What to Write” and how to achieve “Conflict Lock” in your novel.
Enjoy!
If you like to hang out at a café to write, you may have instinctively figured out that the ambient sounds of a coffee shop can inspire creative twists and revelations for your work in progress.
It turns out that a modest level of background noise creates enough of a distraction to encourage more imaginative thinking, according to research led by Ravi Mehta of Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia. Read more
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