Jun 20
The golden rule in writing, “Show, don’t tell,” is something I try to follow most of the time. The only time I use “telling” is for transitions, to speed up time, get from one place to another, or weave in necessary information. But when writing in scene, I try to evoke character feelings through “showing.”
Loud, neon emotions written flat on the page don’t convey anything except a writer’s immaturity and lack of craft. Read more
In my quest to become a better writer, I read to see how other authors accomplish their creative objectives.
In The Mother Knot: A Memoir, author Kathryn Harrison used Biblical imagery — literary allusion — to deepen the meaning of her memoir’s theme of forgiveness. She believed her mother’s soul was a destructive force in her life and was so consumed by it that she suffered from anxiety, depression, and anorexia.
Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, using this literary tool can give your work added meaning. Referring to another piece of literature, a cultural icon, or historical event adds resonance. Read more
On a recent trip to Canada, I noticed a woman painting along the shore of the lake. She had her easel set up and was capturing the snow-capped mountains rising up out of the water. I noticed how she would look at the scene in front of her as if memorizing a detail, then bow her head to canvas and work on a section for several minutes before raising her head to memorize another detail of the setting.
This reminded me of advice I once read from author and poet Priscilla Long in The Writer’s Portable Mentor: A Guide to Art, Craft, and the Writing Life. To learn how to write body language in your scenes, she suggests the following exercise: Go to a public place like a coffee shop and observe two people as they talk to each other. Notice their body language. Write in your notebook all the body language you see. Read more
One of the the things we like to do here at One Wild Word is pass on tips and interesting ideas about writing. We also like to feature other writers who contribute their expertise and love of writing. Because there’s nothing like having a community of like-minded people to encourage and energize you in your writing life.
So when I saw the post Maria Popova published at Brain Pickings about Henry Miller’s writing and daily creative routine, I knew I had to pass it on. Miller was known for his book Tropic of Cancer, but one of my favorites by Miller is The Colossus of Maroussi about his travels in Greece.
Here are three of Miller’s “commandments of writing and daily creative routine” from the post.
1. Work on one thing at a time until finished. Read more
In TV-land, actor Hugh Laurie plays Dr. Gregory House, a drug-addicted medical genius with the bedside manner of Attila the Hun who speaks perfect American English. In real life, Laurie hails from England and speaks with a British accent.
He is also a comic and gifted musician. If you listen to him sing with your eyes closed, you’ll swear he’s a great African American blues singer. (As my cousin did when she heard his CD “Let Them Talk” playing in my home). The multi-talented Laurie sings, plays a mean guitar and is a stunning pianist. (In TV-land, House has a wall of guitars and a piano in his apartment).
After experiencing Laurie and The Copper River Band play Seattle recently, I’ve decided the blues is my new favorite genre of music.
Listening to the blues reminds me of putting together a novel. I love the way the different instruments—guitars, sax, bass sax, drums, piano, bass fiddle, etc—riff back and forth and talk to one another. It reminds me of different aspects of a novel—dialogue, plot, characterization—and how they all work together. Sometimes there’s dissonance which brings a certain friction to the piece and other times there’s harmony. Through it all there’s a sense of passion that drives the entire work. Read more
I don’t mean to sound morbid, but if you’re building characters for a short story or novel, I suggest you write their obituaries.
I’ve written a fair number of them over the years as a newspaper reporter, for members of my family, and to help friends who struggled with the words to honor a loved one who had passed away.
A good obituary is a tribute and a glimpse of a person’s life. As a journalist, I felt it was an honor to write obituaries even if I didn’t personally know the people I wrote about. Read more
As mentioned in my previous blog post, “How to use writing contests to reach your goals,” I’ve been entering contests this year to build up my publication credits. And, it’s starting to pay off.
So far, I’ve earned 8th place for poetry in the 2012 Writer’s Digest Annual Contest and this weekend I received more good news—I’m a finalist in two categories at an upcoming writers’ conference!
Even if I don’t win one of the top spots, being a finalist means I’ll get special recognition and an invite to attend an agent and editor gathering with the other finalists. Before the conference, I’ll be thinking about what I want to get out of the conference and put together my Action Plan.
My hubby and I do this before every seminar we attend for our business–we discuss what we want to take home from the seminar and also what we want to give to others while at the conference and after the conference.
Here’s an example of my writer’s Action Plan: Read more
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