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Sep 19

Be prepared: Keep a notebook in your kitchen

You’ve heard it before. Always have a notebook in your pocket or purse to jot down those brilliant ideas that don’t conveniently come to you when you’re sitting in your official writing place.

But do you have a notebook in the kitchen? Just like I always seem to think of a perfect new line for a poem or a great name for a character when I’m in the shower, cooking has a way of revealing ideas that have been simmering in my subconscious.

Life has a way of happening in the kitchen. Whenever I have guests over for dinner, it seems like everyone wants to congregate in the kitchen. Some of the most memorable and emotional discussions I’ve had with family have been in the kitchen, while cooking or sitting at the kitchen table eating a meal. All these bits of life are a good source of writing material. Read more

Sep 18

How playtime can give you creative ideas

Lately, I’ve been overworking my left brain. In the last week I’ve had to learn a new software program, learn a new webinar system, prepare and host a webinar, and finish my business taxes, which required me to learn a new form that took three phone calls and one hour to figure out what the taxman wanted.

This morning I’m officially back to living in my right brain and my current work-in-progress. During all my left brain activity, though, I did manage to keep my sanity by taking a few short play breaks.

Here’s one below: a two-minute video of Dusty the house cat who at night turns into Clepto. Watch to the very end to see the funniest part!

Not only did this make me laugh, but it gave me a great idea for a character. Have you seen anything funny or playful lately that sparked a creative idea?

Sep 17

One sure way to get back in your writing groove

Have you ever been in a funk with your writing? Maybe you don’t know where to take your story next. The sentences aren’t clicking into place, and you’re stuck.

Take a break and try this: Read.

I was hooked on reading at a young age, which led to my desire to write.

Reading a good book helps you remember why you wanted to write in the first place. As I read, I often think of solutions to problems in my own writing. I’m inspired by techniques other writers use. Read more

Sep 14

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27 steps to plotting your novel

Writer’s Digest recently offered a webinar on how to plot a novel by the Plot Whisperer, Martha Alderson, that I found very helpful. Alderson has a YouTube channel with 27 short videos for each step of the process.

The first video in the series is below (she says to ignore the barking dog in the background).

If you’d like to view more of her videos, her YouTube channel is: http://www.youtube.com/user/marthaalderson

And the remaining 26 videos for her plot tutorial can be found here.

Enjoy!

Sep 13

From the depths of despair to Pulitzer Prize: One writer’s story

If we didn’t know better, we might read excellent literature and assume that it all flows effortlessly from the writer’s pen.

That “flow state” isn’t the norm for most writers. Some struggling writers become so discouraged they wonder if they’re cut out to be writers. This happened to Pulitzer Prize-winner Junot Diaz when he wrote his first novel. He was stalled. He agonized over his pages. Still, he kept at it for five years. Then he became so discouraged and burned out that he considered another career. But he dug out his manuscript and started in again. He finally published his novel a decade after he first began writing it.

Díaz’s novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, won the Pulitzer Prize in 2008. It was named #1 Fiction Book of the Year” by Time magazine and spent more than 100 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, establishing itself – with more than a million copies in print – as a modern classic. Read more

Sep 12

Turning creative accidents into successful works of art

My massage therapist is an artist in every sense of the word—he does fantastic bodywork AND he’s a sculptor and painter. Recently, he told me a story about when he was in art school.

He was working on his first painting and between each layer of paint, he’d dip his brush in the varnish and then paint another layer. When he was done, the piece almost had a 3D effect with all the layers of paint and varnish. It was a beautiful accident.

During class, the instructor praised his work in front of the other students and mentioned the “intentional” effect he created. My massage therapist smiled and nodded, as if he meant to do that. Read more

Sep 11

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What I learned by writing a 91-word memoir

Sometimes limiting yourself forces a sort of creativity. Boundaries open up possibilities. I learned this recently while writing to a specific word count for a contest.

The 91-Word Memoir Writing contest sponsored by the Gotham Writers’ Workshop celebrates longtime Gotham student Norma Crosier (left) who died in July five days before her 91st birthday. The deadline to enter is October 15, 2012. The winner will receive a 10-week workshop and $91 cash.

Writing a 91-word memoir felt like flash fiction mixed with poetry.

Here are some tips: Read more

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