Posts by Carly Sandifer

Jan 6

When it comes to writing, don’t let sleeping dogs lie

If you want to write a page turner, you must have conflict. What’s more, you have to raise the stakes. Have you ever heard that saying, “Just when you didn’t think it could get any worse….” If you want to write a page turner, you have to make things worse just when the reader didn’t think it could get any worse.

Writer and literary agent Donald Maass knows this. Here are several questions he urges writers to ask themselves about their work in progress:

1. What’s at stake? How can you raise the stakes so that there’s more to lose, gain, fear?

2. What gives your protagonist hope? How can you crush that hope?

3. What does your protagonist regret? Can you create a situation that amplifies the regret?

4. What tools or resources does your protagonist possess to help solve her problem? Can you take one away or put a block in her path? Force her in a new direction?

Maass believes its possible to write a book that appeals to readers on a commercial and literary level. For more insight that will take your writing to new heights, check out his book Writing 21st Century Fiction: High Impact Techniques for Exceptional Storytelling.

Dec 31

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My 2014 personal writing theme revealed

I can’t help it. I love the idea of a fresh new notebook, a new year to see what is possible. A clean slate. I’m not big on New Year’s resolutions, but I like having a theme that helps me move through the year in a positive trajectory. It’s my touchstone to remind me of what I value.

Several things happened this year that propelled me to find my 2014 theme.

First, I took a short story writing class and discovered a breakthrough writing method. It involved writing 100 sentences and then seeing what kind of story would take shape. It really was a revelation for me and helped me lose some of my resistance around writing.

Second, I went to a workshop and heard Patricia Charpentier speak about how she keeps a five-year diary. I’ve always wanted to do this but never stuck to it. I decided this would be my year. I would do it by committing to at least one sentence. And while some of them may be random or boring observations about my day, others could likely turn into story themes or first lines. For more inspiration and my thoughts about this, read my post, Let your short story write itself. Read more

Dec 24

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Take a break from holiday madness to watch a cat video

Holidays are happy, stressful, and sometimes tiring. So how do you deal with the ups and downs? I like to take a break and watch a cat video.

Some of my favorites are about Henri, the French Existentialist Cat. In the spirit of Christmas, enjoy Henri in The Worst Noel.

Merry Christmas from One Wild Word.

Dec 18

Celebrate your family history this holiday season with the “Do You Know? scale

If you’re writing a memoir or family history, holiday family gatherings are good times to learn more about your family history.

As I wrote the draft of my memoir, I turned to my knowledge of family history I gained from stories shared at family dinners, Christmas parties, and sitting around the campfire on camping trips.

Research indicates that telling family stories and creating traditions can make families stronger and give children a sense of stability.

Bruce Feiler, author of The Secrets of Happy Families: Improve Your Mornings, Rethink Family Dinner, Fight Smarter, Go Out and Play, and Much More, wrote about Emory University professor and psychologist Marshall Duke’s research into what makes strong families, and observations by Duke’s wife Sara, a psychologist, who found that children face challenges better when they have deep knowledge about their families.

A “Do You Know Scale” was developed by researchers to test family knowledge and predict children’s emotional health and happiness. The questions are also valuable research starters for anyone who also wants to write about their family. The “Do You Know” questions provide valuable information on their own, but also spark further discussion.

Here are several of the questions from the scale:

Do you know how your parents met? Y N
Do you know where some of your grandparents grew up? Y N
Do you know the source of your name? Y N
Do you know which person in your family you look most like? Y N

For more insight, read Feiler’s article, The stories that bind us in the New York Times. Then read Marshall Duke’s Huffington Post article, The Stories That Bind Us: What Are the Twenty Questions?, for the complete list and additional information about the study.

On a related note, in case you missed it, read Carol’s post, Lessons in character development: parental influences, for her take on how understanding family dynamics can help you create characters.

Dec 16

How to write your annual holiday letter

It’s time to don your Christmas socks, brew a cup of tea, and write your annual holiday letter.

For tips and ideas, check out these past posts. In The holidays are upon us: Tips for writing a letter to friends and family, you’ll find ideas for what to write about. Then read, Apply your writerly skills to a holiday letter to find format and style tips.

Happy writing!

Dec 12

Last-minute gifts that help writers capture their best ideas

Ideas are a writer’s currency. If you’re looking for a writerly gift for a friend or even yourself, here are three ideas for gifts that spark and preserve your best ideas.

Aqua Notes – Waterproof Notepad – When I’m stuck, and even when I’m not, taking a shower is a sure way to clarify a writing problem, think of a title for a story, or come up with the perfect character name. Something about water makes ideas pop to the surface, and my Aqua Notes has saved many an idea.

The Writer’s Block: 786 Ideas to Jump-Start Your Imagination – Do you ever experience dreaded writer’s block? Laugh in its face with this real writer’s block. $10.26

Dream Essentials Nite Note, Night Time Notepad with Fisher Ball Point Space Pen – This nifty pad lights up when the pen that comes with it is removed from the pad. The Fisher Space Pen that comes with it is perfect for capturing those ideas when you’re lying in bed in the dark. $14.95.

In case you missed it this week, see Carol’s post, Holiday gift ideas for the writer in your life.

Dec 10

A lesson in storytelling and the power of healing

Storytelling has always been one way people process life, happy and sad.

Angelo Merendino found that telling the story of his wife Jennifer’s fight with breast cancer helped him create meaning from the experience. He wrote an iBook, “The Battle We Didn’t Choose,” and in the Ted Talk below, Angelo tells how he met his wife and how, shortly after they married, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Angelo and Jennifer’s story was a global inspiration. As I watched the video, I was struck by how powerful the story was, and I realized that, in part, it was because it revealed Angelo and Jennifer’s love story first (including the influence of his own parents’ love story) before she received her diagnosis.

Angelo’s story reminded me of something one of my writing advisors told me years ago about storytelling. “You have to give readers a reason to care about your characters by letting the reader understand who the characters are up front.”

Angelo created a very moving tribute to his wife in pictures, print, and in this Ted Talk. He says these photos and the story were created out of necessity. His need to make meaning out of the tragedy continues to have a powerful impact.