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Posts by Carly Sandifer

May 1

What would you change if today was your last day?

What if you knew today was your last day on Earth? What would you wish?

The older I get, the more urgency I have to push forward with my writing goals. The idea of remembering you are going to die is one of the best ways to let go of fears and resistance. As a reminder, I’ve posted near my desk this quote by Apple founder Steve Jobs:

“Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”

In January 2009, businessman Ric Elias had a front-row seat on Flight 1549, the plane that crash-landed in the Hudson River in New York. In this 5-minute TedTalk, you’ll hear what went through his mind in the moments before impact. See how surviving the crash led Elias to rethink how he lives his life.

Apr 29

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Don’t stop readers in their tracks: Four tips to maintain your story’s flow

One of the most important things we must not do to readers is bore them or stop the flow of the story. In my recent post, How not to write a story, I shared agent Margaret Bail’s tips and writing don’ts.

Here are several other points she and other agents, editors, and workshop presenters made during a panel discussion at the Las Vegas Writer’s Conference.

Character description. A common but ineffective way to describe your character is by having her look in a mirror or other reflective surface and describe what she sees.

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Apr 25

How one author acts out her writing

As a child, author Randall Platt wanted to be an actress. She wrote screenplays for her favorite western television shows, complete with roles for herself. As an adult, she pursued acting but eventually found that what she really wanted to do is write.

In a workshop at the Las Vegas Writer’s Conference, Platt, award-winning writer of Hellie Jondoeand other YA and adult fiction, shared how her experience as an actor carries over to writing.

Her lessons and tips:

Know your character’s motivation. Every character we create must have reasons for why they do what they do. To understand your characters’ motivation, you need to know their backstory. It shows how they’ll act and react. With each book she writes, Platt creates character sketches that include information about her characters’ religion, family, what they do for a living, their parents, and more. Some writers spend a “day in the life” of their character examining everything the character does. Other authors like to write letters to their characters to understand them. Read more

Apr 23

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How not to write a story

Margaret Bail, an agent for the Andrea Hurst & Associates, wants to help writers by telling them how NOT to write stories.

Bail, who is also a writer, presented a workshop at the Las Vegas Writer’s Conference Saturday. Several of her tips also came up during sessions in which agents, editors, and instructors critiqued pages that attendees had submitted.

Check out this list and see if you’ve committed any of these cardinal sins of writing.

In the beginning:

Don’t start with the protagonist waking up. Besides not wanting to see him or her in bed, Bail doesn’t want to see your character brushing her teeth, washing her face or anything else in her morning routine. Read more

Apr 19

Poetic inspiration from our early days

As we celebrate National Poetry Month, we thought you might enjoy three poetry posts from the early days of our blog.

In An experiment in form: Channeling a beat poet, Carol writes about how she was inspired to write a sestina.

Write lyrically by reading poetry was inspired by a tip from author Cristina Garcia.

Poet or not, in Two exercises to help you write poetically, Garcia offers tips that enhance your writing.

Apr 17

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Is your favorite book on this 2012 top 10 list of challenged books?

As long as books have been published, they’ve also been banned for one reason or another. This week, the American Library Association (ALA) released its annual State of America’s Libraries Report, which included a Top Ten List of Frequently Challenged Books in 2012. You might be surprised to find that of all books, the Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey, was on the list. All I can figure is that Dr. Diaper and Professor Poopypants crossed some kind of line.

Thankfully, the ALA continues to promote the benefits of free and open access to information by highlighting censorship and actual or attempted banning of books across the United States.

Here is the Top Ten List of Frequently Challenged Books in 2012:

  1. Captain Underpants (series), by Dav Pilkey
  2. “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,” by Sherman Alexie Read more

Apr 15

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Do you suffer from data deluge? Three tips for restoring focus and creativity

Do you feel more distracted these days? Are you overwhelmed with the amount of information that bombards your inbox?

Nicholas Carr, author of  “The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing To Our Brains,” says that the human brain is shaped by “tools of the mind” — technologies we use to find, store, and share information. These “tools” can change the neural pathways of our brain and inhibit our ability to concentrate and be reflective, focused, and creative. Carr calls these the “personal consequences of the data deluge.”

For writers, this is not good news. Read more

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