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Posts by Carly Sandifer

Feb 3

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Avoid common writing problems by following Kurt Vonnegut’s advice

Besides writing literary classics Cat’s Cradle and Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut was a professor. He taught at the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Harvard University, and City College of New York. His tips for writing a good short story have become classics in their own right.

I’ve pasted his tips in a notebook as part of my writing and revision checklist. The list gives me structure for analyzing my work and asking if I’ve done everything I can to add depth and meaning to my stories. Whether you’re writing a short story, memoir, or a novel, the tips I’ve listed below apply.

Maybe you’ll want to add them to your own writing and revision list:

1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.

2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.

3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.

4. Every sentence must do one or two things—reveal character or advance the action.

5. Start as close to the end as possible.

6. Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading character, make awful things happen to them-in order that the reader may see what they’re made of.

7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.

8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To hell with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.

The video below shows some great photos of Vonnegut throughout his life. If you’d like more ideas for what to add to your revision list, read Carol’s post, Make your writing stronger by removing filter words.

Jan 29

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Use this writing prompt to reveal ideas for your next essay, poem, or chapter

One of the things I love about teaching is what I learn from it myself. In a recent memoir writing class, I gave students a writing prompt based on a story I’d heard about a man who only wrote in lists.

I told the student to write their memoir in 20 statements.

What they wrote was revealing, funny, and at times sad. I also realized that each statement could be a springboard for writing an essay, a chapter for a longer manuscript, or a poem.

If you’re searching for a way into your writing, try it yourself and see what you come up with.

For more ideas about ways to write a memoir, read my posts Four ways to write about your life and Four ways to write about your life, part 2.

Jan 27

You have something special to say: Write with abandon

I recently presented a memoir writing workshop. A couple times in class, I gave the students writing prompts. When I asked the students if they wanted to read their writing, almost everyone did. I was inspired by all of them. Each one had something special to say. Each piece of writing had humor and sadness and beauty.

I’m sad to say though that I saw a trend repeated in this class. Almost every student who read, qualified what they were going to read with a statement, such as:

“It’s kind of short,”

“It’s kind of long,”

It’s not very good.”

No matter how many times,I tell students, “Don’t think, just put the words down on the page,” or “the first draft is just a draft,” or, “writing is a practice,” they still feel the need to devalue their words. Read more

Jan 21

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Do you have screen apnea? Breathe deeply to enhance your health and creativity

I’m always happy if I can put myself into a writing trance, shut out distractions, and find my focus. But I figured out something about myself. I sometimes forget to breathe. Literally, I find that I’m holding my breath or that my breathing is very shallow.

So when I read the book, Manage Your Day-to-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, and Sharpen Your Creative Mind, I was intrigued to learn that there’s a name for this — screen or e-mail apnea. Unfortunately, it can be harmful to your health.

In the chapter, “Awakening to Conscious Computing,” technology consultant Linda Stone, who coined the terms e-mail apnea and screen apnea, wrote about how she observed more than 200 people using computers and smart phones in offices, homes, and cafes. The vast majority, she said, were holding their breath or breathing very shallowly, especially when responding to e-mail. Their posture while sitting at the computer was often poor, which exacerbated the problem. Read more

Jan 15

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Four tips to defeat your writing funk

Sometimes my brain circuitry feels like it’s got a short in it. It went on vacation and left me home. Or it’s buzzing and I just can’t settle down. Or, I’m just stumped about what direction I should go with a story or poem.

Has this ever happened to you? If so, consider trying a few of these strategies.

1. Change tools. If you’re tapping out your sentences on your computer, pick up a pen or pencil and write by hand in a notebook. For that matter, some people enjoy typing on an actual typewriter. Read more

Jan 13

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Why slow, easy gains beat fast and furious for writing success

Since my life pretty much revolves around writing and reading, it’s only natural that I see just about everything through that lens. So when I read blogger James Clear’s post last week about weightlifting, I quickly saw how his principles of slow, easy gains also apply to writing.

Most people focus on achievement over progress in the gym (and other areas of life), Clear says.

Clear’s blog post especially resonated with me because it came out at the same time my blogging partner Carol had been telling me about a video she watched in which Novelist and TV Writer/Producer Lowell Cauffiel advocated writing five pages a day max instead of large bursts of occasional writing. (She’ll be sharing more about this in an upcoming post.)

Clear says slow progress beats immediate achievement because slow progress adds up fast and is more sustainable. Read more

Jan 8

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How blogging about writing craft helps my writing (and makes me happy)

Some writers say that blogging is a waste of time. They think it’s better to spend writing time on their current work, whether it’s a novel, poem, short story, or essay.

Blogging about writing may not be for everyone, but I’ve found that blogging can be like an injection for my writing. If I’m stuck with some aspect of my writing, I often dig out of my blocked place by recalling some bit of advice or craft tip that I’ve written about here on One Wild Word.

Here are several other ways writing about writing helps me in my craft: Read more

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