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Posts by Carol Despeaux Fawcett

Jul 4

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What gifts are you sharing with the world?

On May 19, more than 100 members of the Vallès Symphony Orchestra and the choirs of Lieder and Friends of l’Opera and the Choral Belles Arts participated in this amazing “Flash Mob” in Sabadell, Spain. In celebration of the 130th anniversary of Banco Sabadell they performed Beethoven’s “Ode To Joy.”

Though it’s not really a flash mob, the clip is beautiful. I love how the musicians come together–a few at a time until the townsquare is overflowing with people. And I love how they’re all dressed in street clothes–as if, “oh, I just happened to be in the neighborhood…”

Music, like literature, lifts us out of ourselves and makes us want to be better. This five-minute video reminds me that we all have talents and gifts to offer others. What gifts are you currently sharing with the world? What gifts do you want to share?

Jul 2

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Don’t write what you know, write what sets you free

Common advice given to new writers is to write about what you know. This can be good advice. For example, if you want to write legal thrillers, then having a background in law will save you research time and lend a sense of reality to your story.

Having been a paralegal for seven years, I have a background in law, but if I had to write a story with a legal theme, I’d end up as crazy as Jack in “The Shining.” So maybe better advice to a new (or seasoned) writer is to write about what interests you.

Ask yourself the following questions:

  • What are you passionate about?
  • What makes you come alive?
  • What new things would you like to learn?
  • If you had all the money in the world, what would you do?

Exercise: Set a timer for 10 minutes and answer the questions above.

In my next post, I’ll share a technique I use to help discover what interests me.

Jun 28

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Banish your fear of writing with this exercise

“I’m convinced that fear is at the root of most bad writing. . . . Good writing is often about letting go of fear and affectation.”— Stephen King

I’m starting a new book with the goal of finishing my first draft in 90 days. I started writing the book last year but was sidetracked with other writing and editing projects. I was also sidetracked by fear:

  • The fear of getting it wrong;
  • The fear of not being good enough;
  • The fear of getting halfway through the story and not knowing how to end it;
  • The fear of writing myself into a corner;
  • And about 100 other fears.

As Stephen King suggests, I’m learning how to let go of my fear to become a better writer. Read more

Jun 26

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Practice your storytelling technique through the eyes of a child

When meeting a new person, sometimes I mention that I used to be shy but now I can’t shut up. Though I say this jokingly, it’s true. When I quit my job and went to work for myself years ago, I had to break out of my shyness in order to survive and eventually thrive out there in the big, bad world.

I modeled people who seemed to be naturally outgoing. It took years of practice to overcome my shyness and even now, after being in my own little writing world for too long, it’s an easy mode to slip back into.

On a recent trip, I was forced to be around people and so practiced being my outgoing, extrovert self again. One way I did this was through storytelling. Read more

Jun 22

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Three writing posts to motivate you

I’m a writer who appreciates being able to connect to a community of other writers. Some days I’m in the flow and fine working on my own. Other days, I need that extra little nudge. This week, I found three posts to help me stay connected:

Michael Haynes’ “Write Every Day,” shares a tip for keeping ourselves on track with our writing goals. I use this same tip to track writing contest entries.

David Farland’s, “Ten Reasons Why I’ll Quickly Reject Your Story,” has tips to keep in mind when writing any kind of story.

Author Bob Mayer has a page of five short video clips taken from his writing workshops including clips on “What to Write” and how to achieve “Conflict Lock” in your novel.

Enjoy!

Jun 20

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Use character emotions to show vs. tell

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

Jun 18

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Work like a visual artist to develop new writing muscles

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

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