Posts from the ‘Craft’ Category

Jan 9

How blogging has taken my writing to another level

In her last post, Carly wrote about how blogging about writing has helped her become a better writer. When we first started discussing ideas for a blog, we kept coming back to the idea of blogging about writing because we both love writing so much. It was and still is our main passion in life.

If you’re like us, you write because you love to. You write because you want to. You write because without writing you wouldn’t be you. Writing is oxygen. Writing is life. And without writing, we may as well be one of the walking dead.

So how has writing a blog about writing made me a better writer?

That old saying that “to teach is to learn twice” is true. It’s one thing to learn something new about writing craft, but when I share that information by putting into words what I’ve learned, I learn it on a whole new level. 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

Jan 7

Go beyond craft to find the heart…and art of your story

When I first decided to venture from writing poetry to prose, I read a lot of how-to craft books and took a few writing courses. Eventually, I decided I wanted a more focused approach so I enrolled in a low-residency MFA program through Goddard College.

You don’t need an MFA or any kind of degree, of course, to be a writer, but it was perfect for me. It allowed me the time I needed to focus on craft, and it forced me to read widely. This is what I’m thankful for most, I think, is the opportunity to read and learn how to analyze other writers’ work. I read works from authors whom I never would have otherwise read. Read more

Jan 6

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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 23

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How to tell when you have a good idea for a story

In her short ebook, “2K to 10K: Writing Faster, Writing Better and Writing More of What You Love,” author Rachel Aaron shares tips on how she went from writing two thousand words per writing session to ten thousand. For more details, see Carly’s earlier post.

In Aaron’s chapter “How I Plot a Novel in 5 Easy Steps,” she says that Step 0 is deciding whether the idea you have for your story or novel is the idea that you really want to spend your time on. How do you know if it is?

1. You can’t stop thinking about it. You’re doing the dishes or some other menial chore and you find yourself totally lost in your thoughts about your story. Or, you’re at work and can’t seem to focus because your antagonist is whispering in your ear about his evil plans for your main character. Read more

Dec 17

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Using the poetry in us to influence our writing

“….Everybody, even people who don’t read poems, have poetry in their heads…,” says poet Hans Magnus Enzensberger.

Filmed as part of the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative, the 4-minute video below features poets Enzensberger and Tracy K. Smith, who discuss the nature of poetry and their process of working together.

Enzensberger says we find poetry in nursery rhymes and prayer and other everyday occurrences. Poetry is part of the fabric of our lives. Poetry can be a way in to other writing formats.

Watch the video below and then check out my earlier post, “Using poetry to enrich your prose” to see more ways that poetry can inform our lives and our writing.

http://vimeo.com/47090158