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Posts from the ‘Craft’ Category

Dec 26

Do one thing every day that scares you

In the midst of our routines, it’s also good to try new things. Aim to write every day, but try writing something that’s unfamiliar. If you only write novels, try poetry. Everything you do contributes to your skills as a writer.

Eleanor Roosevelt said, “Do one thing every day that scares you.”

Maybe a certain topic or idea is fluttering in the back of your mind, but the thought of writing about it makes you nervous. If you get an anxious tug in your stomach, that’s a good sign that you’re stepping out of your comfort zone. Read more

Dec 21

Three posts to help you revise your writing

Having recently finished NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), I’m beginning to revise some of my 50,000 words. Below are three of my favorites posts about revision techniques and strategies. As I continue to work on my story, I find it helpful to keep these tips in mind. I hope you find them useful as well:

Two Steps to Stronger Verbs shows how to make your verbs stronger, which will make your stories and poetry stronger.

Four Ways to Revise Scenes helps examine scenes for these four key elements.

Edit Out Literary Throat Clearing to Make Your Work Stronger is a post about eliminating empty words or phrases in your writing.

Dec 19

When to use summary instead of scene in your story

I like author and writing mentor Martha Alderson’s definition of story.  Alderson, also known as “The Plot Whisperer,” says that, “Story is conflict shown in scene.”

In order to have the most impact, our stories should be written mostly in scene—in moment by moment detail. But we should also remember that a story made up entirely of scenes can inject too much conflict and exhaust the reader.

Summary is a place to rest. It’s a place where time is compressed. It’s tells the reader the events that aren’t important enough to show in detail. Read more

Dec 18

A different kind of reading list: Melancholy books

I think a really great book touches all of a reader’s emotions. Have you ever read something where you were laughing one minute and crying the next? On his blog, author Matt de la Pena advocates embracing rather than avoiding sadness in writing. He discussed this topic in Novels Have Become an Escape on “Room for Debate,” a feature of the New York Times opinion pages.

If you’re writing a melancholy book, you may want to read books from a list de la Pena compiled, which includes his comments about the books. You can also learn more about writing from de la Pena in this post, Get out of your reader’s way with these tips.

“Melancholy Reading List”by Matt de la Pena:
– Suttree by Cormac McCarthy (Best novel I’ve ever read.)
– Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr (Beautiful and quiet working class YA from a female perspective.) Read more

Dec 12

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Give the gift of your writing

As a writer, it’s within your power to give a one-of-a-kind present: The gift of your words.

If you’re searching for a special gift for a friend or relative, consider the gift of a poem, essay, or heartfelt letter.

Imagine one of your poems artfully written in beautiful script and framed.

Children can create gifts of writing too by writing an autobiography from their perspective, no matter what their age.

Here are a few tips to spark a piece of writing: Read more

Dec 10

Three popular posts about fueling your writing through journaling

I was on a reorganizing binge recently and realized I had way too many notebooks, even for me, a notebookaholic. They’re full of notes from writing workshops and observations about life that I felt compelled to write down in case I could turn them into a story or poem. My next rainy day project is to review them and pull out the ideas to spark some new writing. If you’re like me and love journals, you might like these blog post from our archives.

A twist on the writer’s journal: The commonplace book is another approach to creating a journal.

Writing in a journal is a powerful way to create the bits and pieces that become literature. See how these writers did it.

For excellent tips about using a journal to record our evolution as writers, read, Two great reasons to keep a writing journal.

Dec 7

More writing nuggets from James Scott Bell: First steps to revise your manuscript

If you’ve just finished NaNoWriMo, you’ve taken a deep breath and are now ready to dive into revisions. In a webinar Tuesday sponsored by Writer’s Digest, bestselling author James Scott Bell revealed his strategy for revising manuscripts. Here are some highlights from his presentation.

First, let your manuscript cool off. He lets his draft sit for several weeks, then he prints a hard copy. While you can read it on your computer, Bell says he likes to recreate the feeling the average reader will have when they pick up the book. It’s also easy to make notes on the pages as he goes. Read more

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