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Posts from the ‘Craft’ Category

Jun 27

Want to write a bestseller? Reveal your protagonist’s psyche

The trick to publishing a best selling novel just might depend on how deeply you build your protagonist’s emotional intensity.

In an interview in The Irish Echo online, best-selling author Michael Connelly explained why his first two novel writing attempts didn’t work. While shadowing a homicide detective on his job as newspaper reporter in Florida, Connelly noticed the detective – intent on his investigation – would place the earpiece of his eyeglasses in his mouth as he examined the crime scene. Later, when the detective took off his glasses, Connelly noticed that the detective had bitten a groove into the earpiece.

That telling detail revealed the depth of the detective’s internal emotion and intensity for his job. Read more

Jun 22

2 Comments

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

3 Comments

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 19

Use literary allusion to add depth to your stories

In my quest to become a better writer, I read to see how other authors accomplish their creative objectives.

In The Mother Knot: A Memoir, author Kathryn Harrison used Biblical imagery — literary allusion — to deepen the meaning of her memoir’s theme of forgiveness. She believed her mother’s soul was a destructive force in her life and was so consumed by it that she suffered from anxiety, depression, and anorexia.

Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, using this literary tool can give your work added meaning. Referring to another piece of literature, a cultural icon, or historical event adds resonance. Read more

Jun 18

3 Comments

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

Jun 15

1 Comment

Three commandments of writing from Henry Miller

One of the the things we like to do here at One Wild Word is pass on tips and interesting ideas about writing. We also like to feature other writers who contribute their expertise and love of writing. Because there’s nothing like having a community of like-minded people to encourage and energize you in your writing life.

So when I saw the post Maria Popova published at Brain Pickings about Henry Miller’s writing and daily creative routine, I knew I had to pass it on. Miller was known for his book Tropic of Cancer, but one of my favorites by Miller is The Colossus of Maroussi about his travels in Greece.

Here are three of Miller’s “commandments of writing and daily creative routine” from the post.

1. Work on one thing at a time until finished. Read more

Jun 13

Learn about your characters by writing their obituaries

I don’t mean to sound morbid, but if you’re building characters for a short story or novel, I suggest you write their obituaries.

I’ve written a fair number of them over the years as a newspaper reporter, for members of my family, and to help friends who struggled with the words to honor a loved one who had passed away.

A good obituary is a tribute and a glimpse of a person’s life. As a journalist, I felt it was an honor to write obituaries even if I didn’t personally know the people I wrote about. Read more

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