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Posts from the ‘Craft’ Category

Mar 7

Try this revision tip: Look for sticky words and sentences

I’m always looking for ways to step back from my own writing so that I can see it more objectively through the eyes of a reader.

One way I do this is by editing for various elements, including what I like to call “sticky words.” I call them sticky because — for better or worse — they stick in my mind when I read them.

Without trying to be too analytical, I take a colored pen or pencil and circle any words or sentences that strike me or stop the flow. I might not know why they hit me a certain way, but I’m trying to follow my instincts.

The sticky words and sentences might indicate:

  1. Overwritten text or purply prose. In this case, I fix these sentences by rewriting or deleting them. Read more

Mar 1

1 Comment

Revise by pretending your copy isn’t yours

One of the challenges of revising my own work is that I’m too close to my words and ideas. I recently found a technique, though, that helps me achieve distance and offers a new perspective.

When I read my drafts, I practice the same skill that I use when I critically read and annotate literature. I ask myself what I think the “author” (me)  intended to communicate from a writerly perspective.

I select a piece of my text and ask:

What did “the writer” mean or want to say? Why did the author choose this approach, this way of saying it, this form? I examine sentences and words with the same lens that I do when I read and analyze fiction, poetry, and memoir to ask myself if the sentences work. Do they flow? Why did the writer make these choices and what is the result? Read more

Feb 22

2 Comments

Ask these 11 questions to find your memoir’s meaning

One of the first steps in writing a memoir is to understand what you’re writing about and why. It’s easy to start writing and end up with a collection of events and situations. And at first that’s fine because writing a memoir, or anything for that matter, is an act of discovery. So it can make sense to write about events to get a sense of what resonates with you and discover your most significant experiences.

That said, sketching out some notes and asking yourself a few questions might just help you refine your focus and give you the passion and energy to move forward.

Ask yourself these questions to discover your themes and meaning:

1. What am I passionate about?

2. What do I want to take a stand on?

3. Fill in these blanks: I want to write about ______ because ________. Read more

Feb 21

2 Comments

Go deeper in your writing by changing your vision (literally!)

I’m always looking for ways to stimulate my creativity or go deeper in my writing. In a previous post, I wrote about using timed writes as a way to do this. I’ve also written about the effects of writing to music or a specific beat.

Today, I toyed with another way to go deeper–changing my vision. Literally. Normally, I wear glasses for distance and reading (yes, I admit to bifocals–without lines, of course). When I write on my laptop, I wear my glasses so I can see the screen. But when I write by hand, I find that I often take them off. I like how my vision becomes slightly blurry…as if I’m writing by Braille (well, not really but my vision is so bad, I may as well be). Read more

Feb 20

1 Comment

Quirks make your characters feel real to readers

Even if you don’t actually use them all in your story, it’s good to know your character’s quirks because they help you describe your characters and show behaviors and details that make them feel real to readers.

Observing quirks and thinking about what they say about a person offers insight into your characters’ personalities. Here are a few quirks about food and eating that I’ve observed in my family and friends.

I’ll start with myself and say I have to eat with a regular fork, not a salad fork. As it turns out, a few years ago, I happened to mention it to my sister and she said her son felt the same way. Part of our DNA?

When it comes to macaroni and cheese, my niece can eat it only with a fork, not a spoon. Read more

Feb 16

2 Comments

Use this technique to create a poem from your subconscious writing fragments

In my last post, I wrote about a writing practice that I was using to try to generate material for poems, essays, and even memoir. If you joined me in my quest to write from the subconscious, you may be accumulating some wild pages of words by now. So I’m going to give you the next step in the practice.

When you have about 10 or 12 pages, pull them out of the drawer and read them. Highlight, underline, or circle anything that looks interesting, tugs at your chest, pings your brain, or just seems downright weird. You’ll find some material that is boring, odd, and exciting. You’ll likely not even remember writing it. Read more

Feb 14

5 Comments

Try this practice to get into a subconscious writing groove

Do you ever write something, put it away, find it later, and think, “I wrote that?” I sometimes wonder where some of my sentences came from. I’ve decided it has something to do with getting into a groove and writing from my subconscious.

I ran across some pages like these recently, and I thought of a stream of consciousness writing exercise I learned years ago at a workshop. It’s a good way to create pages of writing from  your subconscious and collect bits and pieces you can use to create poems, inspiration for an essay, or even fodder for a memoir. You can do this writing practice regularly or whenever you’re feeling knocked out of your groove. I’m committing to do it for 12 days just because I want a good collection of material. Read more

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