Jul 5
I’ve always had an appreciation for what English teachers do because of how mine influenced my love of reading and writing.
Here are a few reasons why writers, and especially those who wish to find a following for their books, should appreciate and respect English teachers. Read more
Jul 4
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?
Passion for music led singer, songwriter, and guitarist Boz Scaggs to a successful career. Passion led him to find his own unique style. And you can do the same as a writer.
Scaggs picked up a guitar when he was 12 years old and immersed himself in music in the 1950s, listening to every style he could find on the radio. Despite that, he said in an interview recently in Luxury Las Vegas magazine, that he doesn’t think he’s a particularly gifted musician compared to vocalists like Sam Cooke, Ella Fitzgerald, and Michael McDonald. While he can emulate the nuances of Sam Cooke and other singers, Scaggs said Cooke has a texture to his voice that is uniquely his. Read more
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.
Because reading is so important to learning the craft of writing, I wrote recently about the late Ray Bradbury’s advice to read a short story, a poem, and an essay each night.
So when I saw this post from Michael Haynes (@mohio73), who has also been influenced by Bradbury’s advice, I had to pass it on. Read more
“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:
As Stephen King suggests, I’m learning how to let go of my fear to become a better writer. Read more
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
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