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Posts from the ‘Writing Life’ Category

Jan 24

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Ask this simple question to get a new perspective on your writing

Last week, I had two lessons about the benefits of looking at things in a different way.

First, we had a tremendous (for us) snow storm here in the Pacific Northwest. Normally, we get a dusting of snow once or twice a year which is usually gone within a day. Last week, we had six inches and it lasted three days. Since we’re surrounded by hills, we were snowed in. The first day was fun but by the third day, the snow was interfering with our business. Since Fed Ex couldn’t get to our home, we walked our boxes to the drop-off location about a mile away.  No big deal. We like to walk in the snow.

As we headed toward the road we normally take to Fed Ex, my husband said, “What if we went up this side street? The hill isn’t as steep and it may be shorter.” So we tried a different route and along the way we met a new neighbor out shoveling his sidewalk. Read more

Jan 23

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Write your book 750 words at a time

We can think about writing, talk about it and even read about it, but typing word after word is the only way it’s going to actually happen.

The fact is, I know I have to write every day to eventually produce a finished novel, and this year, I’m more committed than ever to maintaining a daily writing practice.

So when I saw a blog post by Darcy Pattison about 750words.com, I was intrigued and immediately signed up. Buster Benson, of Seattle, Wash., built the site to make a place where he and other writers could commit to write 750 words a day, the number of words it takes to fill about three pages. Read more

Jan 19

Have you been knocked out of your groove? Write a letter

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t enjoy finding a letter in their mailbox from a friend or relative. But in this age of e-mail and text messaging, writing letters has become a lost art. If you’re feeling self-conscious about your writing, distracted, or out of your groove, penning a letter or two is one way to warm up your writing muscles.

If you frequently talk to or e-mail the person you’re writing to, you might think you don’t have much to say in a letter. And who wants to talk about the weather, unless there’s something drastic about it? Instead, think about how you might tell your friend a story about what’s happening in your life. Maybe you met an interesting person when you were out and about, experienced something funny in your workplace, or observed something odd on the way home from work. Be poetic. Think of just the right words to tell your stories. Read more

Jan 18

Reading list for memoir writers

While writing and researching my memoir, I read over fifty memoirs in order to learn from other authors and to get a feel for where my book might fit in.

Agent Donald Maass suggests that authors read the top ten current books in their genre in order to get a feel for what’s already been done and what draws readers in.

If you’re writing a memoir, I recommend researching not only top-selling memoirs but also those with themes similar to the one you want to write.

Below are just a few of the books I read and recommend. I’m not including a summary of each book but a few sentences on why I liked the book or what I learned from it.

Memoirs:

“Paula,” by Isabel Allende.  Allende’s beautiful and passionate memoir about the death of her daughter showed me the importance of writing to a positive reconciliation. Read more

Jan 16

Writing inspiration: Interviews with poets

Have you ever wanted to ask a poet about their process? Where they get their ideas? Where they write? What they do besides write poetry?

At Poetry.org you can watch short interviews with different poets who answer these questions and others. What I like about the interviews is that you can click on each question separately and get a one- to two- minute clip. Great for our busy lives.

I discovered something new while watching Brian Moses answer the question, “What part does music play in your poetry?” He shows off two musical instruments—one I’ve never heard of called the spring drum that sounds wonderfully mysterious, reminding me of wind and rain howling through a forest. I think it will make a nice addition to the growing collection of inspirational props in my writing room—for those days when I need a little nudge of inspiration.

For more in-depth interviews with poets, check out Grace Cavalieri’s website. She has interviewed over 2,000 poets, including some of the world’s best.

Jan 13

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Three ways to unleash your inner journaler

Just the thought of starting a journal freezes some writers in their tracks. Maybe you’ve been there. You open the cover of your fancy journal and stop. You don’t want to write about what you ate for breakfast. You blank out on the blank page.

But journaling can reveal writing gems that lead to new stories, character ideas, or valuable insights. Journals can be a legacy for family. A bit of history.

Sometimes focus is the answer to thawing your writing muscles. These prompts or topics might be the answer to shape your journaling practice:

Write 100 words. Decide to write 100 words (or 125 or whatever word count you choose). Write like a madman or madwoman. Write with no regard to meaning, sounds, spelling, or common sense. Fling the words onto the page. Do it as a free write, timed write, or just write.

Read more

Jan 11

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Record significant daily events in the 5-Minute Journal

Every year, I aim to write at least a little something in a journal about the happenings of each day. I like the idea of looking back in time to see what I made of my life. What were the high points and even the low points? What did I learn from what went well and not so well? And what did I accomplish?

Looking back can help you see if you’re living the life you hoped for. And it gives clues to what you value.

But the days can get away from me, and I look back and realize my practice of noting a daily happening didn’t occur as often as I’d hoped. Until now.

Last month, I ran across the 5-Minute Journal app created by John Caddell.

In an e-mail Caddell sent after I signed up for his journal app, he wrote, “If you make a commitment to write down something about the day, every day (or every working day), you’ll find that you are capturing all sorts of information about what you do, what makes you happy, or annoyed, or increases your energy. You can find patterns in the mistakes you make, and the kind of work you find fulfilling. Seeing these allows you to do something about them.” Read more

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