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Posts from the ‘Writing Life’ Category

Jul 25

When life sucks, note it in your “good material” file

And even when life is good, be prepared to note it.

I have a friend, along with many others, who was laid off from her job in the midst of the financial market meltdown. While she and her coworkers had been told layoffs were coming, she couldn’t help but be devastated.

At the same time, she told me later that she also couldn’t help but be fascinated by observations of her boss and the HR representative as they broke the news: the smirky, nervous smile on her boss’s face, the canned corporate speak.

Later, cleaning out her desk, she would note the uncomfortable reactions of co-workers left behind, loud crying from behind a conference room door, and the angry response of one worker who threw items from his desk on the floor before being escorted from the building.

Ever the observer, she noted, “Damn. this is good material.” Read more

Jul 22

Should we write in different genres or stick to one?

The new international biennial Seek showcases the work of 100 visual artists selected by curators Calinda Salazar and Fletcher Ramsey. The artists come from all walks of life. They paint, sculpt, draw, direct short movies, and more. The unique thing about the exhibit? It’s all make-believe–even the “curators” aren’t real. Artist Shea Hembrey created the fictional artists and their artwork over a span of two years.

Above is a video of the talk Hembrey gave at Ted.com where he shows a sample of his exhibition.

How does this relate to writing? For his exhibition, Hembrey created works of art in a variety of genres. As writers, we know that the more we write, the more we learn—we learn about writing, about craft, about ourselves. But should be write in different genres or stick to one? Read more

Jul 21

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What is your writing soundtrack?

As I write this, I have an earworm. Sounds gruesome, but it’s not too bad. An earworm is when you get a song stuck in your head. You just hope it’s not, “It’s a Small World,” the song that plays on the ride of the same name at Disneyland.

But back to my earworm. I have “Boom Boom Pow” by the Black Eyed Peas stuck in my ear from my Zumba class this morning. And while I don’t normally listen to music when I write, I wondered as I was doing Zumba if I could carry the rhythm of the songs into my writing.

Storytelling can be symphonic, says Jack Hart, a contributor to, “Telling True Stories: A Nonfiction Writers’ Guide,” and author of Storycraft: The Complete Guide to Writing Narrative Nonfiction. John Steinbeck has said he wanted “The Grapes of Wrath” to sound like Igor Stravinksy’s, “Firebird Suite.” And Ernest Hemingway channeled Bach. If you read the first chapter of “Farewell to Arms” aloud to the first movement of the “Brandenburg Concerto,” the words seem to match the music, Hart says. Read more

Jul 19

Write the story only you can write

What is your work in progress? If you’re thinking about what to write next, consider this: Write the story only you can write.

1. Did something happen to you when you were a child that stuck with you your whole life? A distinct memory that is decades old but feels like it happened yesterday? Mine this memory and figure out why you’ve held onto it all these years. Maybe it’s a question you wrestle with. Ask what meaning it holds.

2. Make a list of turning points in your life when something changed your direction, you lived differently, or looked at life in a new way. Turning points could include starting a new career, getting married or divorced, losing someone you love, or making a geographic move. Times of great change fuel inspiration. Read more

Jul 15

Four reasons why writers resist writing

Have you ever put off a project because it seemed overwhelming? You want the end result — a clean, tidy garage with space to park your car. Or an organized closet with all your clothes color coded and shoes lined up side by side.

Or a finished manuscript.

But you’re overwhelmed by the size of the project. Maybe you even started it, but you’re stuck. Sometimes a change of perspective is in order.

My friend Tami and I met for coffee recently at a Borders Cafe.  She mentioned that, “Yes, I need to get back into my book.”

This is how the conversation went next: Read more

Jul 14

Five steps to creating single-point focus

My husband and I were strolling along our city’s boardwalk this weekend when a bald eagle swooped overhead and landed on the mudflats to fish. We stopped to admire him—so silent and still as he hunted bullheads in a nearby stream. Soon, a small black bird, maybe a young crow or raven, began dive-bombing the eagle—a constant back and forth motion that reminded me of a giant pendulum.

Neither bird gave up. The black bird continued its assault. The eagle ignored the little bird and stared fixedly into the stream. We were amazed at their determination.

As a writer, this is what I’m always looking for—that single-point focus. My world has too many distractions—e-mail, phones, social media, business, housework. I find it too easy to get off track, and far too difficult to find my way back. Read more

Jul 11

What’s in your writer’s notebook? Here’s what’s in mine

I get jittery if I don’t have a notebook with me at all times. I have a tiny one that fits perfectly in my purse. And I have others of all sizes. Boxes of notebooks in all shapes. Stacks of them in all colors. But I digress.

“Carry a notebook” is one of the most common pieces of advice in the writing universe. I use mine to note story or poem flashes — anything that strikes me as odd, sad, funny, out of place, or thrums in my chest — even if I don’t know why I feel compelled to write them down.  I might use these observations as part of a description, an idea for a character, or as a plot for a story.

The act of carrying a notebook primes my subconscious to be in a state of “full observation mode.”

I’m sharing some recent entries from my writer’s notebook in case they inspire you to see more deeply as you live the writer’s life:

Customer at a Denny’s restaurant placing her order:
“I’d like my eggs over hard and burned” Read more

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