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Jun 15

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Four ways to revise scenes

So much of writing is actually revising. Whether you’re writing a poem, science fiction novel, essay, memoir or short story, writing and rewriting is where you fully discover your story and add emotional meaning and depth to your work. Revision is where you have epiphanies about your characters, see new themes, find ways to add symbolism and more. Author Anne Lamott illustrated this idea when she said:

“When I was a young writer, I was talking to an old painter one day about how he came to paint his canvases. He said that he never knew what the completed picture would look like, but he could usually see one quadrant. So he’d make a stab at capturing what he saw on the canvas of his mind, and when it turned out not to be even remotely what he’d imagined, he’d paint it over with white. And each time he figured out what the painting wasn’t, he was one step closer to finding out what it was.”

Whether you plot and plan out your book before you type the first word or just dive right in, you’ll find rewriting a necessary part of the writing process as you figure out what your “completed picture” looks like. The elements below can serve as a mini checklist or starting point as you work through scene revisions. Read more

Jun 14

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Four ways to stimulate creativity & cure the writing blahs, part 4 of 4

Sometimes, I just don’t feel like writing.  Even after I read a poem, try to write a poem, or finish a timed write—sometimes, the words still don’t come.  What then?  It depends.  A nap might be in order, or maybe a walk. But often, participating in another type of creative activity is what will cure me.

Play the guitar or create a vision board.  One of my favorite ways to strum the strings of my unconscious is to do something creative that’s not related to writing—like learning to play the guitar.  (Emphasis on the word learning, here).  But it doesn’t have to be guitar or even music—pick anything, except writing, that moves your spirit and allows you to be creative:  painting, cooking, gardening, dancing, even cutting pictures from magazines to create a collage or vision board. Read more

Jun 13

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Four ways to stimulate creativity & cure the writing blahs, part 3 of 4

Poetry is juicy. It gets things moving. Like music, it’s verbal and nonverbal at the same time. It resonates within and without. No matter what kind of writer you are, you can benefit from poetry’s ability to inspire creativity.  And not just by reading it…

Write a poem. If you’re stuck on your current project or just can’t get your creative mojo going, write a poem.  (If you’re a poet, try another form of writing—maybe a piece of flash fiction, an essay, or some haiku).  The idea is to write something different than what you’re used to. Writing poetry is like working a puzzle.  It jump-starts our brain’s synapses. Read more

Jun 10

Page99test

Use the page 99 test to see how your book rates

“Open the book to page 99, and the quality of the whole will be revealed to you,” Ford Madox Ford

You can’t always judge a book by its cover, but you might consider judging a book by its page 99.  While you probably know how important first lines are in grabbing the reader’s attention, Ford Madox Ford believed that page 99 was the true test. Read more

Jun 9

Four ways to stimulate creativity & cure the writing blahs, part 2 of 4

Writing feeds my soul. I do it because it makes me happy. But too often my writing time gets whittled away by other things. I have my excuses—it’s because I do so many things: run a business, keep my clients happy, take care of the house, act as servant and maid to our three cats. It’s easy to get scattered and before I know it, the day’s over and I’m asking, “What did I do to feed my soul today?”

My intent is to write first thing in the morning but that doesn’t always happen—often I end up squeezing a bit of writing in between work-related projects. So, how do I switch gears and jump-start my creative process if I only have a few minutes? Read more

Jun 8

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Four ways to stimulate creativity & cure the writing blahs, part 1 of 4

I woke up feeling blah this morning.  A gray Northwest day still affects my spirits despite the fact I’ve lived here for nearly half a century.  Did I just say half a century?  Now I’m really depressed. But I have to get out of my funk because it’s my writing time.  Husband is gone for a few hours (we both work from home), and that’s always the best time for some productive writing. The question is—how do I inspire myself instead of continuing to stare out my window and count shades of gray?

I make a list. For me, list making is almost as satisfying as eating dark chocolate.  Okay, maybe writers do exaggerate.  Off the top of my head, I write down four of my favorite ways to get my creativity and inspiration back on track.  I’ll share them with you as long as you promise to add your own favorites to your list. First on my list is:  Read more

Jun 7

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Stuck on what to write about? Consider these big ideas

I’ve urged many friends to write. I know they have talent, I know they have a story to tell. But some of them are stalled. They tell me they want to write, but they just don’t know what to write about.

If this describes you, ask yourself these questions:

  • What do I want to understand?
  • What makes me nervous or afraid?
  • What do I believe in? Read more
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