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Feb 4

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Style is more than the arrangement of words on a page, part 1

I was on a business call the other night speaking with a man who lived in Oregon when we added another woman to the call. As soon as this third party joined us, the man’s voice and manner changed. He went from sounding very normal and nondescript to suddenly sounding like a cross between Yogi Bear and a Scottish Highlander. I was totally freaked out.

He continued in this voice and manner for the entire call. Why? Did he secretly have a crush on the other woman and this was his way of sounding “debonair?” Was he terrified of her and used this new voice and manner to distance himself? I have no clue.

In the craft of writing, this Yogi Bear/Highlander persona could be called a character’s or narrator’s voice.  Voice is one element of a writer’s style–that five letter word that many writers seem to have a hard time defining.

Style relates to how the writer puts words on the page—the arrangement of the words—but it’s also more than that.

In Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction,Jeff Vandermeer defines style as follows:

This slippery term more or less means the way the story is told; i.e. the patterns of words, phrases, and sentences through which the writer achieves certain effects….Style is the means by which the writer’s subject matter, passions, and interests reach their fullest expression on the page.

He explains that most writers fall somewhere between Ernest Hemingway (sparse) and Angela Carter (lush) and also between the painter Chagall (who always painted in the same style) and Picasso (who experimented and mastered many styles). Read more

Feb 3

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Avoid common writing problems by following Kurt Vonnegut’s advice

Besides writing literary classics Cat’s Cradle and Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut was a professor. He taught at the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Harvard University, and City College of New York. His tips for writing a good short story have become classics in their own right.

I’ve pasted his tips in a notebook as part of my writing and revision checklist. The list gives me structure for analyzing my work and asking if I’ve done everything I can to add depth and meaning to my stories. Whether you’re writing a short story, memoir, or a novel, the tips I’ve listed below apply.

Maybe you’ll want to add them to your own writing and revision list:

1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.

2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.

3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.

4. Every sentence must do one or two things—reveal character or advance the action.

5. Start as close to the end as possible.

6. Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading character, make awful things happen to them-in order that the reader may see what they’re made of.

7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.

8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To hell with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.

The video below shows some great photos of Vonnegut throughout his life. If you’d like more ideas for what to add to your revision list, read Carol’s post, Make your writing stronger by removing filter words.

Jan 30

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Make your writing stronger by removing filter words

When editing my work, I inevitably discover more of my bad habits.  When I do, I add them to my editing list so I can be sure to catch them later. Some of these bad habits are listed in my post, “Edit out literary throat clearing to make your work stronger.”

My current work-in-progress is told from the first person point of view. In reviewing recent chapters, I discovered  I was using too many “filter” words: I saw, felt, heard, thought, noticed, and especially, I “glanced.” Cheez Whiz. I must have had this last verb six times in one chapter!

But it’s not just first person narrative where this is a writing sin. How many times have you read, “She touched, he heard, she saw, he felt…?” Read more

Jan 29

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Use this writing prompt to reveal ideas for your next essay, poem, or chapter

One of the things I love about teaching is what I learn from it myself. In a recent memoir writing class, I gave students a writing prompt based on a story I’d heard about a man who only wrote in lists.

I told the student to write their memoir in 20 statements.

What they wrote was revealing, funny, and at times sad. I also realized that each statement could be a springboard for writing an essay, a chapter for a longer manuscript, or a poem.

If you’re searching for a way into your writing, try it yourself and see what you come up with.

For more ideas about ways to write a memoir, read my posts Four ways to write about your life and Four ways to write about your life, part 2.

Jan 28

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The misconception Author Patricia Cornwell would like to correct

Forensic crime author Patricia Cornwell was recently interviewed by Rob McGibbon for the UK Daily Mail. Besides getting a fascinating glimpse into what Cornwell considers a “fantasy day,” we also get a clue into what the beginning of her career was like and what it took for her to break out and become successful: persistence and never giving up.

When asked what misconception about herself she wishes she could erase, Cornwell answers:

“That I was an overnight success. I had four books rejected before I got accepted. There seems to be a feeling it was a breeze for me and it all comes easily. It doesn’t!”

For more fun facts about Cornwell, you can read the rest of the article here.

For tips on surviving rejection in your own writing life, read my previous post, “Six guidelines for turning rejection into success.“

Jan 27

You have something special to say: Write with abandon

I recently presented a memoir writing workshop. A couple times in class, I gave the students writing prompts. When I asked the students if they wanted to read their writing, almost everyone did. I was inspired by all of them. Each one had something special to say. Each piece of writing had humor and sadness and beauty.

I’m sad to say though that I saw a trend repeated in this class. Almost every student who read, qualified what they were going to read with a statement, such as:

“It’s kind of short,”

“It’s kind of long,”

It’s not very good.”

No matter how many times,I tell students, “Don’t think, just put the words down on the page,” or “the first draft is just a draft,” or, “writing is a practice,” they still feel the need to devalue their words. Read more

Jan 23

Tips for choosing a writing teacher or mentor

In my last post, I wrote about what I learned on a raw food retreat with author and raw food guru David Wolfe. That post discussed that if you want to be an “expert” in a field (like writing your novel), you may want to practice the concept of total immersion.

The second principle I learned at that retreat has to do with who you choose as your mentors or guides. We were talking about food, of course, and David said if you’re considering purchasing a cookbook or diet book, look at the picture of the author. Are they glowing with health? Do they look fit? If they don’t—if they’re obviously unhealthy or unfit—then why would you want to buy their book?

This same concept is true for choosing a writing mentor or teacher. A gaggle of people teach writing, and if you search online, you’ll find hundreds selling their classes or products.

Choose your mentors with care. Read more

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