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Dec 13

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What to do on days when your writing takes a back seat to the rest of your life

Some days are just rougher than others. Yesterday was one of them. I woke up at 6:30 and knew I should have gotten out of bed to write for an hour or two before my hubby and the cats were up. But I didn’t. I fell back asleep, waking at 8:30 to a ringing phone and the beginning of my workday.

It was a long day of dealing with the little stuff—answering customer questions, paying bills, compiling marketing lists, shipping, creating content for a product brochure, etc. But despite giving my all to every task (and doing a damn good job, by the way), I was left feeling underappreciated and devalued. It was a sucky kind of day.

So, at the end of my workday, instead of killing somebody, I made a list of alternatives: Read more

Dec 12

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Give the gift of your writing

As a writer, it’s within your power to give a one-of-a-kind present: The gift of your words.

If you’re searching for a special gift for a friend or relative, consider the gift of a poem, essay, or heartfelt letter.

Imagine one of your poems artfully written in beautiful script and framed.

Children can create gifts of writing too by writing an autobiography from their perspective, no matter what their age.

Here are a few tips to spark a piece of writing: Read more

Dec 11

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Gifts for the writer in your life

I can’t believe it’s the holiday season again. Seems like it was just yesterday! If you still need holiday gift ideas for the writer in your life, below are a few of my favorites. And if you are a writer…feel free to forward this post to your loved ones. Hint. Hint.

Writing Journals

Whether we type our masterpieces directly on the computer or write by hand, we need notebooks and journals to keep track of our thoughts. My favorites are the moleskine notebooks (there are many different colors and sizes so buy your writer more than one).

I also love the Spirit of Flight Journals. Type “writing journals” or “writing notebooks” in your search engine, and you’ll have plenty to choose from. Read more

Dec 10

Three popular posts about fueling your writing through journaling

I was on a reorganizing binge recently and realized I had way too many notebooks, even for me, a notebookaholic. They’re full of notes from writing workshops and observations about life that I felt compelled to write down in case I could turn them into a story or poem. My next rainy day project is to review them and pull out the ideas to spark some new writing. If you’re like me and love journals, you might like these blog post from our archives.

A twist on the writer’s journal: The commonplace book is another approach to creating a journal.

Writing in a journal is a powerful way to create the bits and pieces that become literature. See how these writers did it.

For excellent tips about using a journal to record our evolution as writers, read, Two great reasons to keep a writing journal.

Dec 7

More writing nuggets from James Scott Bell: First steps to revise your manuscript

If you’ve just finished NaNoWriMo, you’ve taken a deep breath and are now ready to dive into revisions. In a webinar Tuesday sponsored by Writer’s Digest, bestselling author James Scott Bell revealed his strategy for revising manuscripts. Here are some highlights from his presentation.

First, let your manuscript cool off. He lets his draft sit for several weeks, then he prints a hard copy. While you can read it on your computer, Bell says he likes to recreate the feeling the average reader will have when they pick up the book. It’s also easy to make notes on the pages as he goes. Read more

Dec 6

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Four writing nuggets from best-selling author James Scott Bell

In a webinar Tuesday, James Scott Bell shared some writing best practices. For now, here are four tidbits of writing wisdom. Watch for more words of writing writing wisdom in my next post.

1. Write – It’s pretty obvious, but how many people do you know who “want to write a book someday,” but never seem to do it? Probably because they don’t just write. It’s the first step.

2.Don’t bore the reader – Whatever you do, if you want to write a gripping book, you can’t be boring. Keep this idea in the back of your mind as you write. Read more

Dec 5

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The art of writing dialogue: Don’t listen to everyday conversations

I’ve heard people who teach writing give advice that if you want to write good dialogue to eavesdrop on people’s conversations in coffee shops, train stations, and other public places.

Personally, I think writing mentor Robert McKee’s advice is more accurate: only eavesdrop on people’s conversations if you want to learn how NOT to write good dialogue. Read more

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