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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

Dec 4

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Liberate your writing mind with these prompts

Some people think writing exercises are a waste of time. I heard one writer once say, “just write your story.” But I’ve found that writing prompts can be a doorway for something surprising – an intriguing plot or the birth of a character.

In one writing workshop I attended, participants were instructed to write about the tools they needed to do their job. I didn’t expect anything compelling but found that as I wrote, the words picked up steam, spilling out a very emotional essay about a story I had reported on as a journalist.

Since then, I’ve collected interesting exercises and think of them as warm-ups when I need to flex my writing muscles. As I was doing some reorganizing recently, I ran across a favorite book called The Write-Brain Workbook: 366 Exercises to Liberate Your Writing, by Bonnie Neubauer.

Here are a couple exercises from “The Write-Brain Workbook.”

Exercise 1 – Spoiled Rotten Read more

Dec 3

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Translating Nanowrimo success into your daily writing life

Congratulations to everyone who completed NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month– where writers around the world commit to writing a 50,000-word novel during the month of November)!  This was the first year I completed NaNoWriMo. I started it last year, but gave up after falling behind in my first week.

The best part of the entire process was learning more about who I am as a writer.

Before NaNoWriMo, I suffered constant interruptions (both business and personal) that left me with many days, often leading into weeks, where no writing got done.  With NaNoWriMo on my calendar for the month of November, I cleared the decks and made announcements among my family and friends of my intentions. I pictured clear skies and smooth sailing for my journey. Nobody would interrupt me and nothing would get in my way. Read more

Nov 30

Do you fear writing? Try these tips

Do you ever fear writing? I think fear can be a sign we care: the stakes are high and we want to get the words right. We want the plot to work and characters that grip our readers.

Being scared of writing is not the same thing as not being a good writer, writes Jennifer Watkins at A Different Daylight. Watkins, (@ladyfuchsia) writes about why she’s scared of writing (and tells a story about a famous writer who also feared writing).

In his guest post on the blog “Make a Living Writing,” Ollin Morales offers tips in The Definitive Guide to Overcoming Your Writing Fears.

At Men with Pens, Agent X writes in the post, 7 Deadly Fears of Writing – Part 1 of 8 that, “many creative people often scare themselves out of a good project before they even put a pen to paper.” He suggests Your Writing Coach, a book by writer and coach Jurgen Wolff, that works as an antidote to transforming your inner critic into a constructive guide.

Nov 29

Research made easy: the five-click Google

Writers are fantastic procrastinators. We push papers, arrange paperclips, make those gigantic rubber band balls, and get sucked into the internet faster than the Roadrunner can outrun Mr. Coyote. We use any excuse to delay actually doing what we’re supposed to be doing: writing.

Research is another example. Yes, sometimes we need to do research for our stories or novels but too many of us can get sucked into that bottomless pit never to emerge again. I can’t count the number of times I’ve logged online to “do a little research” and find myself, hours later, knee deep in the different dialects that skinwalkers use. Read more

Nov 28

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The holidays are upon us: Tips for writing a letter to friends and family

It’s that time of year. Time to dress up the dog in a Christmas sweater, sprinkle tinsel on a tree, and write the beloved holiday letter. Just in case you’re at a loss for what to write about, here are a few prompts:

Milestones — Note anything you’ve knocked off your bucket list (if you don’t have a bucket list, start one!). In her letter last year, one friend reported her twins had graduated from college.

Life changes — How have you changed in the past year and how did the changes come about?

Plans for the future — What are your hopes and plans for the future? Give your readers a sneak peek of life to come.

For even more ideas and insight about writing holiday letters, check out my Apply your writerly skills to a holiday letter post from last year.

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