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Jun 22

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Three writing posts to motivate you

I’m a writer who appreciates being able to connect to a community of other writers. Some days I’m in the flow and fine working on my own. Other days, I need that extra little nudge. This week, I found three posts to help me stay connected:

Michael Haynes’ “Write Every Day,” shares a tip for keeping ourselves on track with our writing goals. I use this same tip to track writing contest entries.

David Farland’s, “Ten Reasons Why I’ll Quickly Reject Your Story,” has tips to keep in mind when writing any kind of story.

Author Bob Mayer has a page of five short video clips taken from his writing workshops including clips on “What to Write” and how to achieve “Conflict Lock” in your novel.

Enjoy!

Jun 21

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Boost your creativity by writing at your local coffee shop

If you like to hang out at a café to write, you may have instinctively figured out that the ambient sounds of a coffee shop can inspire creative twists and revelations for your work in progress.

It turns out that a modest level of background noise creates enough of a distraction to encourage more imaginative thinking, according to research led by Ravi Mehta of Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia. Read more

Jun 20

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Use character emotions to show vs. tell

The golden rule in writing, “Show, don’t tell,” is something I try to follow most of the time. The only time I use “telling” is for transitions, to speed up time, get from one place to another, or weave in necessary information. But when writing in scene, I try to evoke character feelings through “showing.”

Loud, neon emotions written flat on the page don’t convey anything except a writer’s immaturity and lack of craft. Read more

Jun 19

Use literary allusion to add depth to your stories

In my quest to become a better writer, I read to see how other authors accomplish their creative objectives.

In The Mother Knot: A Memoir, author Kathryn Harrison used Biblical imagery — literary allusion — to deepen the meaning of her memoir’s theme of forgiveness. She believed her mother’s soul was a destructive force in her life and was so consumed by it that she suffered from anxiety, depression, and anorexia.

Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, using this literary tool can give your work added meaning. Referring to another piece of literature, a cultural icon, or historical event adds resonance. Read more

Jun 18

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Work like a visual artist to develop new writing muscles

On a recent trip to Canada, I noticed a woman painting along the shore of the lake. She had her easel set up and was capturing the snow-capped mountains rising up out of the water. I noticed how she would look at the scene in front of her as if memorizing a detail, then bow her head to canvas and work on a section for several minutes before raising her head to memorize another detail of the setting.

This reminded me of advice I once read from author and poet Priscilla Long in The Writer’s Portable Mentor: A Guide to Art, Craft, and the Writing Life. To learn how to write body language in your scenes, she suggests the following exercise: Go to a public place like a coffee shop and observe two people as they talk to each other. Notice their body language. Write in your notebook all the body language you see. Read more

Jun 15

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Three commandments of writing from Henry Miller

One of the the things we like to do here at One Wild Word is pass on tips and interesting ideas about writing. We also like to feature other writers who contribute their expertise and love of writing. Because there’s nothing like having a community of like-minded people to encourage and energize you in your writing life.

So when I saw the post Maria Popova published at Brain Pickings about Henry Miller’s writing and daily creative routine, I knew I had to pass it on. Miller was known for his book Tropic of Cancer, but one of my favorites by Miller is The Colossus of Maroussi about his travels in Greece.

Here are three of Miller’s “commandments of writing and daily creative routine” from the post.

1. Work on one thing at a time until finished. Read more

Jun 14

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How playing the blues is like writing a novel

In TV-land, actor Hugh Laurie plays Dr. Gregory House, a drug-addicted medical genius with the bedside manner of Attila the Hun who speaks perfect American English. In real life, Laurie hails from England and speaks with a British accent.

He is also a comic and gifted musician. If you listen to him sing with your eyes closed, you’ll swear he’s a great African American blues singer. (As my cousin did when she heard his CD “Let Them Talk” playing in my home).  The multi-talented Laurie sings, plays a mean guitar and is a stunning pianist. (In TV-land, House has a wall of guitars and a piano in his apartment).

After experiencing Laurie and The Copper River Band play Seattle recently, I’ve decided the blues is my new favorite genre of music.

Listening to the blues reminds me of putting together a novel. I love the way the different instruments—guitars, sax, bass sax, drums, piano, bass fiddle, etc—riff back and forth and talk to one another. It reminds me of different aspects of a novel—dialogue, plot, characterization—and how they all work together. Sometimes there’s dissonance which brings a certain friction to the piece and other times there’s harmony. Through it all there’s a sense of passion that drives the entire work.  Read more

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