Skip to content

Posts tagged ‘writing tips’

Dec 9

1 Comment

Holiday gift ideas for the writer in your life

Can you believe it’s December, already? It seems like the year has flown by. Today, my son asked me what I wanted for Christmas. My response, “You know me–anything related to writing is great!”

So, what do writers like? Notebooks, cool pens, writing conferences and retreats, subscriptions to favorite writing magazines, just to name a few.

My writing wish list grew this year with two new items: Boorum & Pease Journals (with lined and numbered pages!) and Scapple–a fun brainstorming/mind mapping software program made especially for writers by the inventors of Scrivener, my favorite novel-writing software. To check out just how useful Scapple can be see my post “Try Scapple for mind mapping your writing ideas.”

Below are a few more ideas from previous years’ posts that may give you some gift ideas for the writer in your life:

In Carly’s post on last-minute gift ideas for writers, she gives ideas for everything from jewelry for writers to ergonomic writing accessories.

In “Gift ideas for the writer in your life,” I share a few of my favorite writing journals, subscriptions to writing magazines, conferences, and other writing-related adventures.

What are some of the favorite writing gifts you’ve received over the years? Please share in the comments below.

Dec 3

Create a playground for your imagination with these four attributes

“The impulse to create is like the impulse to breathe,” says author Rikki Ducornet, a contributor to the imaginative, playful book, Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fictionby Jeff VanderMeer.

Writing, she says, is a place to reclaim the initial impulses we are born with—to play and create and love—impulses that society tries to hammer out of us as we grow up. Our parents, and sometimes teachers, tell us to “be quiet and quit asking questions.” But as writers, we’re encouraged to ask questions and be curious. In fact, to be successful in our art we HAVE TO ask questions.  Read more

Nov 27

3 Comments

Writing tips from bestselling fantasy author George R.R. Martin

Earlier this month, bestselling fantasy author George R. R. Martin spoke at the Sydney Opera House on his series The Game of Thorns and the craft of writing. Below are a few highlights from Chris Jager’s article on Lifehacker.com.au.

Avoid fantasy cliches: “One of the things that drives me crazy is the externalization of evil, where evil comes from the “Dark Lord” who sits in his dark palace with his dark minions who all wear black and are very ugly.”

On writing “grey” characters–complex characters who are not all good or all evil: “We’re all grey and I think we all have the capacity in us to do heroic things and very selfish things. I think understanding that is how you create characters that really have some depth to them.” 

Show grief but don’t overdo it: “Presenting not just death, but grief is important. We’ve all experienced the loss of our parents, or sibling, or close friend, and it’s a very powerful emotion.”

Check out the rest of the article to see what Martin has to say about POV, borrowing from history, and imagination.

Nov 25

4 Comments

How to organize your writing notes and observations

As writers, we train ourselves to be observant. We eavesdrop on conversations, notice our surroundings, and observe those around us. We become detectives for our art. We constantly make notes and file things away for later.

I try to always carry a small notebook or my iPhone with me for those times when I want to record something. My husband does too, but his notes usually consist of phone numbers or emails of business contacts he needs to call back. Once, when he couldn’t find a scrap of paper to write on, he grabbed a marker and the closest smooth surface he could find—which happened to be a spaghetti squash on our kitchen counter! (At least he didn’t write on the cupboard door, right?)

So, how do we organize our scraps of paper and spaghetti squash messages? Read more

Nov 21

3 Comments

Four quick tips to increase your NaNoWriMo word count

Today is day 21 of National Novel Writing Month—the month where passionate writers the world over take the challenge to write a 50,000-word novel in a month.

If you’re a bit short or behind in your word count or wondering how you can possibly meet your goal, below are a few tips to help you increase your word count:

1. Write what’s hot. Don’t worry about writing your scenes in order. If you want to write that hot sex scene that comes after the climax of your book (pun intended), then go for it. Write the scene you’re passionate about now.

2. Flesh out earlier scenes. Review some of your earlier scenes. Does one lack details about the setting? Is one mostly dialogue with little sensory detail or description? Fill in the holes in some of your earlier scenes (as long as it doesn’t slow you down). Read more

Nov 12

1 Comment

Are you intoxicated with every word you write?

If you’re a writer, you no doubt love to play with words. Words are the basic building blocks we work with to make our prose fly. And, one wild word may turn a pedestrian sentence or paragraph into one that dances the tango all over your reader’s imagination.

Screenwriter and producer Joss Whedon recently spoke at the event “Make Equality Reality” about his hate-on for the word “feminist.” He says that part of being a writer is living inside the smallest part of every word…the sounds, the syllables, the meaning…as if you’re intoxicated with the word.

Watch his hilarious take-down of the word “feminist.” Whether you agree with him or not, it’s the word that counts in the end. Always the word.

Nov 11

1 Comment

The Bad Sex Scene Award: how NOT to get nominated

London’s “Literary Review” has just announced its winners for the 2013 Bad Sex Award—Britain’s most dreaded literary prize.

The prize is meant to “draw attention to the crude, badly written, often perfunctory use of redundant passages of sexual description in the modern novel and to discourage it.”

This year the nominees included author Amy Tan’s, “The Valley of Amazement,” for this line: “He flayed against me, until our bodies were slapping, and he took me into the typhoon and geologic disaster.”  Read more

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »