Skip to content

Posts tagged ‘writing tips’

Apr 22

2 Comments

Original idea & logline: using them to write a better story, part one

A writer friend called me earlier this year slightly discouraged after pitching her novel at a writer’s conference in her home state of Hawaii. The feedback she received from one agent was that her book idea seemed scattered–as if she had too much going on. Another agent said that the writing was good but that the story didn’t seem finished yet.

My friend conceded that she probably did need to do more work on her book, but she also felt as if she didn’t get her idea across in a succinct way that the agents could understand.

Ah, the pitch. The pitch can get the best of us. And, when you have a complex, multi-layered novel, it can even be more difficult to create and maintain all the connections and communicate our ideas.

I suggested two remedies to her, and to you as well, to help in writing, revising and then communicating your work to agents and editors. Read more

Apr 16

5 Comments

Happiness projects for your writing life

My massage therapist, who is also an artist, told me recently about one of his new projects—he’s been “doodling” with magic markers on watercolor paper and making some pretty incredible art. He started this project as a commitment to his “happiness project.”

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin is a chronicle of the author’s year of testing various methods to obtain happiness. On her website, Rubin has a getting started guide, including downloadable charts to help you track your progress.

My massage therapist said his goal is to create one new doodle-art a day for the next 30 days. Next month, he’ll choose another project that will feed his spirit. Plus, he committed to “smiling at one new person a day.”

What feeds your soul? What makes you happy? Read more

Apr 12

5 Comments

You can’t be a writer and live a quiet life: Three writing truths

I once heard a writing teacher advise her students to live a “quiet life.” She said if you want to be a writer, but live too exciting a life, you won’t have any time for your writing.

Hooey.

Yes, if you want to be a writer, you have to make time for the act of writing. But you also need to live a passionate life. If not, your lack of passion will seep into your writing.

This week I discovered Owen Egerton’s blog, “Type So Hard You Bruise the Screen,” where he shares his list of 30 points of prose (ala Jack Kerouac).

A few of my favorites from his list:

* Do not wait for inspiration. Go out and hunt it. Seduce it. Pin it down and dribble spit on its forehead until it cracks your leg bone and renames you. Read more

Apr 10

4 Comments

Make your characters come alive with a character journal

I’ve been working on my fantasy novel lately and feeling as if I need to get closer to my protagonist. Scenes have been clicking along but I was starting to feel that some of my protagonist’s feelings and reactions to what is happening around her need to come out more.

Expanding on an idea I first heard about from author James Scott Bell, I decided to start a daily journal from the point of view of Caitlin, my protagonist.

My plan is that when I’m done writing a scene or a segment of a scene, I’ll take five minutes and write in her journal about how she feels about what just happened. Read more

Mar 25

How to stand out from the slush pile

One of the things I love about reading other people’s work is what I learn from it.

So, last year, when I was asked to be one of the judges for a prose competition, I said yes. The competition guidelines listed the areas we were to rank on a scored number system—things like characterization, setting, dialogue, point of view, etc.

Of the twenty or so submissions I read, there were a variety of stories—from a gothic, steampunk, coming-of-age story to a memoir about losing one’s memory in the aging process.

A few submissions stood out above the others like the shiny, bright agates my cousin and I would hunt for on the beaches of our childhood. These submissions wove all aspects of good writing and storytelling together into a whole that hooked my interest from the first line and never let go.

The majority of the submissions fell somewhere in the middle of the pile—not to be rude—but what I might call “mediocre land.” They weren’t poorly written but they didn’t grab ahold of me and say, “Read this, now!” In fact, in many cases, I couldn’t wait for the story to be over because I was bored.

So, what did I learn? Read more

Mar 15

“Live at fever pitch,” and other advice by bestselling authors

Author Ray Bradbury, incredibly prolific throughout his life, penned several novels and over 600 short stories. He also gave many entertaining interviews sharing his writing advice to up-and-coming writers.

I especially love his advice to “live at fever pitch.”

Below is a post with a 1970’s interview with Bradbury on his thoughts about the role of literature and art in society:

“Ray Bradbury: Literature is the Safety Valve of Civilization”

And, in case you haven’t see them already, check out the following links with Kurt Vonnegut and John Steinbeck:

The Shape of A Story: Writing Tips from Kurt Vonnegut

John Steinbeck’s Six Tips for the Aspiring Writer and His Nobel Prize Speech

I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

Feb 21

4 Comments

Use your “firsts” to propel your writing

Firsts are powerful: your first kiss, first love, first car, first death of a pet or loved one, first child. If you think back on your firsts, they will mostly contain a tremendous amount of emotion.

Talking with Carly yesterday about curse words, she mentioned that she remembered her father rarely, if ever, swearing. I told her that every other word my father spoke was the “f” word. Because I heard it so often growing up, the word had little meaning to me. To my ears, it was the equivalent of someone saying, “damn.” Read more

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »