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Posts tagged ‘writing tips’

Oct 29

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A good story or good writing: What’s more important?

What’s more important: A good story or good writing?

My cousin asked me this question recently as I was giving him tips to build out a series of travel essays he’d been working on.

I want to be able to say that both are equally important, but I think a good story is the first priority. Good writing comes in the revision.

Here are a few pieces of advice I gave him as he sets out on his writing journey to ensure he’ll write a good story AND write it well.

Create a reading list. We should always be reading but when I start a writing project, I like to create a custom reading list for that project. I advised my cousin to read books in the same genre as he expects to write. I always like the “Best American Series” books, so I suggested he add The Best American Travel Writing 2012to his list. Read more

Aug 15

When to break the rules in writing

I wrote a nonfiction piece recently that blended elements of essay with elements of narrative nonfiction. I took it to my writing group for their critique and one person expressed concern that my piece was blending two genres that shouldn’t be blended.

I thought his comment was interesting, considering he’d only read three of my five pages and didn’t know how the piece ended. In his mind, essays were one type of beast and narrative nonfiction another.  In a way, he’s right. They’re both nonfiction but with different intents and purposes.

Writers have been blending genres for years and are still coming up with new combinations. When is it okay to try something new, to blend elements together that aren’t normally seen together? The answer is—when it works. As you mature as a writer, you’ll know when it works and when it doesn’t. In the meantime, get feedback from others. Read more

Aug 2

One writer’s secret weapon

In my quest to improve my writing craft, I’m always saving great writing articles and pieces of advice. Like photographs we take and throw in shoeboxes until that day we’ll put them in an album, these articles and snippets of writing advice float around in boxes and folders. No more.

I’m going to follow author Chris Orcutt’s advice. Orcutt saves articles and handwritten notes from books he’s read and posts them in blank composition notebooks. They serve as a customized writer’s resource. He calls them his secret writing weapon. Read more

Jul 20

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Three books for your writing bookshelf

At the Pacific Northwest Writer’s Conference in Seattle this weekend, I attended author Robert Dugoni’s Novel Writing Seminar. During the course of his talk, he mentioned several books on writing that have a prominent place on his bookshelf and that he looks at repeatedly, including:

Sol Stein’s Stein On Writing

Lawrence Block’s Writing the Novel: From Plot to Print

Stephen King’s On Writing

Dugoni said that if you’re concerned that your character is too boring, you may be playing it safe. Many writers fear their readers will think they’re writing about themselves, that the author is really the protagonist in disguise. You have to let that fear go.

Stephen King once said that you can’t write honestly if you have someone on your shoulder watching you. Good advice from the master.

Jul 18

Using difficult emotions to make your story stronger

Seven months into the year, and I realize I’ve been through so much: the passing of my mother, our two-week remodel that turned into nine-weeks, a mini-family reunion, and both expected and unexpected travel. I’ve had many different stressors and felt a gamut of emotions: sadness, grief, fear, love, joy, fatigue (well, maybe that last one isn’t exactly an emotion, but it should be!)

As I work on my next book—imagining my story and going deeper into my characters—I realize that my seven months have been a blessing, in more ways than one. Read more

Jul 16

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Write your book while dreaming

As a young girl, I was a big daydreamer. While my teachers tried to fill my blank mind with science or math or proper grammar, my head was crowded with imaginary friends, chestnut horses, and rainbow unicorns. Make-believe scenes reeled through my mind on a daily basis.

In forty-some years, not much has changed.

Now, however, I use my dreaming mind as a tool to find story ideas, develop character and plot, or find the perfect word for a poem. Read more

Jul 12

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Find writing magic in your favorite movies and books, part 2

As I write my next book, I find it helpful to think back on what has excited me about other stories or characters.

In my last post, I shared a few of my favorite scenes or ideas from the movies. Below is my list of recent in-print favorites. These are either scenes, images, objects or themes that have stuck with me and made me wish I’d come up with the them.

Novels:

Karen Marie Moning’s “Fever” series.  In her fantasy world, “Death-by-Sex” Faes can turn their powers off and on, capturing a person with lust. One of these Faes uses a pearl necklace in a very erotic, highly charged way. It’s one of the most unique and memorable “sex” scenes (there’s no actual sex) I’ve ever read. This is one of those scenes I wish I’d written. I’ve written more about this in my post, “How to Write a Good Sex Scene.” Read more

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