Writing Tip of the Day...Pace Yourself

Thanks to a previous comment from Vanessa, I decided to post on this topic: Pacing your writing tasks. As if you all didn't know this. After all, it's common sense. But I need to remind myself on occasion, those times when I get so frustrated -- set small goals. Say, one page? Or one hour? Just a small task of writing. Then, the job doesn't seem so daunting or ominous. And if you write more than that much...even better! Dating your work -- a bench marker, if you will -- after each writing period might help you feel that sense of accomplishment, not to mention showing you your pattern of writing. I've tried this for two reasons. That sense of accomplishment for one, and also to prove that even though my lazy side is trying so hard to convince me that, for example, I just wrote a page or two a couple of days ago, it's actually been two weeks! How the mind uses devious ways... right?

Tip for the Day: Reading Aloud

This will be short. And it may be the start of something I do everyday. Do you read aloud what you write? You should. Often times when it's read aloud, the errors or awkward wording come popping out at you. In any case, take the time after a writing session to read your work aloud. It may surprise you! And one more thing... if, when you read, you come to "bumps in the road", i.e. the flow of what you read slows or stops, you might want to change the wording. That is, if it is due to awkward or confusing structure.

Part II

Well, part II of "Betrayal in an Envelope" was posted earlier this week. For those of you who would like or care to take a look: http://pikerpress.com/article.php?aID=3439 I stated in a previous post that I would reveal the first draft ending to the story and explain (or try to) why I changed it. In my first effort Anne goes back to the store to talk with her friend, Stephanie, about the tragic news she had just learned about Wesley and about her husband. However, when I reworked the story and added in more detail about each character, Anne transformed into not only a grieving friend and wife, but also a vengeful woman who needed to right a wrong. How she does so even surprised me. And the fact that Stephanie is not who she appears to be added to the transformation. Of course, the final act by Anne, though shocking, just seemed a natural turn and conclusion to the plot. In any case, that is what I did with it.

And this to Brainsnorts: You had me utterly focused on the use of character names within the dialogue! I'm hoping it helped make Greta Allstein sound like the obnoxious, condescending person I intended her to be! But it was a good piece of advice. Thank you.

Back to Business

Okay, now it's time to get back to those ideas that help make us better writers... I recently talked our principal into letting me launch a writers' club at our high school. Why we never had one to begin with puzzles me. I thought one of those energetic members of the language arts staff would have put that on the agenda, but no. I began to think back on my high school experience and how much fun our writers' club had been. So, I thought, we have a school newspaper, but why not expand that to include a club where besides news articles, fiction stories, poetry, any type of creative product can be shared and showcased? In any case, we began a couple of weeks ago. A decent turnout, a combination of poetry writers and short story writers, various genres, a wonderful mix of talent. I am inspired by the enthusiasm and dedication of those so young. And I am hoping when they look back on high school, they will think fondly about their writers' club experience.

How about you? Do you or did you belong to a writers' club in high school? Do or did you benefit? Highlights? Please share your thoughts. And if you have any suggestions, suggest away!

Over the Dry Spell and Writing the Short Story

Excuse me while I am compelled to "toot my horn" and announce that the writing/publishing dry spell is now officially over. Part I of my mystery short, "Betrayal in an Envelope" made its debut today in the ezine, Piker Press. I must say that I felt nervous submitting it. Being the verbose writer that I am, I don't have much luck with short story writing. I mean, how to tell the story, say what needs to be said, and say it well in a few pages is a nail-biting undertaking for me. However, once submitted, I had a refreshing experience with a wonderful editor -- Sand Pilarski. She gave me constructive feedback to show me where I could improve those "fuzzy" moments and details of my story. In fact, everything she questioned was a "Wow! She's right." kind of moment. So, thank you, Sand Pilarski.

Pleasant surprises popped up as I reworked the story. I found new layers to the characters and a better understanding of how they should act and react. But the best surprise was the ending. I changed the main character's reaction to the events and, well, you will just have to read it! After the final segment, I will post again and explain the original ending, how it didn't work as well, and then see what you think. Until then..... check out part one:

http://www.pikerpress.com/index.php

Style and Sophistication in Writing

How to keep your writing sophisticated and have others label your work as professional depends on your style, i.e. what techniques you use to create. It goes without saying (but I will anyway) that certain ones work well, but often only in certain situations. Let's consider poetry. The use of flowery, descriptive words, metaphors, similes, etc. fit nicely here. However, take that language and put it in a crime novel and it would sound totally out of place. If you are the poet, but want to write mysteries, watch your language! So, if the guy with the gun, ready to murder his cheating wife is in the middle of a heated dialog, it would not be wise to describe how his angry eyes are like "shining, blue sapphire jewels". In fact, the frequent use of similes and metaphors tends to pull the story away from the events. Remember, you are here to tell a story, the plot must be developed, and you should not be taking any detours that make you forget where you are supposed to be. Other stylistic devices such as words in italics, exclamation points, words in parentheses, frequent use of -ly adverbs, these, too distract. And let's face it...writing with all those bells and whistles implies you are insecure and trying too hard. You don't need to shove your writing in the reader's face to get his attention. If you write a great story, attend to the events, that will attract readers. To study this further, take a look at some of your favorite authors' work, but don't focus so much on the story. Rather, study their styles of writing, pay close attention to how they phrase, the descriptive words they use, etc. Let me know if you find very many of those stylistic detractors. And I'd be curious to know your thoughts about this. As writers, how hard is it for you to avoid these mistakes?

Are You a Graphomaniac?

First of all....Happy New Year to everyone. Obviously, one of my resolutions wasn't to post regularly to my blog...heh hmmm..... Lots going on, etc., etc.... Okay, on to the topic of my choice. Do you suffer from graphomania? I'm not talking about the purely medical definition here, where one writes continuous strings of words that when read, well, are just plain old nonsense. This refers to the layman's description. Do you have the compulsion to write -- constantly, obsessively, passionately -- someone insanely driven, and it's as if you can't get enough?

I thought about this for a brief minute, trying to decide on my own habits, and came up with a "no". I decided this based on the fact that I can go weeks without moving forward on a project or delving into a new idea for one. Oh, I will think about doing it, but just don't. Then there will be times when I am in overdrive, blathering on and on in the written word, as if some spell has taken possession of my hand and won't let me stop writing! Rather like the girl in the children's story about the dancing slippers -- only with hands, not feet, of course :-). But I'm not the one to claim writing takes up almost every waking moment of my day. That said, it brought me to another thought.

How many authors, especially great ones, past and present, could be labeled as graphomaniacs? It's an interesting question, I think. What is your opinion? And do you consider yourself afflicted with graphomania? Let's hear your thoughts.