Writers need to spend time doing “serious people watching” – if they hope to capture the curious complexity of language and gesture in human interactions for the page. While I often take my notebook to places like local coffee shops, parks, a nearby Mall or the County Library, and even record the colorful seasonal activities… Continue reading Entry #40 – “Taking Note of The World: What Do Writers See?”
Category: On Writing
Entry #39 – “Stacking the Odds: Luck, Skill & Strategic Persistence”
After a recent conversation with a writer friend I began thinking about how writers do what they do well enough to have others read, recognize and enjoy their work. How do aspiring writers stack the odds so that their work will find publishers and readers? What factors contribute to success? It seems to me that… Continue reading Entry #39 – “Stacking the Odds: Luck, Skill & Strategic Persistence”
Entry #38 – “Dive into Your Story Like an Olympic Swimmer”
This week in a memoir writing class I teach, after some discussion about where to begin a story, I’ve been thinking once again about timing in a story, whether it’s fiction or nonfiction. The timing issue requires careful thought. Initial drafts of a story often take on a detailed chronological structure, but as writers continue… Continue reading Entry #38 – “Dive into Your Story Like an Olympic Swimmer”
Entry #37 – “On Writing Dialogue: How You Say It Matters”
This week I arrived early to meet a writer friend in a local coffee shop. While waiting, I noticed a drama unfolding at a nearby table that involved a woman tearfully telling her friend about a terrible work evaluation she had gotten that morning that would likely cause her to be fired. Her friend murmured… Continue reading Entry #37 – “On Writing Dialogue: How You Say It Matters”
Entry #36 – “Wings of Desire”
Lately, I’ve thought about the ways that desire directs the flight patterns for both fiction and nonfiction for those who read and write. What people want and why they want it drives the writer’s work. Characters, plots, actions, and events evolve from attempts to satisfy or in some cases, deny desire. This seems to be… Continue reading Entry #36 – “Wings of Desire”
Entry #35 – “Accepting the Mind’s Potential”
Photo Credit – Jan Bowman – October 2011 This week I’ve thought about the way the writing process teaches us about self acceptance and the amazing potential of the mind. Writers must learn to accept themselves in order to write the truest things they know about living. But often writers, or those who long to… Continue reading Entry #35 – “Accepting the Mind’s Potential”
Entry # 34 – “Love Your Friend, the Journal”
Photo Credit – Jan Bowman – October 2011 This week I’ve thought about useful advice for any writer who wants to start off the year with a renewed commitment to writing. If you want to write, you might consider beginning with a personal journal. This is not the same as a diary, but it is… Continue reading Entry # 34 – “Love Your Friend, the Journal”
Entry #33 – “The Care and Feeding of Your Writer Work Habits”
–> Happy New Year! By now you’ve likely started writing the correct year on your checks and bills. And this is a good time for writers to commit to stronger work habits. Caring for your work habits requires thoughtful planning and regular reinforcement, if you hope to develop a professional commitment to your personal growth. … Continue reading Entry #33 – “The Care and Feeding of Your Writer Work Habits”