Writing Prompt: A Bony Halloween

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Here's a writing prompt for the Halloween Holiday! Have fun as you discover the story behind this picture. Ask yourself: Who was the person these bone belonged to? Who dressed up the skeleton, or did the skeleton dress herself? Is the skeleton a female or a cross-dressing male? Is this the beginning of the dead walking Apocalypse, or a bunch of teenagers playing a prank on their superstitious teacher? Write a story in 1000 words or less, and remember to have a Happy Halloween!

The Art of Shut Up and Listen

The world all around us gives us clues on how to do everything we need to do, including becoming a better writer. The more obvious clues come from reading other authors, taking writing classes, talking out problem areas with fellow writers, reading books dedicated to the writing profession. There are other less obvious clues that come from our everyday lives.

The people around us, the dog next door that won't shut up, the co-worker that steals your desk supplies and blames it on someone else, the mother that won't stop giving helpful advice, the doctor that that gives you the eye and tells you to lose 50 pounds or else, the mail man that runs his mail truck over the freshly planted flowers in the front lawn. Stories are all around us begging to be told. The people parading through our lives are holding their breath to play the main character in our next story. Why not take these gifts and make use of them?

Word Choice: Finding the Right Shade of a Word

As a writer you are an artist. The page is the canvas and the paint are the words. Use words to paint a picture, creating a movie in the theater of the mind's eye. - Michael Knost.

I know I've hit on this subject before in my Good Description series, but this topic deserves repeating because of the important and necessary role that words play in writing. This is one of the areas in my writing that I have been focusing on this year. I have found that actively being conscious of the words I chose makes a BIG difference in the way a story sounds and how successful I am at conveying the story message to the reader.

2 Ways to Be a Better Writer

Writing is a love affair of words and emotion, but there is also much more to it. There is a lot of work that is involved that includes perfecting craft, plot, character and much more. A writer's journey never ends as he or she blazes the trail of art and soul. The further along that trail a writer travels, the more he or she realizes that perfection will never be achieved, only stages of good and bad writing; however, a writer can accomplish better writing by putting into practice two very important things. Are you ready for the most important advice you will ever get?

The Art, Craft and Business of Writing Fiction

Here are some notes I took from a workshop I did by Linnea Sinclair when I went to Context a few weeks ago. I found them helpful and thought I would share. 

Are you a writer or author?

Writer= isn’t serious about being published

Author=  has published works

Writing is an art and craft, but it is also a BUSINESS!

 

NaNoWriMo: An Alternative Challenge

It's almost that time again. November is just around the corner, which means it's NaNoWriMo again. Are you ready to pump out 50,000 words in 30 days? It's a great way to work on that novel or novella you've been putting off. It's a great challenge to see what you are made of and how far you can push yourself. I did the challenge in 2009 and managed to complete 50,000 words with two days to spare! It was fun, exciting, as well as, an eye-opener of my limitations and capabilities as a writer (when I started it, I really didn't think I would be able to make the 50,000 word goal, but I pushed through anyways). It taught me how to write without the inner editor, the creative benefits of writing everyday, how to organize my life so that I could write everyday and that I could push myself to reach any goal if I wanted it bad enough. It also taught me how exhausting writing 50,000 words in a month is and that I really don't need to do that again any time soon. One time was enough, but I highly recommend the challenge if you have not tried it before. If you want to learn more about the official NaNoWriMo check it out here.

Website Spotlight: Jane Friedman

I recently stumbled across a website and I liked it so much I thought I would share. Jane Friedman has a wealth of information for the writer/author looking to publish, wonderful inspirational posts, and writing craft techniques. There is also a post that has a free market listing where you can find publishers and agents at no charge. Below are just some of the listings. Go to her site to see a full listing.

Update to the Writing Resource Page

I recently updated the Writing Resources page to add the following information. Enjoy!


Writing Motivation
Dr. Wicked Write or Die This website supplies an easy to use program that forces you to write without the inner editor. It forces you to keep typing, because if you stop it erases your words! A great way to learn to free write.

Free Listing For Book Publishers (information from Jane Friedman)
Be aware that most New York publishers do not accept unagented submissions, so sometimes “searching for a publisher” really means “finding an agent” (see next list).

• Duotrope.com. For fiction and poetry only. About 3,500 listings total, which includes many types of publications.
• QueryTracker.net. About 130 listings.
• Preditors & Editors. Hundreds of listings; been going since 1997. Waves a red flag on publishers to avoid. However, unclear how often the information is updated.
• Ralan.com. About 100 listings, focused on SF/F.
• AgentQuery.com. Bare-bones list (no submission guidelines), but offers embedded links to publishers’ sites. Useful to preview the landscape.
• WriterMag.com. If you subscribe to The Writer magazine, you get 3,000 online market listings for free. Vetted list.
• Poets & Writers. Hundreds of listings, serving primarily the more literary side of the writing community.

Writing Prompt: Are You A Good Liar?

Here's a writing prompt to try. Write four to six sentences on something unusual, startling, or amusing that happened to you or that you did. Create three different scenarios, but one of them must be true. Make sure to include some details!

 
Example 1: I cursed my overheated car as I stood on the side of a busy highway. I had forgotten my cell phone at home and the nearest gas station was at least a 10 mile walk down the road in either direction. I'd never make it in these damn heels. I was already running late for work so didn't have time to waste. I spotted a Doge Ram speeding down the road towards me, I had a moment of inspiration and pulled up the bottom of my blouse to flashed the driver. A minute later I was in sitting in the cab of the pickup beside a grinning redneck, leaving my heap of scrap metal on the side of the road.

What is Deep Third or Deep POV?

You may have heard the term Deep Third or Deep Point Of View, but what does it really mean?

"Deep POV is to the writer what method acting is to the actor. It requires the writer to submerge herself in the character from whose point of view a scene is being seen. It requires a casting off of all inhibitions. The writer becomes the character." (Exert from an article by Maeve Maddox at www.dailywritingtips.com).

 Deep Third is writing in the Third Person but taking it further by slowing down time and showing the reader what's going on from the character's point of view. It uses the surroundings, thoughts, feelings, or anything else to steep the reader with what's going on in the characters head. Sensory detail (the use of sight, sound, smell, touch and taste) can play a role in this as well. But it's the thought process of the character that the reader needs to be plugged into. It's about giving the reader an opportunity to "step into" the characters head and be the character without even realizing it (if the Deep POV is done right).

Let the Dark Side Take Control

There are thousands of stories that fill books, computers and magazines, but what makes one story standout above other stories? Why are we drawn to some and not others? What makes a story memorable? You might say excellent writing style, stellar plot, fabulous characters, or unique content? I for one believe that even more than all those things a great story involves something more. It is the writer making the hard choices and deciding to torture the hell out of their characters, the writer that isn't afraid of upping the stakes just a little bit higher, the writer who doesn't shy from letting their dark side take control.

Writing Prompt: A Doggone Good Book

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Here's a writing prompt for today. Does it inspire a thought or a story? What is the dog reading? What happens when when the dog wakes up? Who is behind the camera? Is this the beginning of the Doggy Revolution- Planet of the Dogs? Have fun with it and see where it leads you!

Context 24: Why Conventions are so Important

Denise Wyant, Me, Lesley Conner and Nora Azzi

Anyone who is serious about writing should be serious about attending conventions, especially writing conventions. I've gone to several and plan on expanding to more. This time around I went with three other writing friends of mine to Columbus, Ohio to attend Context 24, which is a convention for horror, science fiction, and fantasy writers. The best part is you don't even have to be into the horror, science fiction or fantasy genres to get something out of this convention, because it's main goal is to appeal to the writer.

The First Draft: A Necessary Evil

Have you ever taken a look at a first draft of a story and said "What a piece of crap?" It happens to me all the time. It's really quite depressing when you read through the story and think "This is nothing like what I was trying to go for" or  "There's so many  errors and mistakes I'll never get it to turn out the way it needs to."  When coming to these types of low points in writing, it is important to remember that it's all part of the writing process. First drafts are suppose to be crappy. The most important thing is getting the story on paper anyway that you can. Once it's there then it will be possible to go back and make changes.

Vampires: Can An Original Story Be Told?

By: Denise Wyant

So you want to write about vampires… But you’re wondering if it is still possible – isn’t the market all ready inundated with vamps?

Yes, I’ve seen the movies and merchandising. Edward and Jacob are everywhere. Just wait until Breaking Dawn is released. More vampire mania. So, to answer the question at hand (remember the answer is coming from someone who takes being told “no” as a challenge): yes, you can still write about them. It’s not going to be easy, and there are many who may need a break from vamps. That doesn’t mean it can’t be done successfully. The key is simple; although, it may be easier said than done. Drum roll please…you need to make the story yours. Find a unique twist and exploit it. Most importantly, do your homework and your research.