Writing is like excavating . . .

  • Writing prompts on The Write Spot Blog are designed to encourage writing that takes the writer on a journey of discovery.

    Our freewrites can refresh our memories and remind us of times past. It’s like excavating — digging deep and dredging up memories.

    You can start writing very simply — with pen or pencil and paper or keyboard.

    To go deep into your writing — rest both feet on the floor, rest your hands lightly on your lap or on the table. Take in a deep, nourishing breath and slowly let it out. Another deep breath in and s-l-o-w-l-y release. Sink into your breath and relax on the out breath.

    Review the prompt and start writing. If you get stuck and don’t know what to write next:

    ~ Write the prompt . . . sometimes re-writing the prompt brings up new ideas.

    ~ Write “I remember. . . ” and go from there.

    ~ Write “I don’t remember. . . ” and see where that takes you.

    ~ Write “What I really want to say . . . ”   This is my favorite to inspire deep writing.

    Shovel Whatever methods you use . . . just write.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • It’s difficult to shake off judging ourselves and our writing. Our inner critic is a hard one to let go — it’s been with us for so long.

    What I especially like about freewrites is that since they are very rough first drafts, they can be just awful and no one should care because, after all, they are just first drafts.

    The beauty of freewrites is getting Self out of the way and going with the flow. Let your writing flow with no judging. When you are in the zone and writing. . . time flies. There is no space for the inner critic to hang out. It’s just you and your creative mind playing with words.

    Let go of your worries about your writing.

    Lola

    Choose a prompt from The Write Spot Blog. Set your timer for 12 minutes and Just Write.

  • In honor of Memorial Day, Sharon Hamilton sent the following to be included in our tribute to military personnel.

    Sharon shares these photos and thoughts:  We owe a lot to the men and women who have fought on our behalf, so we can have an ordinary life. Memorial is just one day we remember and vow to always remember all of our military personnel.

    General Daniel CameronPhoto of Sharon Hamilton’s Great-Great-Grandfather’s brother, who served in the Civil War, like her Great-Great-Grandfather. General Daniel Cameron gained his citizenship by fighting for the North.

                                                     Navy Seal Uniform

    SEAL Uniform.185

    Cover of Sharon Hamilton’s latest book, SEAL My Destiny.

    Seal My DestinySharon Hamilton writes Navy SEAL romance, about military heroes who thrill strong women, who are lucky to love them back.

     

    Sharon began her serious writing with freewriting exercises, using prompts to inspire her writing. You, too, can jumpstart your writing. Choose prompts from The Write Spot Blog  or from The Write Spot Writing Prompts and just write.

  • In Escaping into the Open, The Art of Writing True, Elizabeth Berg (one of my favorite authors) writes:

    Whenever people ask me where I get my material, I am genuinely befuddled. “Well . . . from life!” is what I usually say. . . . each of us, no matter who we are or what we do, is offered potential story ideas daily. The people we know, the things that happen to them and us, the random scenes we witness and the conversations we overhear — all of these things are rich with raw material; all of them are capable of serving as a vehicle or springboard for a good story, in one way or another. We need only be aware. We need only be awake, and curious, and willing to share.

    Berg.Escaping

    Note from Marlene: Last night in the Jumpstart writing workshop that I facilitate, this very thing happened. I took a real life experience, wrote it in the third person, changed a few facts and ta-da . . . a freewrite based on a true experience.

    Your turn: Start with something that really happened and write about it. Just write.

  • In Naked, Drunk, and Writing, Adair Lara writes “I grew up in the San Geronimo Valley . . . a bookstruck little kid sitting on a stump writing stories.”

    She continues with “Writing was easy then. I used my dad’s square carpenter pencil to cover sheet after sheet with stories of dogs that rescued families from a flood or a fire.”

    Note the details: Can you see the carpenter pencil? I see a yellow pencil and I can see that little girl hunched over, earnestly scribbling.

    Adair began her writing career as copyeditor at San Francisco Focus magazine. Her friend Cynthia, the production editor, also wanted to be a writer. They started partner writing, swapping freewrites and returning them with the good stuff highlighted in yellow. “That first writing club, as we called it, changed my life. It made me a writer by giving me the confidence to be one.”

    Adair has published “some ten books or so, including several collections of columns.” Her work has appeared in many other magazines and newspapers, both in print and online.  She is currently a columnist for Grandparents.com

    Adair teaches writing workshops, which I had the good fortune to attend in the summer of 2009. What a treat!

    How about you? Do you want to write but don’t know how to get started? You can join a writing group in your community, find a partner to exchange writing with, or join an online writing community like this one, The Write Spot Blog.

    LolaJust write!

  • I love gorgeous writing and wonder how authors produce writing so vivid you feel as if you are in their world.

    One idea is to watch what people really do when talking, use sensory detail and be specific.

    For example, author Rachael Herron creates believable fictional characters. There is so much to like about her writing. One tool she employs well is the actions her characters engage in while talking. The dialogue develops character and moves the story along. The action makes the characters believable. Here are some examples from “How to Knit a Heart Back Home.”

    Owen twisted the [plastic] spoon in his fingers. He would not rub the scar on his hip, which suddenly burned.

    Lucy took the now mangled plastic spoon out of his hand and then threaded her fingers through his.

    Dropping his eyes from hers, Owen watched Lucy’s pulse flicker rapidly in the hollow of her throat. For a moment there was no sound but the crash of the waves below.

    Back to me. . . Oh, my. I can see and hear and feel . . . the mangled plastic spoon, feel the burning scar, see the hollow of her throat and hear the crashing waves.

    Action: twisted, dropping, watched, threaded, flicker, crash

    Specific: plastic spoon, hip

    Sensory detail: burn, sound

    Your turn: give us examples of exquisite writing that use strong verbs, is specific and employs sensory detail. Share your finds with us.

    Write a scene or a vignette: a freewrite using action words (strong verbs), be specific (sycamore, not tree), sensory detail (sight, hearing, taste, touch, smell). Herron. How to Knit A Heart

    Just write!

     

  • First, don’t take rejection personally. When you submit your writing for inclusion in an anthology, magazine. . . to an editor, publisher, agent. . . and you receive a “no, thanks” letter, or worse, you never hear back . . . don’t take it personally.

    It may or may not be the quality of writing, but it’s definitely not a rejection of you personally.

    My Submission Philosophy

    You won’t receive rejection notices unless you submit your writing.

    And if you submit your writing . . . you will probably receive a rejection note, or two, or more.

    Welcome to The Club

    welcomeI wrote a story about pesky gophers around 2007. Shopped it around. Submitted to a little contest. Won second place. I was thrilled. But really, this was a miniscule contest. Probably two entries.

    So I shopped it some more. Got accepted. But the editor said since it was seasonal, I should submit the following spring (nine months away). I dutifully waited and re-submitted.

    “Alas,” she said (or maybe she didn’t. Maybe that’s the storyteller in me).

    “We can’t accept this since you don’t live in our geographical area.”

    Hmmm. . . She couldn’t tell me that with the original submission (and acceptance, I might add and will add).

    Submissions, semi-acceptances and rejections are quirky.

    Time went by. I sulked, got mad and stomped around a bit.

    A few years later, I was over my annoyance and once again submitted. This time my gopher story was accepted!

    “My Way With Gophers” will be published later this year in Redwood Writers 2014 Anthology.

    Moral of this story: If the writing is polished and perfected to your best ability — my gopher story was revised about 113 times and the title changed 67 times — go ahead and submit, because you never know. You might get lucky.

    And you might as well Just Write . . .  and Submit.  check mark.1

  • Want to write books for children or young adults?  Here are some ideas for you.

    Excerpted from “Child’s Play,” Yvonne Coppard and Linda Newberry, March 2014 issue of The Writer Magazine.

    An author must find his or her own voice and style and use them to express concerns that are passionately felt and imagined. Good writing for children has the same qualities as good writing for any age group: What stands out is authority, the confidence to be what it is. It tells the reader that the journey will be worthwhile. To write well, an author must have an ear for rhythm, control of pace and awareness of what drives a story and engages a reader.

    The author needs the knack of evoking universal experiences from the particular, inviting the reader to share the trials and triumphs of the viewpoint character. There are no right ways to do this, and no wrong ways, either. What it takes is the commitment to live in the world of your imagination and the skill and persuasiveness to take young readers with you.

    Click here for information about: Writing Children’s Fiction: A Writers’ and Artists’ Companion (Writers’ and Artists’ Companions) by Yvonne Coppard and Linda Newberry

    child's tea setFor practice with this kind of writing: Write about a game you played as a child – Prompt #32, or An imaginary gift – Prompt #35 or an imaginary party – Prompt #64.

    Set your time for 12 minutes. Now, write. Just write.

  • The following is an excerpt from “When every letter counts,” by Kevin Cullen (no relation to me that I know of). —  March 2014 issue of The Writer Magazine.

    Kevin writes:

    I have been in the newspaper game for more than 30 years, which qualifies me as a card-carrying old fart.

    I have tried to embrace new technologies and platforms pushed upon us by enthusiastic, young tech geeks who talk about Facebook and Twitter with the zeal of evangelicals. Online is where it’s at, even though we still  make most of our  money from the dead tree version.

    But what has all this meant for writing? Because, let’s face it, the biggest advantage all forms of written journalism have over the immediacy of TV and radio is the ability to deliver depth and strong, evocative writing.

    Writing short and writing long require different disciplines. It’s the differences between writing a poem and writing a short story. When you tweet, every letter counts. When you write for the web, enjoy the freedom.

    Note from Marlene: Ideas for strong and evocative writing posted on The Write Spot Blog. Click on titles below for inspiration for strong and evocative writing.

    Crafting scenes a reader can see — and sense

    Watershed Moment Prompt #57

    The Power of Place

    Essence of You Prompt #45

    Pen

     

    What to do?  Just write!

     

     

  • Jessica Strawser, editor of The Writer’s Digest magazine, writes about the benefits of writing short pieces in the March/April 2014 issue of the Writer’s Digest magazine.

    “Writing short is a too-often overlooked way to break out in any field of writing. Even if —perhaps especially if —your ultimate goal is to publish a book one day.”

    She continues, “. . . a diverse approach to getting your name ‘out there’ —whether through personal essays on popular websites, feature articles in leading glossies, or short stories in respected literary journals—is far smarter than focusing your efforts in one place.”

    So, if you want to write short pieces . . . go ahead!  Follow the prompts in this blog and post your writing here!

    Lola