Tag Archives: Pamela Mytroen
Does Absence Make the Pen Grow Stronger? by Pamela Mytroen
Ever thought about a long distance writing relationship? Like the old adage, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder,” I wonder if some major distance from writing would make the pen grow stronger? According to a study in the Journal of Communication, (August 8, 2013, Molly Vorweck, USA Today, usatoday.com) long distance relationships were found to… Read more »
Opinion Pieces Need Muscled Middles by Pamela Mytroen
Nonfiction has unique challenges with middles. A reader may notice that the body of the piece flops around in too many directions rather than delivering a muscled middle. This divergence should be addressed at the very beginning of every opinion piece by developing a focused thesis.
Ten Steps to Prepare for Your Writers’ Workshop by Pamela Mytroen
1. Create an appropriate title for your workshop. Your title is like a menu item. It must be short and concise but appealing and descriptive to writers as they peruse the list of workshops at a conference. “The Life of Pie for Writers” was one of my recent workshop titles. It worked well visually.
Fall in Love with Writing Again by Pamela Mytroen
Do you ever feel as though you have “fallen out of love” with your writing projects? Like writing has become the drudgery of laundry and dishes instead of the heart-pounding flutter it used to be? Would you like those feelings back?
Three Basics of Productive Writing by Pamela Mytroen
Pandemonium in an English Language Arts classroom reminded me just how important three vital elements are when it comes to productive writing. Once these missing elements were in place, the students began cranking out assignment after assignment. These disciplines should help all writers become productive.
The Rest of the Story by Pamela Mytroen
Does a writer’s waking time impact their creativity? This is a question worth asking, as the amount and quality of sleep have obvious effects upon our alertness and ability to concentrate, two skills that we all need. Sleep Patterns Examined Maria Popova, a Bulgarian writer, blogger, and critic from New York, asked this same question…. Read more »
Curtains: Writing Effective Endings – Pamela Mytroen
Three that I come across regularly are the “Sudden-Death Curtain,” the “Preview Curtain,” and the “Curtain Call. In the Sudden-Death Curtain ending, a story or article ends without warning.
I Don’t Believe in Writing — Pam Mytroen
I have always felt a little uncomfortable about calling myself a writer, partly because I don’t write full-time, but more because I felt the title constricted me. Calling myself a writer was a betrayal to my deeper calling. I am so much more than a writer. And so are you. I write, but I am… Read more »
Develop the Killing Instinct Part II: Fine-Tuning with a Jack-Knife — Pamela Mytroen
In Part I of “Develop the Killing Instinct” I suggested writers use a sword to slash a large volume of words and distill the piece into one key sentence. This method slims a piece down to its purpose, allowing no extra fat, which editors appreciate. Only then may the writer pull out the jack-knife to… Read more »