Tag Archives: Tools for writers
The Mind’s Eye: Part 5 of Writing with Sensory Details – Sandi Somers
I had read the book Pride and Prejudice, noting that the author, Jane Austen, didn’t give many visual cues as to clothing, body language or even where the scene was located. Instead, she focused more on dialogue. The movie, in contrast, contained a lot of visual cues, showing the Bennet family home, the family at… Read more »
Fiction Writing 101: Part 9 – Beguiling Beginnings – Janice L. Dick
Plato said, “The beginning is the most important part of the work.” Kimberly Yuhl suggests you have eight words to capture your reader’s attention. Rob Weatherhead states in the article, Say it Quick, Say it Well (please excuse the grammar), that the attention span of a modern internet consumer is short. “Studies have shown that… Read more »
Sound Bytes: Part 4 of Writing with Sensory Details – Sandi Somers
Beethoven discovered he was losing his hearing as early as age 25. For a musician, nothing could be more disastrous. In his depression he wrote, “Alas! How could I possibly refer to the impairing of a sense which in me should have been more perfectly developed than in other people, a sense which at one… Read more »
Fiction Writing 101: Part 8 — Janice Dick
In my Fiction Writing 101 series, I often refer to James Scott Bell and his writing books and tools, especially Plot & Structure. My copy is well-marked and highlighted. That’s where I first heard the differentiation between an OP and a NOP. OPs are Outline People, NOPs are Non-Outline People. The abbreviations are easy to… Read more »
How to Write 9,000 Words per Hour and Not Wear Yourself Out — Jack Popjes
If you are like most writers, you keep a daily journal, not only for the ordinary events of life, but for the more interesting experiences—the stuff of anecdotes—as well as descriptions of people, locations, and ideas for story plots and twists. Those of us who started writing decades ago probably have shelves of handwritten journals,… Read more »
Fiction Writing 101:Part 7 — The Plot Thickens — Janice Dick
What is plot—besides a piece of ground used to bury dead people? (That’s from James Scott Bell in Plot & Structure.) In my mind, plot is the story itself, with a beginning, middle and end. Of course there are literary works that don’t follow any of the rules, not even as guidelines, but I’m thinking… Read more »
A Writer Prays About His Work — Jack Popjes
Good morning, God, You gave me this writing *gift. You built it into my DNA and you want me to stir it up, and you are helping me to develop it. You bring people into my life to encourage me and to mentor me. What’s more, you are the one who puts the ideas into… Read more »
Writing, even when it’s hard to do — Carolyn R. Wilker
In January, blogger and author Jeff Goins issued a challenge to fellow writers to write 500 words a day for the month of January. He not only issued the challenge, but he also offered a list of things to write about. While I used the word count for my own projects, journalling and letter writing,… 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 »
Fiction Writing 101 – Part Six – Setting (or giving your character a leg to stand on) — Janice Dick
A smile formed on Callie’s face at the sight of Tom. It had been so long. “Welcome by to the land of the living,” she said. “It’s good to be back. What have you been doing in my absence? I hope you managed to keep out of trouble.” “Of course, what do you think?” She… Read more »