Posts Tagged ‘craft’

Sometimes Art . . .

November 14, 2015

IF REVISION* WERE A DOG, it would wear a hat and be foolish in public, because revision would want to get the most DOG out of each moment that it could. If revision were a fish, it would be out of water and dragging its school behind. If revision were an interior decorating scheme, it would cry out for spangle-y pinks and purples—unless it wanted the heat of reds and oranges—unless it wanted the cool underwater of blues and greens.

Sometimes art is the answer—but sometimes it’s revision. Sometimes it’s about seeing your work-in-progress as so many puzzle pieces, which you have to turn and match and try to fit. But sometimes it’s about diving deeper.

Sometimes revision wants to be smacked around, which can be a little scary—unless you have a safe word, and sometimes revision does have a safe word, in which case, it’s okay to play rough, which, sometimes, revision likes.

Revision’s about re-visioning, it’s about looking at what you’ve already done and asking what else you can do. But revision’s not “editing.” If writing were an injury, revision would be surgery, not massage.

Revision is a bit of a shepherd’s crook, tugging you off the stage when you think you’re ready to be out there. Revision knows when you haven’t fully paid your dues. Revision wants you to work harder—it’s stubborn like that. But revision will reward your work with a bag of gold so full you’ll be able to scatter coins far and wide, feeding the entire populace of your life—once you’ve done what revision wants you to do.

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* The art illustrating this post is a before-and-after of a piece I created in one of my art journals. It’s easy, often, to get stalled at an early stage of a piece of art or a piece of writing. Difficult, sometimes, to push through to the next level. Risky, always, to do so.

I’m grateful to Tammy Garcia—creator of Daisy Yellow Art and the extraordinary Daisy Yellow Facebook group—for her continuing inspiration. The lessons I’ve learned from Tammy and crew have helped me be more courageous on the page.

Sexy Sentences: Writing Advice

February 12, 2015

SENTENCES. THEY’RE YOUR MOST INTIMATE WHISPER, the pillow talk of your writing life, the tickle of your breath in your reader’s ear. They’re both the whistle of the midnight train and the track your writing heart rides upon. Like a bumbling 20-minute freight, your sentences might ramble on. Or they might bustle through as quick as a three-car commuter rail. No matter. Your sentences—shapely, lovely, long or not-so, curving through a landscape of ideas or driving straight at the brick wall of conclusion—sing your siren song.

One of my tarot-writer heroes, Barbara Moore, shared an article by writer Susan DeFreitas titled, “The Gift of Gab: Mastering the Maximal.” In it, DeFreitas treats us to lovely examples of long, winding sentences, then names the purposes—besides the purely aesthetic pleasure they provide—such sexy sentences might serve.

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Writing coach

Need help with your book? I’m available for book coaching and manuscript review!
Click to read Should I Hire a Writing Coach in THE WRITER magazine.

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Day at the (Tampa) Bay: Mini Writing Conference

February 6, 2015

WRITERS HELPING WRITERS, THAT’S BEEN THE FWA MOTTO for years. Now, FWA wants to be your Valentine, too! On Saturday, February 14th, FWA presents the second annual Day at the Bay mini conference. This year, the workshops target love—and fighting. Yes, a full day focused on writing romance . . . and its exact opposite: hand-to-hand combat, guns, and crime scenes. The love (and assault) takes place at the Hilton Tampa Westshore. Doors open at 8:30 a.m. Visit FWA for more details.

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Writing coach

Need help with your book? I’m available for book coaching and manuscript review!
Click to read Should I Hire a Writing Coach in THE WRITER magazine.

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Talking About Plot for Writers: Are We Wired for Story?

January 21, 2015

AT MY RECENT PLOT-CLOCK PRESENTATION, we discussed how humans seem hard-wired to respond to certain story elements: the hero’s call to adventure; her failures leading to an all-is-lost moment; the changes she must make to face the challenges required of her.

We talked about mythologist Joseph Campbell’s discovery of an archetypal “hero’s journey” based on myths of many cultures and his book THE HERO WITH A THOUSAND FACES, which reveals the commonalities he found.

Writer Kathy Elbert mentioned Lisa Cron’s book WIRED FOR STORY, and Cron’s TED Talk. And we affirmed our gratitude to screenwriter Christopher Vogler, who refashioned Campbell’s ideas, in THE WRITER’S JOURNEY, making of them sturdy tools with which we can shape our work for greatest resonance with that story-instinct that seems embedded in our DNA.

And, too, we remembered Dorothy, who was compelled, as so many heroes are, to find—against steep odds—her own way home.

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Writing coach

Need help with your book? I’m available for book coaching and manuscript review!
Click to read Should I Hire a Writing Coach in THE WRITER magazine.

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Writing Prompt: It Was a Dark and Stormy Night

January 20, 2015

WAS IT A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT? OR WAS IT A CRISP, CLEAR WINTER’S DAY? Does the weather in your story suggest an atmosphere of hope? Or one of dread? Here’s your writing prompt: Experiment! Set a scene in broad, benevolent sunlight. Then let clouds gather overhead. Or make a list of weather conditions that could influence a story: Impenetrable snow storm. Black ice. Gale-force winds. Downpour.

For example, once, obsessed by a boy a full foot-and-a-half taller than me, I called a Yellow Cab at the height of, yup, a swirling, impenetrable, eastern Massachusetts snow storm to carry me from Newton to Cambridge where he lived, as if in a fairy tale, with three disapproving roommates.

Then . . . the halting drive through sulfur-lamp pink-lit streets; the hushed breath as the cab starts its spin; the silence, snow still tumbling, after the crash.

Weather is a gift to a writer. How can you use it?

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A writing coach can help you with your writing prompts and more

Need help with your book? I’m available for book coaching and manuscript review!
Click to read Should I Hire a Writing Coach in THE WRITER magazine.

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Two Writing Coaches Talk Shop

September 6, 2014

ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2014, Jamie Morris will co-present a free webinar with business-writing coach Cathy Fyock titled, “Writing for Your Business from Your Life: How Memoir Helps Readers Relate.” In this one-hour webinar, two writing coaches talk shop. During their chat, Jamie and Cathy will discuss memoir techniques business writers can use to make their topics more tempting.

What does memoir have to do with business writing?

Whether you’re writing a business book, a blog post, or an article that showcases your professional expertise, your own life experiences can provide some of your most compelling material. Readers don’t just want information. They want to connect with the person behind the information.

Memoir techniques can help business writers make that connection. By incorporating personal stories, vivid details, meaningful moments, and lessons learned along the way, writers can bring even the driest business topics to life.

Want to get a head start on the webinar Two Writing Coaches Talk shop?

Think about the experiences that shaped your professional journey. What challenges have you faced? What mistakes have you made? What surprising discoveries changed the way you approach your work? These are the kinds of stories that can help readers understand not only what you know, but why you know it.

And you don’t have to write an entire memoir to put these techniques to work. Sometimes a brief personal anecdote is all it takes to illustrate an important point, establish credibility, or make an abstract concept more accessible.

The trick is choosing stories that serve your readers as well as your message.

This no-cost webinar, Two Writing Coaches Talk Shop, will be presented on Tuesday, September 30, from 6–7 p.m., EDT. All you need is a telephone to participate.

Do YOU have a book in you? If you’re reading this post and wondering the same thing, visit my contact page, and let’s connect. You might also be interested in my books: Plotting Your Novel with the Plot Clock and Jamie Helps Mel Write a Novel.

You’ve Got a Book in You

August 23, 2014

You’ve Got a Book in You, by Elizabeth Sims, is out on Writers Digest Books.

The subtitle, A Stress-Free Guide to Writing the Book of Your Dreams, really says it all. In it, Sims takes writers through the process of writing a book, from the first glimmer of an idea to a completed manuscript. And Elizabeth’s approach is refreshingly encouraging. Rather than emphasizing how difficult writing a book can be, she focuses on making the process manageable, productive, and, yes, even fun!

Along the way, she tackles some of the questions that can stop aspiring authors in their tracks. How do you find the time and space to write? How much planning do you really need before you begin? How do you keep going when the initial excitement wears off?

Elizabeth Sims gets into the nuts and bolts.

Chapters address developing compelling characters, creating believable relationships, writing dialogue, organizing a manuscript, and finding your writing flow. There’s even a chapter on writing what you don’t know!

One particularly interesting technique Elizabeth introduces is something she calls “stormwriting,” a tool designed to help writers tap into their creativity and get words onto the page.

And she doesn’t abandon you when the first draft is finished. The book also addresses improving your manuscript and understanding the publishing process.

Whether you’re dreaming about writing your first book or wrestling with a work in progress, You’ve Got a Book in You offers encouragement and practical guidance for getting that book written.

P.S. Elizabeth also writes the Lambda Award-winning Lillian Byrd Crime Series, as well as the Rita Farmer Mysteries. Check out her blog, Zestful Writing, or visit ElizabethSims.com.

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