Learn from Every Possible Source. Good writing can be learned from many different venues, yet one of the keys to application of this principle is your attitude. Successful writers commit to a continual path of growth for their craft.
-W. Terry Whalin
Writing Endorsements
By Rory C. Keel
Ask for endorsements from readers that enjoyed your writing. Simply say something like, “Would you provide me with a positive comment I could use as a testimonial for my book?”
Use the positive comments as headlines for your writing on your website and other promotional materials such as bookmarks and brochures.
Take note of unsolicited positive comments and remarks about your writing in e-mails and personal conversations. If individuals say something positive about your writing, ask to quote them.
Collect testimonials in a notebook and you will have them readily available when promoting your writing, stories and books.
Realize that testimonials from your readers will generate excitement and create interest in your work and draw more readers for your material.
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
By Rory C. Keel
“Okay, somebody write a quick blog on trying to find a name for your blog!”
Choosing the one specific term that describes six different writers with very different styles and genres, can be a daunting task. One would think that such an imaginative group could quickly produce a name so extraordinary, so remarkable that the mere mention of it would describe each individual and their genres perfectly. We settled on something a little less complicated.
What about Tuesday?
Welcome to our blog. My name is Rory and every Tuesday I will be sharing with you some of the ideas and lessons that I’ve learned, and will learn along the way to publication. I’m excited to be a part of a group of writers ranging from beginners to the experienced, from the unpublished to multiple publications, and that has the motivation to move forward in their writing. I write Christian fiction and non-fiction, Historical western, short stories, and creative nonfiction. I have published several Christian devotionals, and I have song lyrics published on a CD, “Alabaster Box.”
Choosing the Name
So, how did we choose the name? We tossed words onto a dry erase board, and then the six of us wrestled them around until one stood up and screamed, “Pick Me!” And what is the name that captures the essence of our critique group?
Wordsmith Six
Wordsmith Six consists of six writers who cover the spectrum in genres—a group of a half-dozen close friends who love words, whether we’re reading, writing or researching them. We have individuals who write Women’s Fiction, Historical, Inspirational and Screenplay. Others love Romance, Western, Christian fiction and Middle grade children’s books. Included are authors with published Fiction and Nonfiction books, TV Documentaries, Song Lyrics, Humor and yes, even HORROR.
We have lots of stories to tell and you’re invited to follow along.
Click on the author page above to connect with Rory.
Introducing…
By Rory C. Keel
At one end of the street three bodies lay in the dirt, at the other end smoke drifted from the barrel of a pistol that a man in a trench coat held in his hand.
Who were these three dead men? Why did they challenge the man in the trench coat? What was this gunfight about?
The first few sentences of a piece of work should draw the reader into the story and cause them to read further. A good introduction may tell the reader what kind of story it will be and help them decide if it’s their kind of story.
Listed below are five basic opening techniques
Try using each of these in your writing and see which one creates the greatest interest in your opening paragraph.
Introducing…
By Rory C. Keel
At one end of the street three bodies lay in the dirt, at the other end smoke drifted from the barrel of a pistol that a man in a trench coat held in his hand.
Who were these three dead men? Why did they challenge the man in the trench coat? What was this gunfight about?
The first few sentences of a piece of work should draw the reader into the story and cause them to read further. A good introduction may tell the reader what kind of story it will be and help them decide if it’s their kind of story.
Listed below are five basic opening techniques
Try using each of these in your writing and see which one creates the greatest interest in your opening paragraph.
ARE YOU AFRAID TO FLY?
by Rory C. Keel
It’s amazing that so many people have a fear of flying. Several years ago, while on a plane from Saint Louis Missouri to Portland Oregon, I remember boarding and seeing a man who looked as pale as death. He took his seat across the aisle and immediately buckled the seat belt, grabbed the armrests and shook so violently I wondered if it was the engines or him shaking the plane. After sedating himself with a couple of adult beverages, he slept soundly to our destination.
While I have never been afraid to travel in an airplane, I have experienced a fear of flying. Realizing I would never pilot an F-16 fighter jet, I turned to the hobby of remote control airplanes.
After what my wife called “investing heavily” in a kit, I began to build my first R/C airplane. For days I trimmed every piece of wood with the skill of a surgeon to the exact specs. For weeks, I placed every drop of glue precisely in the correct spot, as to not change the balance of the plane. And after months of careful tune-ups on the engine and electronics, along with a few instructions from others to assure that my plane would soar with the eagles, fear took over.
What if it crashes? All that hard work and time will have been in vain.
On my first solo flight, I rolled the plane down the tarmac and lifted off. A feeling of accomplishment flooded over me as I made one pass, then another over the stands. Not wanting to run out of fuel and lose the plane, I made the approach to land. That day I witnessed the most horrific sight—in front of me laid splinters of wood, pieces of plastic and shards of metal. I crash-landed my plane.
In writing, there are moments when we are afraid to submit a piece of work, fearful of rejection. We work on a piece until it is perfect then, “WHAT IF” takes over. What if it’s rejected? What if it was a waste of time because no one likes it?
The good news is that my first plane did finally soar. I learned that my time wasn’t wasted at all. In all the hours of building I had learned how to repair the broken plane, and after adjusting the mistakes I made in the landing approach, confidence took control.
Yes, I have letters of rejection for my writing, however with repairs and a few adjustments, those same pieces have been published.
Don’t be afraid to fly!
Introducing…
By Rory C. Keel
At one end of the street three bodies lay in the dirt, at the other end smoke drifted from the barrel of a pistol that a man in a trench coat held in his hand.
Who were these three dead men? Why did they challenge the man in the trench coat? What was this gunfight about?
The first few sentences of a piece of work should draw the reader into the story and cause them to read further. A good introduction may tell the reader what kind of story it will be and help them decide if it’s their kind of story.
Listed below are five basic opening techniques
Try using each of these in your writing and see which one creates the greatest interest in your opening paragraph.
A poor plan properly executed, will work. It’s all in the execution.
By Rory C. Keel
As you step out on the stage of becoming a writer, there are many unknowns. Writers groups and conferences are helpful in learning the in’s and out’s of writing and publishing. However, unless this knowledge is put into a plan and executed, it is useless.
Develop a plan
Set short-term goals and long-term goals for your writing and put together a plan to reach them. Write them on paper or log them on a computer where you can physically see them every day to remind you of what you want to achieve.
Finding a topic or story to write about this week is a good example of a short-term goal. Set a daily, weekly, monthly word count to reach and a time management schedule in order to meet them.
Develop long-term goals such as setting a date to finish the first draft of your story or novel, research agents or publishers to pitch your book to or determine to submit your story to multiple markets until someone buys it.
Now execute the plan
You must execute your plan! Good or bad, no plan will work unless you carry it out. When you plan a vacation you use the knowledge you have available and make a plan. If you never move forward, you will never reach your destination.
What if your knowledge is limited or you realize your plan is not perfect? Move forward – adjust. Often we need to reread the map or take a detour to get to our destination, but we continue to move forward. Even a poor plan that is properly executed, will work, but it must be executed to reach the goal.
Writing Endorsements
By Rory C. Keel
Ask for endorsements from readers that enjoyed your writing. Simply say something like, “Would you provide me with a positive comment I could use as a testimonial for my book?”
Use the positive comments as headlines for your writing on your website and other promotional materials such as bookmarks and brochures.
Take note of unsolicited positive comments and remarks about your writing in e-mails and personal conversations. If individuals say something positive about your writing, ask to quote them.
Collect testimonials in a notebook and you will have them readily available when promoting your writing, stories and books.
Realize that testimonials from your readers will generate excitement and create interest in your work and draw more readers for your material.
Think About It and Become Inspired
By Rory C. Keel
Recently I found myself bogged down in writing my Novel. My first thought was that I had lost my ability to write. However, I seem to be able to spell and put a sentence together and my computer still functions. My fingers are flexible enough to hold a pen write on the reams of paper I have so what’s the problem, the lack of inspiration.
Inspiration
Inspiration doesn’t fall from the clouds nor is it mystical but it is a product of action.
When we feel inspired, it’s because we’ve been thinking and meditating on information we have taken into our minds through our senses. We take all of this information and then twist it, shake it, mold it and place it into a certain order in our minds that makes sense to us.
We then become inspired.
This process is action that produces inspiration.
Wordsmith Six 