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Reasons to Write

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Reasons to Write

By Rory C. Keel

Why do I write? Is it because throngs of fans demand it anticipating every word of my next masterpiece? Is it because I honestly expect to make millions of dollars on a bestseller, or desire to be famous? No.

Over the next few weeks I will share with you a few of the reasons I write.

Reason #1

I write to tell a story. Everyone loves a good story. Children drift off to sleep with their heads cradled gently in downy pillows, and their minds full of colorful images from fairytales. Young adults turn the pages of books filled with adventure, loyalty, and sometimes tragedy. They experience a spectrum of emotions as they learn the meaning of dedication, true love, and even loss. Adults feel alive with the thrill of a great suspense novel. As we grow older, we can gain a sense of who we are, and where we came from by reading of our youthful yesterdays.

For a few brief moments in time, a story affords the reader the opportunity to escape reality. Traveling through time into other dimensions, we can explore the far reaches of the future, or a place in history. A story allows the reader to become someone else, able to triumph over evil, or transform into the bad guy. The words of a story can inspire us to overcome the odds stacked against us, and we can experience the exhilaration of victory.

Everyone has a story–write yours.

Rory C. Keel

           

PRONOUNS

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PRONOUNS

By Rory C. Keel

 

No, Pronouns are not professional nouns. Pronouns are words that take the place of, or act like a noun. Let me give you few common examples, he, them, this, everyone, myself, mine, and those.

Pronouns can be classified into different types such as

Personal pronoun — A word that refers to a specific person or thing.

Demonstrative pronoun — Words that point things out like this, that, these, and those.

Indefinite Pronoun — These point to people or things but in a vague way such as anybody, everyone, someone, something or nobody.

Reflexive Pronouns — Words that end in –self. A few examples would be himself, herself, yourself and myself.

Roryckeel.com

When a name is too close to reality.

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When a name is too close to reality.

www.writers-village.org

 

How do you avoid defamation actions from readers whose real names and circumstances you have (in all innocence) ascribed to your villains?

#1: Portray your most odious characters as Suffering, Complex and Misunderstood victims of circumstance. Not only might this take the edge off any imputation of malice in your alleged defamation, it is also – in these post-Freudian days – good novelistic practice.

Even Hannibal Lecter was a decent fellow in his youth, the author tells us. He went mad only after witnessing an unspeakable atrocity. Without that explanation – and saddled with the name of Hannibal – he might not have been either believable or terrifying.

#2: If your conscience demands that you vilify a real celebrity eg. Bill Gates (oh, but must you, really?), make it clear in the story that your villain can not possibly be Mr Gates. How? Have the villain appear on a conference platform alongside the real Mr Gates, who is agreed by everyone to be a very nice fellow. Obviously, they cannot be one and the same person.

Writers’ Village

 

Research your setting well

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Research your setting well

If you do not want to set your story on the city you live in, then get ready to do some research. It is important that you visit the place you are going to write about. Some writers do it with characters too. If they are writing about a murderer, they will go and interview one to know his psychology. For your setting too, you need to know the psychology of the city, town or village in which your characters live.

Below is a broad guideline on what all to include in your research:

City– Small town, city, countryside, country, village

Geographical aspects– Mountains, rivers, beaches, desert, forest, ocean, hills, plains, vegetation, animals

Culture– Clothes, shops, streets, people, religion, language (dialect)

Climate– Hot, cold, moderate, desert, tropical

There can be more than one setting in your book. For shorter works of fiction, having one setting is best, but for longer works, you can have more settings than one. In Life of Pie by Yann Martel, there were three settings, the zoo in India, the ocean and Mexico (the last one was only a glimpse). He dealt with all the settings brilliantly. That is because he had visited India many times and knew it well. Of course, the writer cannot experience everything he wants to write about. Yann Martel never experienced a shipwreck, still he wrote about it. That is what research does. In one of his interviews he said that he researched about animal behavior for months on end on the Internet after he decided that the story would involve lots of animals. www.literaryzone.com

Roryckeel.com

Research your setting well

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Research your setting well

If you do not want to set your story on the city you live in, then get ready to do some research. It is important that you visit the place you are going to write about. Some writers do it with characters too. If they are writing about a murderer, they will go and interview one to know his psychology. For your setting too, you need to know the psychology of the city, town or village in which your characters live.

Below is a broad guideline on what all to include in your research:

City– Small town, city, countryside, country, village

Geographical aspects– Mountains, rivers, beaches, desert, forest, ocean, hills, plains, vegetation, animals

Culture– Clothes, shops, streets, people, religion, language (dialect)

Climate– Hot, cold, moderate, desert, tropical

There can be more than one setting in your book. For shorter works of fiction, having one setting is best, but for longer works, you can have more settings than one. In Life of Pie by Yann Martel, there were three settings, the zoo in India, the ocean and Mexico (the last one was only a glimpse). He dealt with all the settings brilliantly. That is because he had visited India many times and knew it well. Of course, the writer cannot experience everything he wants to write about. Yann Martel never experienced a shipwreck, still he wrote about it. That is what research does. In one of his interviews he said that he researched about animal behavior for months on end on the Internet after he decided that the story would involve lots of animals. www.literaryzone.com

Roryckeel.com

WRITING CONTESTS BENEFITS

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Writing Contests Benefits

It cost money; why should I enter? What benefit will a contest be for my writing and me? I’m not good enough so I’ll never win.

Those who are looking at entering writing contests frequently express these statements and questions. I know, I’ve asked most of them myself.

Having entered my share of writing contests, let me offer some positive benefits from my personal experience.

  1. Training for working with deadlines – Writing contests give a writer the opportunity to work under a deadline. Most contests will have strict dates for submitting an entry. This is good conditioning for working with agents, editors, and publishers who will place deadlines on your writing.
  2. Provides automatic platform – A platform is your audience, those who will read your writing. While your mother and “BFF” will gladly volunteer readership, contest judges can provide you with an unbiased and anonymous audience for your writing. And who knows, the judge may be an agent, editor or publisher.
  3. Gain feedback – One of the most valuable benefits of a writing contest is the critique. To have the judge’s comments noting any mistakes, suggestions for improvement and yes, even praise can help improve your writing.
  4. Build your portfolio – Writing contests are a perfect why to build your portfolio. When seeking an agent or publisher, a few writing clips, accomplishments and certificates may be the edge you need to sell the deal.
  5. Increase your confidence – Entering a contest gives a writer the opportunity to gain confidence in their writing. Have you ever written something only to tear it up or hide it in a drawer? Have you ever said, “I could never write good enough to be published!” A writing contest provides an inexpensive way to test the waters of being an author.
  6. Avoid scam contests – As with most everything, there are people who take advantage of others. Before entering a contest, research the person or organization holding the contest and make sure they are legitimate. There are a few contests that are no more than book selling scams. When your entry wins, it is accepted for publication in an anthology, with all of the other first place winners, then you must pay an outrageous price to obtain a copy. Winningwriters.com lists a few of these writing contests to avoid. To help find your next contest check out www.placesforwriters.com or www.fundsforwriters.com

Nouns

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Nouns

 By Rory C. Keel

Let’s be specific. That’s what nouns do; they name the person place or thing in our writing.

Nouns might be a brother, mother or dad; school, city or park; or a dog, hammer or computer.

A noun can also name an idea, concept or personality trait such as time, friendship or courage.

Types of Nouns include:

  1. Common Noun – A general type of person, Place or thing.
  2. Proper Noun – Names a particular person or specific thing.
  3. Singular Noun – Names only one person or thing.
  4. Plural Noun – names two or more persons or things.
  5. Collective Noun – names groups: team, choir, jury.
  6. Concrete Noun – names something that can be seen, heard, touched, tasted or smelled.
  7. Abstract noun – names concepts or ideas.

The noun helps the reader to see what you write by forming a picture in their mind.

Roryckeel.com

9 Helpful Tips for writing:

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9 Helpful Tips for writing:

  • Avoid difficult words, which the reader might have difficulty in understanding
  • Avoid moralizing
  • Don’t force your point of view on the readers. In other words, let the characters say what you want to say
  • Don’t inform, show
  • Include the five senses (hear, smell, touch, see, speak) to rouse the reader’s emotions
  • Avoid unnecessary details
  • Be innovative
  • Use active tense, not passive
  • Read your text aloud and listen for jarring notes

Roryckeel.com

READING AND WRITING

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READING AND WRITING

Rory C. Keel

Recently I had the privilege of participating as a Judge in the Panhandle Professional Writers Youth writing Contest. This contest is an outreach to encourage and promote writing among school age children. I am truly amazed at the interest in writing from the students that enter their pieces to be critiqued.

On several other occasions I’ve had the opportunity to speak at public schools on the topic of writing. The first point I usually emphases is –

“If you can read and write – YOU CAN DO ANYTHING!”

If a person can read with understanding and can write ideas, there is no limit to what they can accomplish.

Roryckeel.com

General Tips on Using Social Media

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General Tips on Using Social Media

By Rory C. Keel

  

Now that you have jumped into the deep end of the pool of social media, here are a few tips to keep you afloat.

Double–check content, editing errors

Before hitting the enter button, check your writing for content and editing errors. Bad grammar and incorrect content will cause the reader to lose interest in what you post.

Be consistent

Keep your online presence active for your readers. By posting regularly, you develop your brand and credibility in your writing.

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When you begin to build a platform on your social media, participate with them by replying to questions, offer helpful content, “LIKE”, “Share”, “follow”, “Plus” others to build your fan base.

Keep tone positive, uplifting

Nobody likes a grouch. Readers will become weary if every post is a gripe or complaint. While you may be frustrated, agitated, or you’re just plain mad, keep your writing positive.

Politics, social issues & religion

Talk about hot topics. Nothing creates a fire more than politics, religion or a social issue. If the focus of your work is in one of these occupations it’s a given that your focus will necessitate writing about them. However, you need to understand that by getting involved in a debate online you could limit your followers. You have the right to post on any topic, but others have right to block your writing.

Roryckeel.com