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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

           

WRITING DOWN THE BONES

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By Natalie Bright

Add this one to your writing reference library: WRITING DOWN THE BONES, Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg.

Here are few gems from Ms. Goldberg’s book for you:

“Trust in what you love, continue to do it, and it will take you where you need to go.”

“Writing, too, is 90 percent listening. You listen so deeply, to the space around you that it fills you, and when you write, it pours out of you.”

“The deeper you can listen, the better you can write. You can take in the way things are without judgement…”

“Basically, it you want to be a good writer, you need to do three things. Read a lot, listen well and deeply, and writer a lot.”

nataliebright.com

Eyes On the Prize

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POST CARDS FROM THE MUSE

Eyes On the Prize

By Nandy Ekle

 

Your main character is the most important person in the story. Your readers immediately love him for good reason. He’s just a normal guy try to better himself in some way. Basically, he’s exactly like the person who’s reading your story, and that’s why they love him so much.

He’s average, he needs food, shelter, and love. And he will do anything in the world to get those needs met. Every action he takes, every word he speaks lead toward this goal. And, since those are the basic needs of every person who has ever lived, your readers are involved from the first word.

Now, there is a nemesis who, for whatever reason, wants to keep one, two, or even all three of these needs from your main character. This nemesis could be another person, a government, a circumstance, a situation, or mother nature. He could even be against himself.

But our readers want our character’s needs to be met. Remember, the reader loves the person in our story and their heart will be broken if the story ends without so much as a slight struggle. And our character has a strong will to have those needs met, which makes him that much more lovable to our readers.

So we much have struggle. The character is willing to give up nearly anything to get those needs met. In fact, he has to go so far as to give up his life to attain his goal. And this is when he becomes a hero to the reader. Even he doesn’t actually every receive his prize, the fact that he makes the sacrifice to get within arms reach will make the reader love him even more.

Congratulations. You have just received a post card from the muse.

A Literary Analysis of Stephen King’s Writing: Part 1

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A Literary Analysis of Stephen King’s Writing: Part 1

by Adam Huddleston

 

“What? Seriously? We get it Adam, you’re a fan of Stephen King. But he’s a hack! His work isn’t deep or meaningful! He’s a cynical writer with very little to contribute to the overall tome of literature!”

And he’s one of the best-selling authors of all time.    So, say what you will, he must be doing something right.

Over the next few weeks/months, I plan on doing a general overview of what I believe makes Mr. King a successful writer. Notice I didn’t say a superior writer, just a very popular one. These blogs will be swimming with my personal views and opinions. Although I am by no means a professional critic, I feel that I’ve spent enough time in Mr. King’s writing to back up my thoughts with legitimate reasoning. So, let begin.

What does Stephen King do well? What are his writing strengths and (without completely imitating them) what can we draw from his work to improve our craft?

I believe his genius comes out in his character creation. He has the ability to create memorable heroes and villains with just enough backstory to make you care about their struggles without slowing the pace too much. Characters like Pennywise the Clown, Cujo, and Christine are as well known in American culture as Wyatt Earp and George Washington!

Mr. King is also able to throw those full characters into the most imaginative situations. His work, while generally classified as horror, steals a bit from the fantasy, science-fiction, and western genres as well. As you can imagine, when you mix these fields together, a mother-load of strange circumstances can occur. It is these odd occurrences which he throws his protagonists into that keep his “Constant Readers” turning the page.

Next week:

His plotting style and proliferation.

Thinking Too Much

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Outtakes 212

Thinking Too Much

by Cait Collins

I believe certain aspects of a work should be researched. Historical facts need to be checked, and laws, procedures, and medical information must be accurate. However, too much technical jargon can slow the story and frustrate the reader. Barry Eisler writes some of the best thrillers. He uses a perfect marriage of a fast action story, memorable characters and spy-speak. He relies on good story telling instead of clocking the action in technicalities. There are other very popular writers who overwhelm me with their expert knowledge.

It’s not just technical over-thinking that can hinder a project. Back story and excessive description are also enemies of good story telling. The reader does not need nor does he want to know the whole story up front. And who wants to wade through three pages describing the sunrise or fly fishing in a mountain stream.

The old KISS philosophy works well when planning a story. Keep It Simple, Stupid. (Stupid references the writer, not the reader.) By adhering to good plot, dynamic characters, and proper setting, the story can be told well. Those fascinating details will season and spice the work when they are properly and sparingly sprinkled into the mix.

 

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

Fill In the Blank

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POST CARDS FROM THE MUSE

Fill In the Blank

By Nandy Ekle

 

Her first name is __________. Her hair is the color of __________ and her eyes look like __________. Her favorite hobby is __________. Her passion is __________, but more than anything in the world she wants __________, and she would be willing to give up __________ to get it.

His first name is __________. His hair is the color of __________ and his eyes look like __________. His favorite hobby is __________. His passion is __________, but more than anything in the world he wants __________, and he would be willing to give up __________ to get it.

One day they meet at __________ and they both know __________. They decide they should __________, each one thinking about that one thing they want so desperately. But when they begin to _________ they realize _________ all along. In the end they have __________ their goals to __________.

The End.

Congratulations. You have jus received a post card from the muse.

Rookie Mistakes in Writing

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Rookie Mistakes in Writing

by Adam Huddleston

 

As an aspiring writer, I am well acquainted with the myriad of mistakes that a young scribe can make (and truth be told, I still make them all the time). These can range from poor word selection to inappropriate story pacing. For the newbie like me, here are a few pitfalls to avoid:

  1. Don’t over/underuse adverbs and adjectives. Descriptions are wonderful for your writing, they make the scene stand off the page, but using too many will bog the story down and lead to a weak overall reading experience. Instead, opt for a sharper word selection.
  2. Alter sentence length depending on the events in the story. Exposition can afford to be a bit longer but action scenes should contain quick, powerful sentences that drive the narrative forward.
  3. Keep your promises. If you lead the reader to believe something concerning a character or event, make sure you stay true to it or the reader will feel cheated. For example, if you imply that the antagonist is planning something evil and dangerous for the hero, have him do it! Also, if your story has a twist ending, make sure it is still a reasonable one. Avoid the deus ex machina.

 

Hopefully, you will find these helpful in your writing!

Getting Unstuck

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Outtakes 211

Getting Unstuck

by Cait Collins

So you’re getting ready to write your very first love scene. The problem is your characters don’t know each other that well. The young lady is not very experienced, and while the gentleman portrays himself as worldly, it’s all a bluff. He is very principled and truly believes in love. You’re having problems writing the scene.

Maybe the answer to your problem is in your past.

Think back to your first make-out session. Or your first real encounter. How nervous were you? What about the first kiss. Were your palms sweaty? Was the experience a pleasant memory or a disaster? Relive the grins, the groans, and the giggles. Gather every memory of event and write your scene. Remember, the first time probably wasn’t all that romantic and sexy, but did it stop you from trying to make it better the next time?

The ROCKY Path to Publication

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The ROCKY Path to Publication

By Natalie Bright

If there’s one thing about the writing industry I’ve learned as being true, is how consistently inconsistent it is.

An author of 35 plus novels told me that not one of her books ever did like she’d planned. Some won major awards taking her totally by surprise, some got picked up in foreign countries while others didn’t, and some of her all-time favorite stories to write didn’t resonate with her fans like she’d hoped.

I visited with a newbie writer in Dallas whose Aunt had paid her conference fee because her Aunt believed she had potential as an author. We visited over the weekend, and her story ideas were very unique. At her first conference she learned, pitched, and submitted. That “newbie” took the fast track to success and never looked back. She has since established a solid career which began with a romance eBook novella.

The manuscripts by a former critique partner and talented writer still haunt me. She finally submitted a mystery; it was one of the first and only things she ever submitted. An editor expressed great interest, but this friend would not even consider making any of the edits. She gave up writing soon after.

The point is that the path to publication is very different for each one of us. I think the key is to be willing to bend around any plan you might have and walk through the doors, or very small windows, or opportunity.

Today’s authors are faced with a myriad of options. Some days it’s overwhelming. Should we wait on someone else to decide or should we take matters into our own hands? Authors have the power to give their projects wings, but is it the right thing to do for that particular project?

One thing for sure, the path is consistently rocky and trying, but ultimately very rewarding.

Thanks for following WordsmithSix!

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