“A capacity and taste for reading gives access to whatever has already been discovered by others...” Abraham Lincoln
When was the last time you read something, not as part of a writing project, but just for pleasure?
If it's been awhile, you are missing out on one of the best forms of nourishment for a writer's brain: other people's work.
Reading for pleasure transports us away from the "work" aspect of writing and reminds us of the outcome: a finished piece of literature that inspires and enthralls the reader.
Just for fun, pick a favorite childhood book (mine is Alice in Wonderland) and read it now--not with a writer's critical eye but the way you did when you were a child. Or select a book geared for adults, one that requires your full focus and attention. (Think A Tale of Two Cities or The Brothers Karamazov.) Lose yourself in the formal dialogue, drown in the descriptive paragraphs.
Go outside your "reading rut" and select topics or genres that are unfamiliar to you and explore them. Just read. It will remind you of why you write.
What was the last book you read for pleasure? What did you like about it?
Monday, February 23, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
Inspiring Words on Controlling Your Internal Editor
“Write your stuff, hide it, let it stack up...Don’t look for perfection.” Carolyn See (Making a Literary Life)
As a writer, you have standards. Everything has to be perfect. And if it isn't perfect, well there is that marvelous item called a "delete key." With one push of a button, all those imperfect words are gone.
Halt! Stop! Don't go there! Why? Because before you can revise and rewrite, you need to write. And if you start "fixing" your work too soon in the process, you will destroy it.
First, get it down in all its imperfect, flawed, redundant and repetitive form. Then, let it sit there, untouched and unedited, preferably for a day or two. Then, and only then, are you ready to remove your writer's hat and take up your editor's red pencil.
What strategy do you use to keep your internal editor from showing up too soon in the process?
As a writer, you have standards. Everything has to be perfect. And if it isn't perfect, well there is that marvelous item called a "delete key." With one push of a button, all those imperfect words are gone.
Halt! Stop! Don't go there! Why? Because before you can revise and rewrite, you need to write. And if you start "fixing" your work too soon in the process, you will destroy it.
First, get it down in all its imperfect, flawed, redundant and repetitive form. Then, let it sit there, untouched and unedited, preferably for a day or two. Then, and only then, are you ready to remove your writer's hat and take up your editor's red pencil.
What strategy do you use to keep your internal editor from showing up too soon in the process?
Monday, February 9, 2009
Inspiring Words on Working Toward Your Goal
“Creativity comes from trust. Trust your instincts. And never hope more than you work.”--Rita Mae Brown (Starting From Scratch)
Of course hope is an essential part of the creative process. We hope our ideas will translate to eloquent prose.
We hope an editor or publisher will put our words on the page (printed or virtual).
And we hope that someone somewhere will read them.
But hope without action will get us nowhere. While we can start our day with hope, we had better end it with something solid to show for the time we had.
What writing desire is top on your list? Now--how much time do you devote on a regular basis to turn it from dream to reality?
Of course hope is an essential part of the creative process. We hope our ideas will translate to eloquent prose.
We hope an editor or publisher will put our words on the page (printed or virtual).
And we hope that someone somewhere will read them.
But hope without action will get us nowhere. While we can start our day with hope, we had better end it with something solid to show for the time we had.
What writing desire is top on your list? Now--how much time do you devote on a regular basis to turn it from dream to reality?
Monday, February 2, 2009
Inspiring Words on Enticing the Muse
“The best time to plan a book is while you're doing the dishes.” Agatha Christie
You sit at your desk, turn on your computer and the words ... aren't there.
You want to write. You need to write--either to satisfy your own inner longings or to meet an editor's deadline.
But it just ain't happening.
Dame Agatha is right. Instead of suffering at your desk, go do something else, preferably something physical and mindless. Wash the dishes, mow the lawn, run the sweeper. (My personal favorite is to go for a walk.)
Nine times out of ten, your mind will behave itself and start presenting you with the words you need. Just be sure to have a paper and pencil ready to write it down!
How do you handle a lack of inspiration?
You sit at your desk, turn on your computer and the words ... aren't there.
You want to write. You need to write--either to satisfy your own inner longings or to meet an editor's deadline.
But it just ain't happening.
Dame Agatha is right. Instead of suffering at your desk, go do something else, preferably something physical and mindless. Wash the dishes, mow the lawn, run the sweeper. (My personal favorite is to go for a walk.)
Nine times out of ten, your mind will behave itself and start presenting you with the words you need. Just be sure to have a paper and pencil ready to write it down!
How do you handle a lack of inspiration?
Sunday, February 1, 2009
LOIs—what they are and how to write them
I’ve been using LOIs quite a bit lately as I cast my net far and wide to catch the elusive “assignment fish.”
An LOI (letter of introduction) is, in a sense, a writer’s résumé. And like a résumé, it needs to be tailored to the recipient.
I have one master LOI that summarizes my editorial writing (print and online) with a short list of magazines and Web sites for which I’ve written. Another section highlights my corporate writing background: the industries I’ve written for, the projects I’ve handled. At the end, I've added a brief paragraph about my books and presentations (just in case it might be pertinent).
Then, when I contact prospective clients or editors, I edit the LOI to fit their focus and needs. (Does a health editor really care that I wrote an article on energy-saving roofing materials? Will an architectural firm really want to read my interview with Melissa Etheridge?)
So far, my LOI has netted me a few jobs (even in this tough market) and requests from those who don’t have any projects at the moment to “stay in touch.”
What tips do you have for creating and using LOIs?
An LOI (letter of introduction) is, in a sense, a writer’s résumé. And like a résumé, it needs to be tailored to the recipient.
I have one master LOI that summarizes my editorial writing (print and online) with a short list of magazines and Web sites for which I’ve written. Another section highlights my corporate writing background: the industries I’ve written for, the projects I’ve handled. At the end, I've added a brief paragraph about my books and presentations (just in case it might be pertinent).
Then, when I contact prospective clients or editors, I edit the LOI to fit their focus and needs. (Does a health editor really care that I wrote an article on energy-saving roofing materials? Will an architectural firm really want to read my interview with Melissa Etheridge?)
So far, my LOI has netted me a few jobs (even in this tough market) and requests from those who don’t have any projects at the moment to “stay in touch.”
What tips do you have for creating and using LOIs?
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