Frozen Words
by
Noelle Sterne
You're barreling along in the middle of a piece, congratulating yourself on great progress when suddenly, for no apparent reason, you freeze. Paralyzed, you stare at the clock and watch your life, fame, and creativity drain away like sangria from a cracked pitcher. Don’t despair or bury your head in the refrigerator. Just keep going.
This admittedly obvious remedy also frees you from an insidious writer’s malady – the one called the "I-must-produce-only-gold" syndrome. Part of the cure is to accept the inevitable byproduct of writing . . . the "garbage" that every writer creates on his/her way to anything worthwhile.
As a mentor once told me, "Write out the junk." Doing so is essential to reach your goal. The process is often a means of discovering where you want to go. To keep going, try these five methods.
Freeing Tools
1. Combat the "only-gold" syndrome by repeating like a mantra, “It's only my second draft” (even if it's your thirty-fifth). Writing takes time, persistence, and relentless effort. Another worthy mantra is Justice Louis Brandeis' pronouncement: “There is no good writing. There is only good rewriting.”
2. Talk to yourself in the middle of the draft. I use italics: What do I really want to say? What got me fired up in the first place? What feelings do I want to express? How do I want the reader to feel? Should I use metaphors or straight talk?
You can delete your questions later – but I’ll bet from your asking, the answers will pop up like toast from a hot-wired toaster.
3. Have faith in the self-talking method. The answers will surface. American poet Richard Wilbur knew this: “Step off assuredly into the blank of your mind. Something will come to you.”
The secret, and scary part is to “step off,” even if you feel like your brain is as vacant as a twenty-something comedy. Muster your writerly courage and swallow, in a literary free-fall.
4. If you still run into a blank wall, talk to yourself again. One of my first draft paragraphs looked like this: “Or, as Richard Wilbur says, ”Just jump off into the blank of your mind. Something should come to you.” Check quote and correct.
Your mind is a fantastic, retentive, associative computer. You can prompt it to produce whatever you need.
5. Keep writing alternatives. Repeat your last good phrase and begin pumping out whatever comes to mind. However forced, lame, ridiculous, or off-the-mark, write the junk out. It's only your fiftieth draft.
For these drafts, I've also developed a system of slashes and codes. To separate the alternatives, I use slashes: “stupid/stupider/go sell shoes.” Mark your best variations with a special symbol, such as * or +.
I also use several codes:
W = WORD, VERY BAD.
FIX = FIX THIS!
REP = REPetition of words, ideas, sounds.
Create any system that makes sense to you.
These five ideas may sound elementary, but they work. They're effective, powerful tools that help you smash your writing mini-blocks. How do you deal with mini-blocks?
Author, editor, ghostwriter, writing coach, and spiritual counselor, Noelle publishes nonfiction and fiction in print and online venues. In Trust Your Life: Forgive Yourself and Go After Your Dreams (Unity Books), she helps writers and others apply practical spirituality to release regrets, relabel the past, and reach lifelong yearnings. See www.trustyourlifenow.com.
Would you like to have a private tutor? Creative Writing Institute eagerly awaits you. Check us out! writer's block, breaking writers block, overcoming writer's block
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Sunday, January 15, 2012
What is Foreshadowing?
Tips on Foreshadowing by guest blogger Bob Bruggemann
Wikipedia says foreshadowing is a literary device in which an author suggests certain plot developments that might come later in the story. This is an example of foreshadowing:
Sam thought about what the perpetrator said. It was nothing he hadn’t heard before; he’d been threatened many times. The light turned green and he swung around the corner. His eyes panned down the quiet block of single family homes and he knew something was wrong. His partner’s house was dark and so was his. Sam rolled up to the curb and turned off the engine. Leaving his cap on the passenger seat, he pulled out his service revolver, loaded a round into the chamber, and cautiously stepped out of the car.
Sam’s actions give a blatant description of what could happen next. The reader has been forewarned that something might be wrong. It could be a false alarm or it could be something devastating. Only time will tell.
The reader will fall into this trap easily and without suspicion. It’s perfectly natural for a man to enter a tense and dangerous situation with his gun drawn… but suppose he enters the foyer and the lights suddenly come on.
“Surprise! Happy birthday, Honey!” He finds a room full of neighbors in the living room, holding up drinks for a toast. The joy fades as they focus on Sam’s cocked 9mm pistol.
This scenario is a variation of foreshadowing called “misdirection” or otherwise known as a “Red Herring.” See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreshadowing for more examples on the following:
o Premonition
o Master patterning
o Red herring (misdirection)
o Prophecy’s and omens
As an author, you control your world, along with everyone and everything in it. Never be afraid to experiment and push your muse to the limit. There are no limitations to your imagination.
Wikipedia says foreshadowing is a literary device in which an author suggests certain plot developments that might come later in the story. This is an example of foreshadowing:
Sam thought about what the perpetrator said. It was nothing he hadn’t heard before; he’d been threatened many times. The light turned green and he swung around the corner. His eyes panned down the quiet block of single family homes and he knew something was wrong. His partner’s house was dark and so was his. Sam rolled up to the curb and turned off the engine. Leaving his cap on the passenger seat, he pulled out his service revolver, loaded a round into the chamber, and cautiously stepped out of the car.
Sam’s actions give a blatant description of what could happen next. The reader has been forewarned that something might be wrong. It could be a false alarm or it could be something devastating. Only time will tell.
The reader will fall into this trap easily and without suspicion. It’s perfectly natural for a man to enter a tense and dangerous situation with his gun drawn… but suppose he enters the foyer and the lights suddenly come on.
“Surprise! Happy birthday, Honey!” He finds a room full of neighbors in the living room, holding up drinks for a toast. The joy fades as they focus on Sam’s cocked 9mm pistol.
This scenario is a variation of foreshadowing called “misdirection” or otherwise known as a “Red Herring.” See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreshadowing for more examples on the following:
o Premonition
o Master patterning
o Red herring (misdirection)
o Prophecy’s and omens
As an author, you control your world, along with everyone and everything in it. Never be afraid to experiment and push your muse to the limit. There are no limitations to your imagination.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Plagiarism – A Big Word for a Big Crime
What is Plagiarism?
by Joe Massingham
Volunteer Coordinator for Creative Writing Institute
Let’s not beat about the bush… plagiarism is theft dressed up. Just in case you aren’t familiar with the definition, it means ‘to take and use the thoughts, writing, inventions, etc of another person as your own,’ (OED)
People who plagiarize do so because they want to appear more learned, more educated, more professional than they are. It is usually a sign of insecurity or inferiority complex. Plagiarists long for recognition they cannot obtain on their own.
In most cases, though, their attempt at misrepresenting their abilities or knowledge backfires on them and they gain a reputation as dishonest and dishonorable writers.
Sometimes plagiarism happens accidentally. Researchers tend to rewrite things they recall in their sub-conscious. The brain spins into top gear, frantically searching for lost information. Little pieces seep back in until the writer finds fiendishly clever work and weaves it into the nest. Without conscious effort, plagiarism occurs while the relieved writer is humming, “What a good boy am I.”
Within weeks or months, a sneering critic points out that the idea is not original and the crime of plagiarism is exposed to the light of day. For honest writers, it is acutely embarrassing. The small band of deliberate plagiarists, however, knows no shame so they just curl their lip and take another sip of latte.
If you discover you’ve been unconsciously guilty of plagiarism, let the world know you are aware of the error. Rewrite your piece to eliminate the problem and take whatever steps necessary to avoid further incidents.
On the other hand, you may discover someone has plagiarized you. This is more likely to happen if your writing includes some sort of specialist information. If, for example, you’re an expert on bald eagles, keep an eye out for other material on your favorite topic. Here is the place to check: http://www.copyscape.com/. It will cost you a nickel to see if someone has ‘borrowed’ your expertise (but you must purchase them in lots of $5).
How many consecutive words can you print without rephrasing? Three. THREE. Anything more than that rings bells in high places.
There are various possible remedies if you have been plagiarized, but that’s a topic for another article. In the meantime, the best way to avoid being a plagiarist may be to remember Shakespeare’s words:
“This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.”
Visit http://www.creativewritinginstitute.com today to find more great tips.
by Joe Massingham
Volunteer Coordinator for Creative Writing Institute
Let’s not beat about the bush… plagiarism is theft dressed up. Just in case you aren’t familiar with the definition, it means ‘to take and use the thoughts, writing, inventions, etc of another person as your own,’ (OED)
People who plagiarize do so because they want to appear more learned, more educated, more professional than they are. It is usually a sign of insecurity or inferiority complex. Plagiarists long for recognition they cannot obtain on their own.
In most cases, though, their attempt at misrepresenting their abilities or knowledge backfires on them and they gain a reputation as dishonest and dishonorable writers.
Sometimes plagiarism happens accidentally. Researchers tend to rewrite things they recall in their sub-conscious. The brain spins into top gear, frantically searching for lost information. Little pieces seep back in until the writer finds fiendishly clever work and weaves it into the nest. Without conscious effort, plagiarism occurs while the relieved writer is humming, “What a good boy am I.”
Within weeks or months, a sneering critic points out that the idea is not original and the crime of plagiarism is exposed to the light of day. For honest writers, it is acutely embarrassing. The small band of deliberate plagiarists, however, knows no shame so they just curl their lip and take another sip of latte.
If you discover you’ve been unconsciously guilty of plagiarism, let the world know you are aware of the error. Rewrite your piece to eliminate the problem and take whatever steps necessary to avoid further incidents.
On the other hand, you may discover someone has plagiarized you. This is more likely to happen if your writing includes some sort of specialist information. If, for example, you’re an expert on bald eagles, keep an eye out for other material on your favorite topic. Here is the place to check: http://www.copyscape.com/. It will cost you a nickel to see if someone has ‘borrowed’ your expertise (but you must purchase them in lots of $5).
How many consecutive words can you print without rephrasing? Three. THREE. Anything more than that rings bells in high places.
There are various possible remedies if you have been plagiarized, but that’s a topic for another article. In the meantime, the best way to avoid being a plagiarist may be to remember Shakespeare’s words:
“This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.”
Visit http://www.creativewritinginstitute.com today to find more great tips.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
