Advice for New Writers
Back to the basics again: Get organized, schedule your time and writing wisely
In a recent post, we discussed the importance of organization and scheduling your writing efforts. I came up with a revolutionary way that works for me. It’s called a pocket organizer or calendar. Yes, truly “revolutionary” because it’s so “low-tech” in our world of computers and gadgets.
I don’t care whether you own the latest, cutting [...]
Writers’ personality issues — booze, tobacco, drugs, and creativity
There’s a nasty stereotype of writers hunched over their keyboards in a smoke-filled room, planted firmly in “The Zone,” creating tons of material in marathon writing sessions alleviated only by booze, drugs, and an occasional glass of milk.
Or something like that.
You’ve seen such imagery in movies and novels, I’m sure. It’s the “bad boy/bad girl [...]
If you write ad copy, you must learn the importance of ‘pre-selling’
Writing ad copy often involves “pre-selling” rather than selling a product. Pre-selling means prompting the person your ad is aimed at to take additional action: You get them to make a phone call, to send in a coupon, to go to a website, etc.
Let’s look for a moment at a life insurance ad that runs [...]
Learning how to schedule your time as a writer — daily deadlines
Everyone reading this who has NOT mastered the techniques of scheduling, daily “to-do” lists, time management, etc., RAISE YOUR HANDS HIGH.
Yeah, that’s my chubby little paw sticking up right there in the front row.
I’m going to assume that you naturally went to Suzanne Lieurance’s website, The Working Writer’s Coach, after she was a “guest blogger” [...]
Is it possible that I’m the last person alive to hear of this best-selling author?
I hope that title caught your attention. I just discovered a wonderful writer. It happened last week when I was browsing around the “New Fiction” section at the nearest branch of our public library system and caught sight of the name “Terry Pratchett.”
Long story short — I left the library half an hour later with [...]
What’s your ‘fog index’ — and how does that matter in your writing?
I haven’t heard or used the term “fog index” in a number of years. I don’t know whether editors, writing coaches, teachers, or others use the feature anymore or not.
When I first started writing professionally about 190 years ago — okay, perhaps that’s a bit of an exaggeration — my first editor introduced me to [...]
Guest post by Suzanne Lieurance: ‘ “Show Don’t Tell” — What Does That Really Mean?’
Let’s hear a round of applause out there, good readers, to welcome our guest writer for today — Suzanne Lieurance. Suzanne commented on a recent post here regarding deadlines and she and I struck up an online conversation. Suzanne is an accomplished writer and writing coach. I encourage you to check out her website, The [...]
Formerly striking writers learning again the joys of deadlines
I’m sure all of the Hollywood and television writers are happy their strike ended and they’re able to get back to work. I’m equally sure many of them continued to write, even doing treatments and notes on their own during the strike for projects they can plug right in. But it was interesting to read [...]
Writing for the Internet is indeed a fragile proposition
Two things happened over the weekend that illustrate the ups and downs of freelance fortunes — especially if your freelance writing involves doing much business on the Internet.
First, I got “Google slapped” as it’s become known: The Google Page Ranking of one of my blogs dropped to zero. That’s a big “0″ — as in [...]
Non-writing techniques to help you find and develop story ideas
Do you draw? Do you have a talent for sketching? Or are you like me and have problems getting stick people to even look like stick people?
A great technique to help you with a story idea is to try sketching what you’re thinking about a character, a location, actual motion or movements within the scene, [...]
Are you a researcher or a writer? Or are you both?
Whether you write fiction or non-fiction, chances are you have to do at least a little bit of research. Is research something you enjoy doing? Where do you do most of your research?
The good old Internet has changed a lot of the options writers have for doing research. Some of the information which used to [...]
More about accuracy in writing: What color were Hitler’s eyes?
Do you know off the top of your head — what color were Adolph Hitler’s eyes? I ask because, until a few years ago, I didn’t know either.
The answer is they were blue.
The question came up several years ago when I was reading a novel that made reference to Hitler’s “intense stare with his piercing [...]
Beware of anachronisms and careful about literary license to preserve accuracy in your writing
In previous posts I’ve encouraged those of you who write fiction to remember your creative edge: If you don’t know something, you have the liberty of making it up. I also have mentioned the need for realism in fiction.
Which brings up two related matters: Beware of anachronisms and be very careful with literary license.
I just [...]
Stephen King fan or not, you really need to read his ‘On Writing’
Five or six years ago, Stephen King came out with a combination memoir/instruction book he titled “On Writing.” If you haven’t read it yet, you really should. I also would recommend it as a source of inspiration and some good “how-to” knowledge about writing novels. At the very least, it’s a “how-to” of how Stephen [...]
This sometimes works for me when I’m stuck about what to write next
When your plot bogs down and your characters have started to ignore you and you have nothing in particular to write for the middle of that story, you might try this little trick. It works for me:
I hear a sudden, urgent banging on the front door, bedroom door or window, basement stairwell, whatever entrance or [...]
