Artistry With Words

Happy Monday to you all.  I normally don’t do this blog on Monday but normal went out the window awhile back, so no worries. J

We got a new dog and that kept us busy this weekend. She is a ten-year old Australian Shepherd that we got from animal rescue and she is a doll.  That’s her in today’s prompt.

Well, let’s get this show on the road.  First our quote of the day.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Procrastination is like a credit card: it’s a lot of fun until you get the bill.”

Christopher Parker
THOUGHT OF THE DAY

Well guess what we are going to talk about today.

To procrastinate is human, especially when self-doubts creep in.  I can only speak for myself, but even with my work ethic I will procrastinate if nervousness and fear enter my mind, and I think most writers are very familiar with that two-headed monster.

I have edited my current novel three times.  I was reading it to Bev today and found something I thought could use a re-write.  And I know for a fact if I read some more of it tomorrow I’ll find more that could be re-written, and if I read it six months from now the same will be true.

Maybe it isn’t ready yet?

The point is that we will never be perfect, and we will always find something to re-write…but…eventually we just have to put our work out there and go for it.  If we fail we keep writing.  We will get better, but the only way to get better is to write and then be willing to take a chance with what we have written.

I know other writers who love to write; who have a genuine passion for writing; but when it comes time to market their writing, to do readings and book signings or whatever, they freeze up and convince themselves that they are not ready yet.  But when will they be ready?  Ever?

TIP OF THE DAY

Take a chance you have not taken yet with your writing. Whether it be a contest or contacting a publisher or whatever, stick your neck out there and find out what you are made of as a writer.

PROMPT OF THE DAY

Yes, it is our new dog Holly.  Does she inspire you?

LET’S KEEP IT SHORT TODAY

I issued you a challenge today. In fact, I issued myself a challenge as well.  Let’s give it some thought today and we will all meet that challenge….and feel better at the end of the day.

Bill

“Helping writers to spread their wings and fly.” 

Tags: artistry with words, how to write, writing tips

Happy Tuesday to you all!  I’m on schedule this week so I’m pretty sure I got the day right.

I’m still toying around with a title for my novel.  What was once “A Long Walk Home” is now “Derailed.”  We’ll have to see what it is next week. LOL

I also received word that my class at the Community Center has been approved.  It will be called….are you ready….Artistry With Words….one night per week, four weeks in May….I’m very excited about teaching a class to creative writing enthusiasts.

Shall we begin?

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Don’t be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson
THOUGHT OF THE DAY

I’m not picking on anyone in particular, and I’m sure not pointing the finger of blame. This is simply an observation for those of you interested in becoming better writers.

I read a lot of articles during the week, and quite a few people who I follow write the same way in every article.  By that I mean there is no risk-taking going on.  If they are craft writers, every craft article that they write sounds the same. If they writer recipes, every recipe “sounds” the same.  If they write about the environment or real estate or whatever, the only thing that changes in each article are the keywords.

Growing as a writer requires taking risks.  It requires experimenting with new styles and new tools.

I have an article coming out this week on how to write an effective analogy.  Let me ask you this: when was the last time you wrote an analogy in one of your articles?  How about a metaphor?  A simile?  If you shook your head at all three then I would hope you consider trying them in the near future.

These are effective grammatical tools that every writer should have in their tool shed, and if you don’t use those tools they will become rusty.

Wait, was that a metaphor? J

PROMPT OF THE DAY

Use it, don’t use it, just have fun looking at it.  It’s free so do with it as you will.

TIP OF THE DAY

For the month of May I’ll be teaching a Creative Writing Course at the local Eastside Community Center.  It’s a way for me to give to the community; it’s a way for me to build my platform as a local author; and it’s my way to make a little money.

How about you? Is there a local community center that might be in need of your talents as a writer?  Just askin’!

WRITER OF THE DAY

Say hello to my friend  breakfastpop from HubPages. I don’t know this young lady’s real name but that’s not terribly important for this posting.  I don’t agree with her politics for the most part but I do enjoy her writing abilities, and this site is all about writing.  You can find her here.

Update: I just talked to her on the phone.  She called as part of my challenge that people start making more contact with each other. What a thrill to talk to her.

MORE ON THURSDAY

I should finish my final draft this week or next and then I’ll need some of my fine friends to read my manuscript and give me suggestions.  If you are willing to do that for me then please mention it in the comments….be advised that it is about 140,000 words and I need it done fairly quickly….and in advance, thank you!

Bill

“Helping writers to spread their wings and fly.”

Tags: artistry with words, how to write, writing tips

Welcome back on this Thursday.  I’m in a good mood. I finished my first re-write on the novel and only have one more to do which should go quickly.  It’s a good feeling and if you have written a novel you understand….if not then I hope you can experience it at some point.

I’ll do the last re-write next week and then it will be time to gather volunteers to read my novel and make suggestions.  After that stage is over it will be time to coordinate it all, seek out agents and publishers, and get it ready for ebook format. Sheez, when will it ever be done? Well, I’m guessing the end of April if all goes well.

I’m still searching for a final title. The working title, “The Long Walk Home” has been used before and I have no desire to fight that battle, so I’ll spend the next week or so deciding on a title I can live with that has not been used before.

In other words, this process seems endless but oh so rewarding.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacle s, discouragement s, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak.”

Thomas Carlyle
Well thank you Mr. Carlyle and I happen to agree, Sir!

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

I mentioned in a recent article that I didn’t know what I would do if this new novel wasn’t successful.  I have already stated that this is as good as I am capable of writing….so what if it isn’t good enough? What message does that send?

Well, the fact is that I am an infinitely better writer today than when I wrote my first novel, “The 12/59 Shuttle From Yesterday and Today,” and I will be infinitely better three years from now.  What will I do if this new novel is not successful?  I will keep writing.  Why?  Simply because I am a writer and that’s what writers do…they write.

TIP OF THE DAY

I don’t know if my approach to novel writing is unique or not. I just know it works for me.  I write the entire story on my first write; what I end up with is the bare bones of the story, the plot, the subplots and the chronology.

On the first re-write I fill in character descriptions and scene descriptions.

On the second re-write I add the last bits of depth to the story.

WRITER OF THE DAY

Say hello to Graham Lee from sunny Lancashire, England. On HubPages his profile name is Old Albion and you can find him here.

AND THAT’S IT FOR THIS WEEK

Thank you as always for taking the time to read my random thoughts on writing. Hopefully you found something here that will help somewhere down the road.  Remember to pay it forward to other writers.

Bill

“Helping writers to spread their wings and fly.”

PROMPT OF THE DAY

Tags: artistry with words, how to write, writing tips

And welcome to March!  I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for spring.  Our weather has actually been quite mild, but I’m getting anxious to start gardening.

I guess I’ll have to deal with my anxiety in the only way I know how…..writing.

Today we have a guest blogger….Sha is her name and she happens to be one of my best buddies in the writing community. In fact, this is the second time she has blogged for me, so we are all in for a bonus treat.  With that, let me turn this over to Sha….oh, and you can find her on HP if you click on this link.

Poetry: Let Your Soul Speak

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“‘Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility.’”

William Wordsworth

My poetry is and always has been inspired by emotions – whether positive or negative. There’s never an in-between. As such, writing poetry has been a release for me, always reaching tranquility by the time I pen the final word. This is why the above quote speaks to me and conveys my message to you.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

We all know there are various types of poetry that are depicted by the structures of each. There’s acrostic, haiku, free verse, limerick, tanka and the list goes on.

To this (part-time) poet, structure should be tossed to the wind when it comes to writing poetry. This is the one genre where only the rules of your heart apply. Where the spewing of emotions govern the pen.

Where you are free to fly.

Poetry is the only form of writing that I don’t have to research or take ‘think breaks’. An instance or an overpowering emotion will throw a line into my head. I grab my notebook and my purple pen and I write until I climax. (How’s that for poetic license?) I think you know what I mean.

I rarely edit my poetry. I write it as I feel it and don’t stop until it comes to a conclusion on its own.

However, I do space the lines in my own unique style. I don’t always follow the rules of grammar and have to spank spell check’s hand quite often.

I once had a fellow writer who was trying his hand at poetry ask me why I space my lines the way I do.  More specifically:

“I have a question: why do you start new lines after only one or two words sometimes, or rather, what was your thought process? It is very interesting.”

This was my response:

“Ben, I start new lines in order for the reader to read the way I intend. Breaks make you think and allow the words to be absorbed by the mind more easily. Poetry isn’t like writing prose; you don’t need to have complete sentences, nor do they need to be on one line. I space my words in order to create the rhythm with which the words sing in my head as I write the poem.”

You see, poetry comes from the heart. Our hearts have no rules. No grammar guidelines. They feel what they feel and oftentimes there’s no rhyme or reason to anyone but the holder of the emotions.

I write poetry the way I feel the emotions that spark the poet in me. When I share, I want the reader to be as close to my heart as when emotion triggered the thought and I took pen in hand. (By the way, I always write my poems on paper before giving them a permanent home in Word, which is completely opposite my routine for any other type of writing.)

At the risk of taking up too much space, here’s an example. In fact this particular poem was inspired by a picture prompt that Bill (our host) threw out there back in April 2013. I published it on HubPages, but their format always changes the way I intend for my poems to be read. Here’s the original:

My Reflections of Life

Gazing upon the river

With the trees reflected

In the crystal clear water

I see Life

I see my life

My life has flowed

Like a river

Twisting and turning,

Never knowing

What’s around the bend

Each turn holds a discovery

Each twist

A challenge

There are scars I’ve gained

Along the river of Life

But they don’t stop the flow

Rather they add texture to the

Beauty that is reflected

In each ripple,

As are the blue skies

And golden sunlight

The scars add substance

And strength of character

They offer a foundation

For beauty and fortitude

To hold onto

The river holds

Reflections of my Life

To be shared

And never forgotten

Shauna L Bowling

Copyright © April 2013

All Rights Reserved

TIP OF THE DAY

Poetry is very personal. It comes from the soul when it chooses to speak. Your heart and soul have no rules; they have no boundaries. Let your poetry flow from within and don’t edit. Too much of life is constrained by rules. Let your spirit fly. When it speaks, write it down verbatim. Poetry is truth. Your truth. Feelings cannot be edited; they are what they are.

You have a beautiful soul. Let it speak its own language.

PROMPT OF THE DAY

My apologies to Sha…I couldn’t download this picture for whatever reason…Mea Culpa (Bill)

LAST THOUGHT OF THE DAY

I want to thank Bill for requesting a guest post from poets. I’ve been so busy with other types of writing that I haven’t been as active as I once was with my poetry.

I hope you gained something from my contribution to Artistry With Words.

Take Bill up on his offer for guest writers. It will broaden your horizons – and your smile!

Peace,

Bravewarrior

UNTIL NEXT TIME

This is where I hand the mike (or keyboard) back over to Bill…..

THANK YOU SHA

And I have nothing to add….thank you Sha!  Remember, all of you, this offer is always open. Just get in touch with me and tell me you would like to guest blog and it will happen.

Have a great week.

Bill

“Helping writers to spread their wings and fly.”

Tags: artistry with words, how to write, writing tips