Artistry With Words

Good morning my friends and Happy Thursday to you!  What’s happening this fine, foggy morning? Are you in the mood to write? That’s like saying are you in the mood to breathe?  Duh!

So I’m kicking this idea around and I thought I would bounce it off of all of you. I’m going to write an article next week about this idea, but this will be a trial balloon to find out your thoughts.

I have been waiting until I got a new digital camera to try a new series of articles.  Well, on my birthday, Bev made me shriek like a little girl when she gave me my present and it was a new Nikon.  Now that I don’t have that excuse any longer I guess I need to move forward with my idea.

I want to head out on the road and write about a different town in western Washington each week….well, maybe not every single week, but on a regular basis. My Washington travel articles do quite well on Google, and I enjoy writing about the state that has been my home for so many years, so why not write a regular series of articles and then try to pitch them to magazines?

I would call the series “Backroads of Western Washington Featuring…….” And then the name of the chosen town.

Now that’s all well and good, but that isn’t the main point of my idea.  What if many writers from many states did the same thing, with the same first part of the title….Backroads of Western New York, or Backroads of Southern Florida….you know what I mean?  Wouldn’t that increase our chances with the Google gods, and wouldn’t that be a great pitch when sending queries to magazines, that your article is part of a nationwide “Backroads” series?????  You wouldn’t have to write every week; you could write one each month, or one every few months; it would still be part of the series and be effective.

So, what do you think?  Tell me in your comments and thanks for your input.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Unity is strength… when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.”
Mattie Stepanek

See how I tied the quote into my writing idea? Clever, huh?  LOL

TIP OF THE DAY

Build your platform doing things like this proposed series of mine.  The more you can collaborate with other writers, the more your name is out there to be seen, found and recognized.  Show diversity, try new genres, attempt new tasks.  It is all part of a master plan.

CONTEST OF THE DAY

The Lascaux Prize in Short Fiction contest is underway; submissions will be accepted through December 31^st for short stories up to 10,000 words.  Only a five dollar entry fee and you can find out about it here.

SITE OF THE DAY

My writing buddy Rolly from up north suggested this site so I thought I’d pass it along to you. It’s a writing program called Scrivener and you can find out about it here.  For those of you who write novels, this is a great way to organize your research and writing.

PROMPT OF THE DAY

You know what to do. Give me 200 words using all five senses about this picture. Have fun with it and stretch your limits.

THAT’S ALL, FOLKS!

Give me your thoughts on the travel article idea. I’m going to do it regardless, but I’m curious if anyone else thinks it’s a good idea to piggyback on each other’s articles. We could link to each other and maybe start something fairly big.

Bill

“Helping writers to spread their wings and fly.”

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

Happy Thursday to you all!  I hope this finds you well.  Shall we begin?

What is a writer?  I’m going to write an article about this topic in a few days, but today I’m going to take a different route in answering that question.

If you were to look at the dictionary definition of a writer you would find:

: someone whose work is to write books, poems, stories, etc.

: someone who has written something

Well that’s a bit nebulous if you ask me.  Someone who has written something? Come on Websters; you can do better than that.  Does that mean someone who writes a grocery list is a writer?  I think not, and yet they certainly fit under the second definition.

But what about the first definition:  someone whose work is to write books, poems, stories, etc……the word ‘work’ throws me just a bit.  Does that mean writing in pursuit of money?  Do you see why I’m having trouble with the concept of what a writer is?

So let me tell you what I think a writer is.  A writer is a person who puts one word in front of another, and another, and another, in an attempt to advance literature.  To my way of thinking, it all comes down to intent.  If your intention is to improve your skills and in so doing to better the art of writing, then in my opinion you are a writer; if your intention is to simply make money without any consideration to the art of writing, then you are not a writer.

Snobbish for sure but there you have it.  Writing is a craft…part of the arts….THE ARTS….and it needs to be treated as an art form.  I don’t care if you just write blogs or if you are a content writer or a writer on Bubblews or just write for yourself….if your intent is to improve your craft then in my book (pun intended) you are a writer. Otherwise, if you are just writing for clicks and views, you are nothing more than an accountant.

TIP OF THE DAY

Try writing in a different genre.  I said for years that I could not write poetry, but I forced myself to write a poem titled “I Cry Real Tears.”  It did not springboard me to fame but it did help me, in the long run, to write better free-form prose and so it was well-worth the effort.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Become addicted to constant and never-ending self-improvement.”
Anthony J. D’Angelo

CONTEST OF THE DAY

Another opportunity for self-improvement as a writer is to enter a contest and test your skills against thousands in a competition.  Here’s one that might interest you.  The Baltimore Review’s Winter Contest has several genres that you can enter, and the entry fee is only $10.  I believe the entry deadline is November 30^th.  You can find the details here.

PROMPT OF THE DAY

I wrote an article yesterday about using all five senses when writing to appeal to the reader.  Try it on this picture.  Use your five senses to describe this prompt.

AND THAT’S ALL FOR TODAY

I’m over 500 words and that is more than enough to get my point across. I hope you found this helpful. In no way am I trying to insult anyone regarding the definition of writing.  I just feel strongly that real writers should try to advance their craft and improve.

Have a great day and a great weekend.

Bill

“Helping writers to spread their wings and fly.”

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

What day is it?  Oh…okay, Happy Tuesday and welcome back to Artistry With Words.

Changes are in store for this writer…and really they always are. I’m constantly taking a look at my long-range plan and tweaking my weekly efforts to better align with the plan.  Since it’s October now that means it is time for another tweak.  Note that my plan doesn’t change. My five year plan has remained the same since Day One of my writing adventure.  What does change is my approach to that plan, depending on all of those influences that hit us writers almost daily.

So that will be our focus today…..adjusting the approach to our plan.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Man’s unique reward, however, is that while animals survive by adjusting themselves to their background, man survives by adjusting his background to himself.”
Ayn Rand

Let me admit right here and right now that I have never liked reading Ayn Rand….but…I like this quote.

TIP OF THE DAY

What has worked for you in the past with regards to writing? Find your successes and repeat them.  What has not worked in the past? Either change your approach or stop wasting time repeating failures.

CONTEST OF THE DAY

The Permafrost Book Size Poetry Contest is accepting submissions. Entry fee is $20 for up to 50 pages, and the deadline is November 15^th. You can read about it here.

MONEY SITE OF THE DAY

Ucross Foundation is accepting applications for their 2-8 week residency for artists and writers. Located on a working cattle ranch in Ucross, Wyoming, the Foundation offers an excellent retreat for those needing to get in touch with their artistic talents in a supportive community.  Applications can be found here.

PROMPT OF THE DAY

What do you see? What do you feel looking at this picture?  Can you write 300 words on it?

WRITER OF THE DAY

Say hello to my dear friend Mary, or Tillsontitan on HubPages. Mary is the perfect example of niche writing with her series on the Academy Awards.  Check her out here.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

Don’t be afraid of change in this business.  The online writing stage is changing almost daily, and you need to change with it….but above all, and I say this in all seriousness….work on perfecting your craft.  I don’t care what approach you take and how many things you try to change; if your writing is subpar then people will notice.

 SEE YOU AGAIN ON THURSDAY

Every Tuesday and Thursday you can count on this writing blog to appear. I hope you find something that is helpful, and thank you for visiting during your busy day.

Bill

“Helping writers to spread their wings and fly.”

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

Happy Thursday to all of you!  If it’s Thursday, and it is, then it must be time for Artistry With Words, so let’s get a move on and toss out a few ideas.

Today’s topic is…..drum roll please…..working at your craft.

Check out the quote below and then we’ll chat.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“The most important thing is to read as much as you can, like I did. It will give you an understanding of what makes good writing and it will enlarge your vocabulary.”
J. K. Rowling

There are some lessons we could learn about perseverance from Rowling, but today let’s concentrate on her words in that quote.  “Read as much as you can….”

I read a fascinating blog yesterday, recommended to me by my good friend Lizzy, and in that blog the writer talked about his success in blogging coming from the fact that he was smarter than most other bloggers.  Now before you start screaming, hear him out.  The point he was making was that good writers, and good bloggers, are inherently interesting people, and they are interesting because they know a great deal about many subjects, and that makes them informative and yes, fascinating, so that you can’t wait to read what they have to say.

He went on to say that he spends hours reading newspapers and online stories and watching documentaries and such, and his research into life in general far surpasses the amount of time he spends writing.  You can find his blog here.

Anyway, the point is that the more we prepare and gain knowledge, the better writers we will become.

Another friend of mine, Sha, reads, I swear, every single “how to” article about writing, trying to pick up bits and pieces of information that will help her improve.

The bottom line is this:  writing is work.  Few of us are so damn gifted that we don’t have to work at it; most of us have to constantly try to improve our skills, and along with that we need to increase our knowledge.

TIP OF THE DAY

I’ll keep this short and sweet:  read a minimum of one hour per day.  When I was a teacher this was my number one piece of advice to parents who wanted their children to improve in writing….have them read.

CONTEST OF THE DAY

Cutthroat Poetry and Short Story Contests are taking submissions right now with a deadline of October 15^th. Entry fee of $17 and first prize money of $1250.  You can read the guidelines here.

CONGRATULATIONS OF THE DAY

To my friend Ruchira who just published her first book called “Choices.”  Great accomplishment Ruchira!

PICTURE PROMPT OF THE DAY

You know what to do….write 300 words about this picture.  Who knows, maybe there is a short story in it and you can enter the Cutthroat competition.

WRITING PROMPT OF THE DAY

Finish this sentence with 300 words of free-form writing……..”The day began like any other day until…….”

MORE ON TUESDAY

It’s time to get to work so I’ll wish you all a great day of writing AND reading.  I greatly appreciate each and every one of you, and I hope you all know that.

Join me Monday, Wednesday and Friday on my other blog, “A Moment With Bill.” You can find it here.

Bill

“Helping writers to spread their wings and fly.”

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

And a very Happy Tuesday to all my peeps.  I hope you had a great weekend and a productive Monday.  Shall we get this day started?

I published an article today about our loss of innocence with the signing of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution in 1964, effective giving the President the power to send troops into Vietnam without Congressional approval.  You can see it here if you want.

But the reason I bring it up is because it is written in free-form, a stream of consciousness method where you just randomly toss out thoughts and brain messages without any concern for proper grammar or punctuation.  The purpose is to see how many verbal images you can come up with about a significant event.

When you toss out the rules and just write, it is amazing how freeing it can be.  Your imagination is given free rein and it is allowed to gallop across the page without restraints.  I had a ball writing that article and I hope you give that technique a try as well.

By the way, on the subject of inspiration, the idea for that article came from the song “American Pie” by Don McLean, one of my favorites.  Listen to it and you will get a better feeling for what I was trying to accomplish with my article.  His song, as you may or may not know, is about the day the music died, or the day that Buddy Holly died in a plane crash, but it is also a nostalgic look back at the early 60’s, as is my article.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“All I’m writing is just what I feel, that’s all. I just keep it almost naked. And probably the words are so bland.”
Jimi Hendrix

Great quote by Hendrix, and although it is about songwriting I think you’ll agree that it applies to writing as well.  Keep your writing naked if you want the feelings to shine through.

TIP OF THE DAY

Use the free form, shotgun method to write 300 words about an event in your life. Don’t worry about grammar or spelling or punctuation….just let it flow.  This is a great exercise in developing voice.

CONTEST OF THE DAY

The first annual Wild Light Contest for poets, sponsored by the Los Angeles Review….cash prize and inclusion in the Los Angeles Review.  Check it out here.

PROMPT OF THE DAY

All five senses…what do they say about this picture? Now, free form writing for 300 words about it.

MONEY OF THE DAY

The Artsmith Residencies are taking applications for those interested in staying at a writer’s colony for a week in January, 2014. The Residency is in the beautiful San Juan Islands of Washington State, so you might want to take a look at this offering.  You can find them here.

AND THAT’S ALL FOR TODAY MY FRIENDS

But I’ll be back on Thursday with more things to consider.  You can always check out my other blog, A Moment With Bill, on the days I don’t post this blog.  You can find that blog here.

As always, I greatly appreciate you taking the time to visit with me. I hope you found something worth keeping.

Bill

“Helping writers to spread their wings and fly.”

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