Tag Archives: how to write better

Build It And They Will Come

24 Sep

003It’s so good to see you back with me. I hope you had a great weekend and you are ready to hit the writing road running. I know I am.

I have mentioned before in earlier articles that I have a five-year plan for my writing.  Everything is geared towards that five-year goal, and everything I do is aligned with the plan.  For me it is the only way to approach this writing gig. I have bigger plans than to publish a few articles in magazines, or make a living writing for content mills.  I’m building my platform one step at a time and when I’m all done I’ll have a solid structure and hopefully a nice income to boot.

Do you have a long-range plan?  Have you sat down and mapped out where you want to be with your writing and where you want to go with your writing? How are you going to get there?

There are so many ways to approach this writing gig.  There are magazines and there are writer’s sites like HubPages and there are newspapers and books and on and on and on….and it can get confusing and overwhelming, and I think sometimes writers try the shotgun approach and miss their target….if they have a target at all.

So that brings us to the tip of the day…..

TIP OF THE DAY

Make a plan for your writing adventure. Have a clear goal and then plan how you are going to reach that goal.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.”
Thomas Jefferson

Just something to think about. J

BOOK OF THE DAY

Yes, another friend of mine, Sydney Spence, just published her first book on Amazon.  It is a children’s book and it is called Whiney Weenie’s Christmas Carol.  You can find it here.

PROMPT OF THE DAY

November 2012 around Olympia 029

See it…now write 100 words on it, stream of consciousness, no thought, just start writing…..GO!

CONTEST OF THE DAY

How about something a little different? A haiku contest….Black Heart Magazine is holding their 3rd Annual Kick Ass Haiku Contest and you can enter here.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

If you are submitting articles to magazines, or thinking about it, remember that time slows down with magazine editors. It may take them months to respond to your query letter, so don’t give up…and it may take them weeks to pay you, so don’t forget.  Keep sending out those queries, keep them logged somewhere where you won’t forget them, and keep trying.

TIME TO GO

Gotta run this morning.  Customers are calling and my platform isn’t going to build itself.  Have a great day and thanks as always for stopping by.

Bill

“Helping writers to spread their wings and fly.”

 

 

 

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Writing With Greatness In Mind

25 Jun

003And a very happy Tuesday, the 25th of June, to all of you.  I hope you slept well and you are bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this morning.

I wrote an article this morning about how to write scenes in fiction, or for that matter, nonfiction if you have a desire to do so.

Read the quote below and then I’ll continue.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“A word is not the same with one writer as with another.  One tears it from his guts.  The other pulls it out of his overcoat pocket.”~Charles Peguy

You see, the point is that great writing engages the reader.  Great writing elicits emotions.  Great writing takes the reader and plants them down right in the scene.

Take a look at the picture prompt below and then we’ll continue again.

PROMPT OF THE DAY

grapes

This is a scene from the great movie, and book, The Grapes of Wrath.  Now, for an exercise, I want you to try and write a description of this scene.

Mediocre writers will tell you that it was dusty and hot.

Great writers will find a way to write this scene so that you taste the dust and feel the sweat in your underwear.

Get the point?

It is the same with art or music or sculpting or photography.  There is a very valid reason why the greats are called greats.

TIP OF THE DAY

Use all five senses to describe a scene or setting.

SITE OF THE DAY

The Elizabeth Ayres Center For Creative Writing is a pretty good site.  You can find it here, and you will also find good recommendations for writing workshops to attend.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

I have to remember that I am writing to a wide-range of writers. Some of you simply write for your own enjoyment.  Others write with hopes of making some supplemental income, while still others hope to make it big submitting magazine articles or writing books.

As always, take what you need and leave the rest.  There is more than enough to go around for all of you.  One thing I think we can all agree on is that we want you to become the best writer you can possibly be.  Right?

MORE TOMORROW

Seriously, I want you to try and write a description of the scene in the writing prompt.  Remember the purpose of writing that scene.  Don’t tell me it’s dry and parched….make me feel it.

Have a productive day and thank you for stopping by.  If I can ever be of any help feel free to drop me a line at holland1145@yahoo.com.

Bill

“Helping writers to spread their wings and fly.”

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