Welcome back to the next installment of Artistry With Words. I’m glad you all joined me today. Kick off your shoes, grab a chair and let me entertain you for a few minutes. Refreshments will be served shortly so I hope you left room for some goodies.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Easy reading is damn hard writing.”
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Ain’t that the truth? Our job as writers is to produce easy reading for our readers, and without a doubt that is a tough job on the best of days.
TIP OF THE DAY
Write as if you were talking or writing to a friend, and never be afraid to experiment.
What is your writing style? Do you know? Are you comfortable with it or are you still searching for it? Many would call this your writer’s voice and in fact, that’s as good a description as any. Our writing style is unique to us. Nobody else writes exactly as you do, so develop that style and be proud of it.
Read the simplicity of phrasing in “To Kill A Mockingbird” and then read the intricacy of phrasing in “The Grapes of Wrath.” Check out the short sentences of James Patterson and then the long, descriptive sentences of James Lee Burke. Their style is their signature, and it has been developed over years of practice and hard work.
Experiment with different genres. Tape record yourself talking and then listen to your words. Keep at it until you develop a style that is uniquely yours and yours alone. In the final analysis, you are the one who must be satisfied and comfortable with your writing, but remember a very important truth: if your readers are not comfortable with your writing you will have failed at your job as a writer.
SITE OF THE DAY
Writer’s Beat.com can be found here. You will find a long list of forum topics where you can discuss writing with other writers and gain valuable information and perspective.
BOOK OF THE DAY
“The Art of Column Writing” by Suzette Martinez Standring. This is an excellent book that gives great insider secrets from the likes of Art Buchwald, Dave Barry, Arianna Huffington and Pete Hamill, all great columnists. If you have ever considered writing a column and getting it syndicated, this is the book for you.
WINNER OF MY BOOK GIVEAWAY
Congratulations to Deb Neyens from the fine state of Iowa. She guessed that I was 25 when I first climbed Mt. Rainier and I was actually 24 years old. Deb, if you will email me your address at holland1145@yahoo.com I will get my book in the mail to you.
WRITING PROMPT OF THE DAY
What do you see when you look at the picture below? How does it make you feel? Does it remind you of anything from your past life?
Sha, otherwise known as BraveWarrior on HP, wrote a hub today about this prompt. You can find it here.
And that’s it for today! Thank you so much for visiting me once again, and I hope you found something valuable in this missive.
Remember to write as if your tail was on fire and your life depended on it.
If I can be of any help to you, feel free to email me at holland1145@yahoo.com and I’ll do what I can.
Bill
Billybuc
Artistry With Words 