Welcome back my friends to the show that never sleeps. Well, that’s an exaggeration of course, but I thought it sounded clever so what the heck?
Browse around and if you see something you like the make me an offer. If not, thanks for visiting and hopefully next time you stop by you’ll fall in love with some of my merchandise. J
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Words, once they are printed, have a life of their own.”
Carol Burnett (1936 – )
An interesting quote and I honestly don’t know what Ms. Burnett had in mind when she said it. To me it means that the way we form our words can give life to them, and therein lies the job of a writer…to give the words a great life rather than a mundane and boring life.
Do you breathe excitement into your words, or are your words on life support as soon as they hit the page? As writers we have such incredible power. Our words can inspire….thrill…sadden….incite….anger….or put someone to sleep. J
TIP OF THE DAY
How are you doing with the Ten Second Rule? Do you remember it? The rule simply states that you have about ten seconds to interest your readers in your article, so you had better make that opening paragraph a great one.
Ten seconds……about one paragraph….and this applies to all kinds of writing with the possible exception of technical subjects….ten seconds to make your readers excited.
Here is the opening paragraph on a book I’m slowly working on. See what you think about the Ten Second Rule:
I take no pleasure in killing. Never have, despite my background. The simple fact of the matter is that some people deserve to be eliminated. The molesters, the pimps, the drug dealers and the serial killers, they all deserve death. They deal in death and death they shall receive, and I am the Fed Ex man more than willing to drop by with a little package for them.
What do you think? Did I grab your attention? Are you willing to read more?
Think about that next time you begin writing an article.
CONTEST OF THE DAY
The Literarian Short Story Contest. Guidelines and rules can be found here.
The prize is $1000 and work limit is 5000 words. Worth looking at if you have a short story sitting around gathering dust.
WRITER OF THE DAY
Allow me to introduce you to a friend of mine. His name is Joe and you can find him here.
Besides being a very good writer with excellent insight, he is also a resident of the great state of Washington, so I’ll always be in his corner. J Go take a look at his work. He is a good one!
PROMPT OF THE DAY
This is from the tiny Alaskan village of Akiachak where I spent a rather long year teaching. We will call it “Sunrise on the Kuskokwim.” Does it bring to life any thoughts for you?
THAT’S ALL FOR TODAY
Thank you for visiting. I hope you picked up something useful during your visit. Remember that you have tremendous power with the words that you choose. Writing is an Art and hopefully you are treating it as such. Engage your readers. Breathe life into your writing. Above all, stay passionate about this gift that you have been given.
Bill
Billybuc
Artistry With Words 