These are all the posts that didn’t quite fit anywhere!
As the title says, here it goes. A couple of sketches: The old dog twitched until it spasmed, flat on its side, along from all its friends. Meanwhile other animals in the vicinity reeled at the sight. It was afternoon, the sun rocketing into descent. A sigh. A heave. […]
Y’all know the drill. Here are exercises from Ms Steinemann’s vocabulary improvement book. I took her paragraphs, but replaced the overused words. Can you guess the emotion for each character? 1. Sushi whined and barked in the kitchen. Bob rolled over in bed to peer at the clock: 3:07 […]
Today’s exercise tackles the issue of characters clearing their throat. It seems I am not the only one asking my people to cough-cough every couple of scenes. This is a prevalent action, sort of a cop out. Really, the solution would be to understand the character’s motivation better, and reveal […]
In today’s exercise, the author of Writer’s Lexicon asks us to replace all iterations of the word “bring.” Look no farther, she indicates, than the dictionary definition: “to carry, convey, conduct, or cause . . .” The definition provides your synonyms. The solution requires that we pay attention to […]
In this chapter we are asked to tackle the big problem of using the word big in our stories. To work this, we are given a series of paragraphs to improve. Tools include utilizing “-size,” such as “roach-sized,” or “saucer-sized”; synonyms that characterize; and simple show not tell. Ready? […]
In this edition of the Writer’ Lexicon, Ms Steinemann urges us to invent adjectives (a form of loosening the neurons, if you will) just as Lewis Carroll did. Combination The nineteenth century author combined words to create slithy (slimy+lithe), and even mimsy (miserable+flimsy). Let’s have a go […]
For the next couple of posts, dear readers of this blog, I will exercise the vocab lobe of the brain. For too long I have felt my vocabulary lacks tone. Its hit me whenever I try to make a point, but the point falls blank. Meanwhile, when I hear someone […]
Take 2 minutes to describe your “daily ideal” for writing. Relevant to your life, particular to you. Manias: quiet or music, closed space, uninterrupted. Long stretch of time or at least two hours (minimum 1 hr). Completely for myself first drafts, with reading option. Email sharing not until full […]
Mr Ed goes on to say there are five no-nos when it comes to story openings. Never start with a dream (where you tell a whole story and then finish by saying “It was all a dream.”) If you do start with a dream, like Biggie does in “Juicy,” […]
I did not reflect on the last chapter, because it was essentially a recap. So quickly let us recap. According to Mr Ed, all good beginnings have, to various degrees, the following: Backstory (or events before the book) Setup (events leading up to the start of the story) […]
The next chapter in Les Edgerton’s book resonates with all of me. I think it’s one of the greatest chapters on story problems. And life problems. Hitting me right on schedule. It begins by looking at the relationship between a story’s two types of problems: story-worthy problems and surface-level […]
Fun fact: the mascot at my university was a longhorn bull and our motto was “Hook ’em!” Sad fact: rarely do writers grow horns and hook their reader in the gut. In a sense that’s what Mr Ed’s book is all about: not so much throwing a line into the […]
The next book on my journey is called Hooked. The book, written by author and professor Les Edgerton, takes an 11-chapter look at the craft of writing beginnings. The opening sentence, like the opening paragraph or opening scene, must convince the reader to continue reading. It’s pretty self-evident — given […]
HERE I WILL SLIP AND SLIDE USEFUL TOOLS FOR WRITING — UPDATED: 11:11 AM, 26 Sept 2020 Motivation: Tell stories of transformation (how did you change?) Write about topics that fuel emotions (what upsets you, what politics, what news) Great fears (of yours and of others) Deep secrets (of […]
Phew. Now that we got through that whole book, it’s time to sketch a quick plot. Mr Bell suggests we take everything we know and write a plot summary. So, we need LOCK for the general layout (lead, objective, conflict, knockout). We need ARM (action, reaction, more action). And of […]
In Mr Bell’s final chapter (FINAL CHAPTER!!!) the gentleman of plot offers us a peek inside his tool chest. Inside is an assortment of techniques we can use to spruce up a tricky novel. The metaphor, which he offers at the beginning of the chapter to help us understand this […]
Find a novel on your shelf that didn’t work for you. How would you have done it better? It makes sense why this exercise appears in the repair chapter. Helping us to objectively make someone else’s book better for us might help us make our own books better for […]
Mistakes in real life cannot be repaired. If you say something awful to a loved one, you cannot take it back. In my experience, sometimes it feels like anything you say is just a pile on to the previous words. As if new words could repair the old. The same […]
You probably guessed my last post featured the pattern of revenge. Today’s exercise asks us to do the activity again — pick a pattern, sketch a plot — but this time to mix two different patterns. I want to mix a love pattern, with another kind of pattern, one that […]
Mr Bell suggests we get a feel for plot patterns by picking one of the ones mentioned in his book. And then to sketch out a whole new fresh plot around it. Boy oh boy, I’m excited. Here is goes. Can you guess what pattern I’m using? . . […]