Writing Practice

The Practice of Writing;

Tools,Tonics, 

and 

Tinker Toys 


(presented for perusal)

The Writer’s Block: Living a Writer’s Life

A writer’s life is about far more than writing. Editor and author Midge Raymond offers tips on writing … and submitting, researching, editing, networking, marketing, and everything else.

THIS WEEK: Think Inside the Box!


A few years ago, my mom gave me a box of stuff that had been in her house for decades — stuff I hadn’t even realized she had. I opened it up and discovered such things as my baby book, notes to my parents congratulating them on their first child, baby portraits, and other things that happened during my early years, of which I have absolutely no memory whatsoever. I really enjoyed this glimpse into my far, far past.


Today’s writing prompt is to take out your own box of baby stuff, if you have one. If you don’t, imagine it: What’s inside? What parts of your life might be contained there that you can’t possibly remember? Whether you’re writing from your own POV or that of one of your characters, take this exercise as far as you can go, from the unborn person to the person of today. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

The One Thing My Creative Writing Teacher Didn’t Teach

by  on AUGUST 10, 2011

My creative writing teacher didn’t teach us something. I wish he had. If I were him, I would have said it.

It is the foundation of your writing. The source.

This missing piece of knowledge is the beginning of writing.

If you don’t have this, you can still write, but it doesn’t come from your soul. If you don’t write from your soul, what’s the point?

So why didn’t he teach us what it was?

Why You Write

I wanted to be a writer growing up, but I didn’t actually write much. I was too busy playing Rollercoaster Tycoon and watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Still, every once in a while, something would happen. I would have this thing come over me and I knew I had to get something down on the page.

I had to write.

After it happened several times, I started to recognize a theme I was writing about, a tone, even a subject. Now, I don’t need to wait for the moment to strike me. I can write what I have to write about even when I don’t have to.

You have to find that thing you have to write about. What story do you need to tell? What themes draw you to them again and again? Note: I said they draw you to them, not the other way around.

This is the secret that will bring you through the dark days of writer’s block. This is the key motivator that will make you face your fear of rejection (and the actual rejection) that comes with being a writer.

What do you have to write about?

Annie Dillard said, “When you write, you lay out a line of words. The line of words is a miner’s pick, a woodcarver’s gouge, a surgeon’s probe. You wield it, and it digs a path you follow.”

The best way of finding what you have to write about is to write. This secret story is hidden, and has probably been hidden a long time. Before you can write it, you have to find it.

To find the thing you can’t not write about, first you need to start writing.

PRACTICE

Do you know what you have to write about? Make a guess and start writing.

A few days ago we talked about free writing. Let’s try that again. Remember, try not to use the backspace key or even think particularly hard about your writing.

Click-link to the timer and practice for fifteen minutes 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Write About Yourself

by  on NOVEMBER 12, 2011 

We spent a lot of time talking about writing for others this week. On Monday, we talked about how writing for others can motivate you to finish your project. On Wednesday, we talked about how to get into the heads of others to create more interesting stories. Yesterday, we discussed a principle to always spend time writing for the people who are listening (even if it’s just your mom).

Today, is Saturday, though, and on Saturdays, we break rules, we violate principles, and we do the opposite of something we talked about during the week.

So today, just to keep things fresh, let’s write about ourselves.

I am (me)

Photo by Lali Masriera 

PRACTICE:

What’s your favorite quality about yourself? Write about it, and if you can, tell a story involving it.

Click-link to the timer and practice for fifteen minutes 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Spilling Truths: Patience in our Journal Writing Practice

November 11, 2011 · Category: Syndicated, This Energetic Man 

by Scott Youmans

Sometimes it happens. Sometimes something true spills onto the page. I may not notice it, curled there amidst a dozen scribbles or arranged in perfect Arial rows, but it’s there, waiting for me. These words wait a long time for me to come back to them. Many are still waiting.

In the moment of writing them, the power of these words adds momentum to my practice, to the work, pulling me forward. Like a speed boost or power-up. There’s a recognition that something happened, a release of sorts. More words come and the moment passes. If I’m awake and aware I may recall this feeling and skim over the words, highlighting phrases that sing out.

Writing in groups offers a different experience, one that allows each participant to return to their words and share them with the group. In this immediate return to the work, the reader can trip over the truths again and notice them, take the time to breathe into them and feel the reaction both in his body and in the other listeners. This feedback reinforces the truth in the moment of creation helping to anchor it like a seed in fertile soil.

This is my unspoken hope when journaling, that truth will spill out and be recognized. It is my hope for participants in writing circles and workshops. It is my hope for you at home. It doesn’t always happen—nor should it, I suppose—and yet I set the stage with intention, agreements for safety and love, knowing that when the time is right, the words will appear.

As you write, notice the places where your free-writing pulls you forward. When you’re finished, review your work and see if you can identify these places, being aware of how you feel when you re-read them. Did something true spill onto your page?


Scott Youmans is an experienced facilitator with an MA in Transformative Language Arts from Goddard College. He’s a computer programmer, a dedicated partner, and a New Warrior. He lives in Philadelphia. Follow Scott Youmans at his ‘This Energetic Man’ blog. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Why You Need to be Using Oxford Commas

by  on AUGUST 9, 2011

Most of the fun of writing is using your words to tell a story. They course across the page, delighting in the joys of Maureen finally finding her Henry, shuddering as Ingrid uncovers her third dead body of the day, or mourning with Carlos for his lost mother. But I’m not here to talk about words. I’m here to sing the praises of punctuation; specifically, the Oxford comma.

Most people I’ve met have no idea what the Oxford comma is, but it’s probably something that you have used in the past. What is it? It’s a punctuation mark so fantastic that a hipster band wrote a song about it. Let’s observe the Oxford comma in its natural habitat.

While Sean was waiting for Kyle to pick up Chinese for dinner, he scraped the paint off the bathroom door frame, alphabetized his books by main character’s first name, and successfully startled the neighbor’s boxer twice.

The last comma in that sentence is an Oxford comma, also known as the serial comma or the Harvard comma. Its name is always pretentious, and its purpose is always the same: it comes before the conjunction (in this case, “and”) in a list.

The Oxford Comma

It’s completely optional. It’s far more common in non-journalistic prose, and fairly standard in the US, but it’s not often used in the UK, Australia, or South Africa. Without it, however, meanings of sentences can change completely. For example:

Amanda found herself in the Winnebago with her ex-boyfriend, an herbalist and a pet detective.

Amanda found herself in the Winnebago with her ex-boyfriend, an herbalist, and a pet detective.

One comma makes the difference between an awkward road trip with two people and a potentially hilarious road trip with four people. Make sure you’re punctuating the story you want people to read.

PRACTICE

Write for seven minutes using the following sentence prompt as a starter. Then take another seven minutes, add an Oxford comma to the prompt, and write again. See how your story changes.

Prompt: Jeremy turned and faced Leslie, his sister and a police officer.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

The Writer’s Block: Living a Writer’s Life

A writer’s life is about far more than writing. Editor and author Midge Raymond offers tips on writing … and submitting, researching, editing, networking, marketing, and everything else.

I’ve had confinement on my mind lately, ever since my cat had surgery 12 days ago. He’s been confined to a small space and has to wear one of those awful cones around his head (so sad), and the whole thing has made me think a lot about being trapped, confined, and restricted against one’s will (I’ve tried to explain to him why it’s necessary, but somehow it hasn’t registered). So here are this week’s writing prompts, inspired by the cat (and, in truly exciting news, his cone comes off today):

1. Write about a time you had to do something you didn’t want to do — whether it was something that was “for your own good,” like finishing your peas, or something necessary but unpleasant, like a flu shot or taking your wild, beastly cat to the vet.

2. Write about a time you were physically confined (stuck in an airport, trapped in a stalled subway car, imprisoned in a jail cell). Include all the details you can, including a little backstory for context.

3. Write about a time you felt emotionally trapped (in a relationship, a job, etc.). Again, include all the details and backstory you can.

Fiction writers: If you don’t feel like writing about yourself, apply these exercises to your characters.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

How Does the Write Practice Work?

by  

So how does it all work?

We’ve discovered hundreds of big insights and little truths in our quest to become great writers. Every day we’re going to dole out a lesson we’ve learned.

You Must Know Everything! http://thewritepractice.com

"You Must Know Everything!" says Isaac Babel.

We’ll talk about how Hemingway strove to write in the style of the French impressionist Cezanne painted. Or how Malcolm Gladwell plays dumb in order to put himself in the reader’s shoes. Or how mystery writers like Agatha Christie introduce puzzle elements to lead the reader on like Hansel and Gretel. (By the way, have you ever noticed that people who love mystery novels are obsessive about their crossword puzzles?) Or how Annie Dillard describes scenes in terse detail to make you feel like you’re right there with her.

And if you have a secret tip, send us an email to share it with the Write Practice community.  In the words of the Russian author Isaac Babel (who was martyred by Stalin), we “must know everything!”

PRACTICE

After the example, we’ll have a prompt to practice what we learned. We’ll set you loose for fifteen minutes and let you get your practice on!

Today we’re going to start simply.

It’s a modern Romeo and Juliet story: two star-crossed lovers from feuding Manhattanite families. For the next fifteen minutes, describe their first meeting.

But that’s not the end.  Here’s where it gets really interesting.  ”Deliberate practice” requires feedback from others. In our blog community we have people who want to help you become great.

So lastly, post your practice as a comment so that other writers can give you feedback.

And make sure to give other writers feedback. We’re on this quest together!

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Dear Resistance

by 

I have been stuck. My blog, journal, emails, and projects have just been sitting there staring at me. And I’ve sat staring back.

But this afternoon I discovered a way to get unstuck. If you’re losing in a mindless staring contest with your computer screen, too, this will help.

Resistance.

Steven Pressfield’s book Do the Work is phenomenal.  In all great things that we do, he says, there is Resistance. I encounter Resistance each time I pursue a new writing project. It’s as though my mind suddenly decides it is completely incapable of formulating sentences as soon as I’ve got a project before me. Resistance, Pressfield says, can come in many forms. Fear, doubt, procrastination, addiction, perfectionism, etc.

So, in response to severe writer’s block, I decided to write a letter to my Resistance.

The Wonder that is Chick-Fil-A http://thewritepractice.comThe Resistance that was sitting before me at the time? Chick-fil-A.

There is a tension between my healthy lifestyle and the temptation to give in to the wonder of Chick-fil-A. It’s the same as the tension between my longing to become a better writer and the temptation of giving in to self-doubt and procrastination.

 

PRACTICE

Go ahead. Try it. Use the Resistance you’re encountering to propel you further. Spendfifteen minutes writing a letter to Resistance. After all, the two of you should probably get to know each other well. You’ll be dancing together for the rest of your lives.

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Five Ways To Quit Being a Bi-Polar Writer

by 

Have you ever experienced the emotional roller coaster of writing?

Do you ever think as you’re writing, “Damn. This passage is good. People are going to think I’m a really good writer.” This happens to me on occasion, but more often, I write passages I think are terrible—I cringe and get knots in my back as I write.

Endless Road by Frank Kovalchek

This emotional ride often distracts us from actually writing. We get so sucked up in how we’re feeling we forget to write.

It’s moments like these when you have to refocus.

How to Refocus

The only secret to getting out of this emotional cycle is to write.

Don’t go back and fix your spelling mistakes. You can do that later.

Don’t google that quote from that famous author you absolutely need. You can do that later.

And for goodness sakes, don’t “take a break” to check email and facebook while you wait for inspiration. You won’t find inspiration on facebook.

This is the daily trudge of writing. You have to write when you love what you’re writing and just want to soak up every word. You have to write when you hate what you’re writing so much it’s throwing your back out. This daily trudge is so difficult that every once in a while I invent a new aid to stay focused.

Here are a few tools to help you escape the emotional cycle of writing:

1. Close your eyes as you write.

When you’re feeling down about yourself and your writing, the worst thing you can do is read the last sentence that you wrote.

Instead, close your eyes and type. You can read and fix it later.

2. Give yourself a time limit.

Set a timer for fifteen to thirty minutes and write as much as you can during that time. Don’t edit. Don’t re-read. Don’t play facebook games. You can do that stuff after.

This is a great way to force your brain to focus for solid chunks of time.

3. Write with a typewriter or by hand.

Typewriters and notebooks don’t have the internet. They don’t have Freecell or Spider Solitaire. All you can do is write or not write.

On top of that, these mediums force you to separate editing time from writing time, which can slow you down.

4. Take breaks.

Many people think the longer they sit at their computer working, the more productive they will be. The truth is our minds and bodies need breaks from time to time.

Go on a walk. Stare out the window and zone out for five minutes. Meditate. I try to do this for twenty minutes twice a day.

Breaks help our subconscious catch up so that we can refocus on our work.

5. Invent your own way to focus.

This short list isn’t meant to be complete. You can easily invent your own ways to help you focus. The principles are always the same. Focus on writing. Review later. Avoid distraction.

When you do this, you can get ahead of your emotions that distract you. Stop being a bi-polar writer. Start being a productive one.

How do you deal with the emotional cycle in writing? And what do you do to stay focused?

PRACTICE

Practice focus by writing about a basketball player before a big game. How does he prep his mind? Does he visualize the game in his mind? Does he think about what it felt like the first time he played the sport?

Choose one of the tools above to help you focus (personally, I’m going to write with my eyes closed).

You have fifteen minutes. Post your piece in the comments when your time is up. Have fun!

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Writers' Tools: Empathy

"Writers don't write from experience, although many are hesitant to admit that they don't. ...If you wrote from experience, you'd get maybe one book, maybe three poems. Writers write from empathy." Nikki Giovanni
Like the trusty pen, not-so-trusty computer and nifty internet, empathy is also an invaluable tool for writers.

Empathy is the ability to put ourselves in the proverbial shoes of others, to understand their feelings, thoughts and motivations. In terms of writing, it's an ability to connect with our readers. 

How to improve your empathy:
Observations: To gain a higher level of empathy we need to pay attention to everything that goes on around us. Not just to the people around us, but to all the sights, sounds, smells and everything that makes up the atmosphere of a place and a person. It's so easy to let life pass us by without noticing those details.

Know your audience: This is a classic piece of writers' advice. As much as we start out writing for ourselves, if we want to get published we also need to write for our audience. This means understanding who they are, what they want, and what kind of issues they'll respond to.

Personal experience: To understand others, we need to have an understanding of ourselves. This takes a certain level of honesty because I think it's important to know why we react to certain stimuli, and to know the true motives behind our actions. The truth isn't always what we may want or expect.

Exposure to life: I believe it's also important to broaden our experiences. Because I travelled the world in my twenties, I have a lot of different cultures and people to draw from. If we stay behind our desks and do nothing but write, then how can we learn and enrich our writing?

Imagination: Looking through another's perspective isn't an easy task and requires some practice and imagination. Encourage daydreaming. Take time out to simply think, imagine, role play. 

Read a lot: Apparently in studies a connection has been found between reading a lot of fiction and having a higher level of empathy. I believe it's because stories throw the reader into the minds of a huge variety of characters in a broad range of situations they wouldn't have otherwise experienced.

Can you think of other ways of improving your empathy? What have you done to hone that particular writing tool?

This is a piece from Lynda R.Young's writing blog. The content includes writing tips and blogging tips. She is based in Sydney, Australia. All the photos you see on Lynda's blogs were taken by her unless otherwise stated.

Lynda Young posts Mondays and Thursdays and takes a break on the weekend. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Annual Legacy Writing Review

Posted: 10/3/11 08:10 PM ET
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"Legacy Tips and Tools" commonly focuses on specific legacy writing topics. As our e-list continues to expand, many new legacy writers are unaware of the basic principles of legacy writing. Others, who've been writing for some time, can benefit from a review to refine or renew their commitment to legacy writing.

Basic principles of legacy and legacy writing include the following:

1. Legacy writing is different from memoir, spiritual autobiography, genealogy/family history or scrapbooking in intention, but not necessarily in content.

2. The intention (purpose) of legacy writing is to communicate and preserve your values, stories and blessings for future generations. 

3. As Marianne Williamson suggested, "We are all mothers of the planet" and legacy writing is a privilege and responsibility for all of us.

4. Legacy letters may be written to a family member, friend, colleague, co‐worker or community. It is not necessary to be a parent or a grandparent to leave a legacy of values.

Dr. Andrew Weil suggested in his endorsement of "Women's Lives, Women's Legacies" that, "The ethical will is a wonderful gift to leave to your family at the end of your life, but ... its main importance is what it can give you in the midst of life."

How so? Because, as the ethical will "links you to your history, gives purpose to your daily life and communicates your legacies to those you love," legacy writing also nourishes you, the writer. Legacy writing addresses universal human needs -- our own personal needs, needs of which we are generally unaware. These include: the need to belong, to be known and remembered, to make a difference, to be needed, to bless and be blessed, and to celebrate life.

"Stories have to be told or they die, and when they die, 
we can't remember who we are or why we're here."

-- Sue Monk Kidd

The rather uninviting or unfriendly term "ethical will," or even the softer "spiritual-ethical will" may frighten away potential legacy writers. [See more details about the ethical will at: life-legacies] Yet, we are all competent enough to write "legacy letters," and to feel confident that we have something worthwhile to communicate.

Understanding these fundamentals about ethical wills and legacy letters leads to principles of practice.

Principles of practice:

1. Use the format of a letter (far less threatening than writing a document or a book. We can all write a letter.) In this day of swiftly deleted emails and the corrupted spelling of text messaging, there is something special, even sacred, about receiving a letter in a loved one's hand.

2. Time yourself and write for 15 minutes, and no more. The limit will help you focus your intention and set aside the idea that legacy writing is an overwhelming task. (You can always go back to rework and amend your draft. Most writers find that the discipline of brief timed writing almost always results in surprising and profound expression directly from the heart, a powerful message to your loved one.

3. Write your reflections for no more than five minutes directly after writing a legacy letter. Keep them with a copy of your letter in your personal legacy file. These process notes are the mental complement to your heartfelt letter. They provide you with a different perspective about the experience of writing a legacy letter: An invaluable reflection for its opportunity to learn more about yourself and the values that matter most to you.

May your reflection and legacy writing be a gift to yourself today
and to those you love tomorrow.
-- Rachael Freed

You can find out more about communicating and preserving your legacy (ethical will) at Life-Legacies or throughe-mail.

Rachael Freed has published several works including "Women's Lives, Women's Legacies, Passing Your Beliefs and Blessings to Future Generations" and "Heartmates: A Guide for the Spouse and Family of the Heart Patient." She is currently working on "Harvesting the Wisdom of Our Lives: An Intergenerational Legacy Guide for Seniors and Their Families." Senior Fellow at the University of Minnesota's Center for Spirituality and Healing, Rachael is a clinical social worker, adult educator and legacy consultant. Her home is Minneapolis, Minnesota. For more information, visit Life-Legaciesand heartmates.

 

Follow Rachael Freed on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@http://twitter 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Share these mind maps with study groups, friends, business 

associates and your blog readers...

  1. Mind42.com: This mind mapping tool works in your browser and lets you share with one other person or go public.
  2. WiseMapping: Still in beta form, WiseMapping is free to use and lets you publish mind maps and share them.
  3. Mindmeister: The basic subscription is free and lets you manage up to three mind maps and collaborate on each one. Also supports import from Freemind and MindManager.
  4. bubbl.us: This web tool is a simple but popular mind mapper that lets you embed your project into your blog or website and share with friends.
  5. Xmind: Regular XMind is free and offers a streamlined system for sharing ideas and brainstorming.
  6. Bookvar: Bookvar lets you add image, embed and play movies, attach files, create custom skins, utilize 3D animation effects, and of course, share with friends.
  7. Skrbl: Use this sharable online whiteboard to plan ideas and projects with text and images.
  8. Thinkature: Thinkature offers real-time collaboration as you draw, add tabs and text cards, color code ideas, add images, and more.
  9. Edraw Mindmap: Draw your own mind maps for problem solving, flow charts, brainstorming, analysis and more. You can share, print and save for free.
  10. Dabbleboard: Use this whiteboard tool to map out ideas and projects with your associates. Free plans available.
  11. Comapping: A free version of Comapping exists and lets you take and share notes, online or off.
  12. Ekpenso: Make and share mind maps that you can view on and offline.
  13. Stixy: This virtual bulletin board lets you add, share and manage notes from the web, and as notes, photos, documents and to-do lists.


  1. Twiddla: You can use this white board with friends and colleagues, but it’s also a really great virtual space to start developing your own ideas from scratch.
  2. Threddie: Invite others to brainstorm with you using a post-and-comment system.
  3. BrainReactions: Connect to brainstorming rooms and take advantage of the community and social features on this site to inspire creativity.
  4. FruitNotes: This free, beta-version notebook lets you share and organize notes, add photos and video, and even record voice notes.
  5. GQueues: If you have a Google account, you can use this tool to manage, share and streamline tasks and lists.
  6. Corkboard: This social brainstorming and collecting site lets you add sites and ideas to your corkboard and get ideas from other users.
  7. Helipad: Keep track of notes written online with this tool, which syncs to Mac OS. and iPhone.
  8. Listthings: Set up your corkboard canvas by adding notes.
  9. Many Eyes: Create data sets or visualizations for a customizable mind mapping and brainstorming experience. The idea is to share with others your reports and projects, so it’s less of a personal information manager.
  10. Jotspace: This free online whiteboard that’s currently accepting requests for testers.