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The Biggest Mistake Writers Make in Openings
What’s the biggest mistake I find writers make in their opening paragraphs? They begin in the wrong place. Too long of an on-ramp. Throat clearing. There are lots of names for it, but it all boils down to this—find an interesting sentence to begin your work! Draw the reader in immediately. Don’t bore them before they get started. I’m not saying you don’t have to write that long on-ramp, I’m just saying it doesn’t have a place in your edited work. Read the story aloud and zero in on where it gets...
read moreThe Most Important Book on a Writer’s Shelf
The most tattered and worn reference book on my shelf is The Synonym Finder, by J. I. Rodale. It claims to be the largest, most comprehensive thesaurus in print. I don’t know about that, but I do know that this book is my most helpful writing tool. When I’ve used the same word twice in a paragraph and I need to find a new way to say the same thing, I go to The Synonym Finder. The word dagger, for instance, has almost 30 alternatives. Looking for a title? The Synonym Finder can help you find one. Just look up a frequently used word...
read moreWhat Changes in Your Memoir?
A well-told story always involves change—the main character is lost and unable to function in the world and, as the book proceeds, he finds his way through the maze of life to a new understanding of what it means to be a citizen of our world. Memoir is no exception to this rule of change. Even in the shortest of stories, something must be different at the end. A new understanding is gained, a new self-assurance is found, a new way of looking at a situation is created. When writing your own story, look for the growth stages in...
read moreFree Edit!
October is my favorite time of year. Not only are the bugs finally gone and the leaves a glorious color, but October is also my birthday month. I’ve never been one to celebrate. Often the day goes by without fanfare. But last year I decided it was time to begin celebrating each birthday as a reflection of my thankfulness for another year on this earth. A year ago today I telephoned my oldest and dearest pals from high school and arranged my own birthday party, a tradition we have honored at each of our birthdays. The lunches with my...
read moreFree Edit!
October is my favorite time of year. Not only are the bugs finally gone and the leaves a glorious color, but October is also my birthday month. I’ve never been one to celebrate. Often the day goes by without fanfare. But last year I decided it was time to begin celebrating each birthday as a reflection of my thankfulness for another year on this earth. A year ago today I telephoned my oldest and dearest pals from high school and arranged my own birthday party, a tradition we have honored at each of our birthdays. The lunches with my...
read moreWriting in the Garden Update
One of the participants of our packed “Writing in the Garden” class last month was blogger and travel writer, Shelley Odendahl. She has posted a photo of my sister and me as we spoke about our favorite subject, writing! Please click the link to go to Shelley’s website and read her post.: http://realize-your-dreams.net/2012/08/29/creative-experiences/ You might also be interested in reading an excerpt of Shelley’s new travel memoir, Traveling Together: Cliff and Me and the Motorcyle Makes Three ...
read moreWhy an Editor?
As a freelance editor, I am the human spell-check for my family. My husband, while typing an email, will call out a question on how to spell a word. Or my son, while working on his homework, will ask if he should punctuate with a comma or semi-colon. Usually, I can rattle off the answer without much thought. But when I prepared the flyer for my recent “Writing in the Garden” my spelling skills failed me. The focus of the day was writing without cliche and my sister, author Candace Simar, had agreed to co-teach the class. She was...
read moreHow to Create Characters Your Readers Will Love!
If your reader doesn’t care, they won’t continue reading. So how do we create engaging characters? One of the best ways is to add something your characters loves — perhaps it’s an animal, a child, or an object. It’s often said that no character is all good or all bad. Give the bad guy in your story a dog. Create a scene where he shows a particular kindness to the animal, even if it’s a kindness he would never show to a human. A woman who loves a child doesn’t seem as evil when she steals money from...
read moreDialogue Tip—Show Emotion Through Actions
We have all heard the writing rule show don’t tell. In the two examples written below, the first dialogue sentence tells the speaker’s emotion. The second example shows the emotion. First example: “I won’t do it,” he said angrily. Change to: “I won’t do it,” he said, slamming his fist onto the table. Second example: “I can’t do that,” Sarah said nervously. Change to: Sarah peeled the label off her beer bottle and tore the paper into small pieces. “I can’t do...
read moreWriting Tip!
I am making a list of writing tips. My sister, author Candace Simar, and I will be hosting another “Writing in the Garden” on Tuesday, August 28th. During one of the afternoon sessions, Candace and I will share our best of the best writing tips. We have so many it will be difficult to choose which ones to share. Here’s a sneak preview of my favorite tip: Print all of your writing (even if it’s only a rough draft) and put it in a 3-ring binder. You’ll be amazed at how quickly your writing expands to fill the...
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