Just Write

What informs your writing?

Excerpt from “The Dream Lover,” by Elizabeth Berg: “What once had been random observations and journal entries were becoming pieces of fiction that took on a kind of authority of their own. I learned that wind informed, that memory informed, that hopes and dreams did. So too, a fork on a plate, an unopened letter, the shine of wet on cobblestoned streets — all of these could help shape a story.” What informs your writing? Just write! #amwriting #justwrite #iamawriter

Just Write

Making Kindness The Norm

Did you know . . . November 13 is officially World Kindness Day? I just heard about this, so I researched: “The purpose of World Kindness Day is to raise awareness of acts of kindness in the community, emphasizing the power of positivity and the compassion that unites us all. A fundamental aspect of the human experience, kindness transcends racial, religious, political, gender and geographical boundaries.” Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Every Day were Kindness Day! Let’s make it happen! Please go to Marlene Cullen’s Write Spot Facebook Page and add your ideas on what we can do to Be Kind. Random Acts of Kindness Foundation has ideas on how we can “make kindness the norm.” Thank you, Diane D. for letting me know that November 13 is World Kindness Day!

Just Write

Change in Perspective

“Lucky Starr,” an Over the Top Stilt Character from Giddyup Productions The following is excerpted from “A Collected Perspective” by Joanna Gaines, Fall 2023, Magnolia magazine. “There have been times when I’ve felt a need to approach some things differently. When life has handed me new challenges to navigate, and my mind’s been a blank. Maybe you’ve been in a similar place—where the way you’ve always done a thing is no longer working. So,  I tried something new. I started closing my eyes. I’m more alive to the present moment, more aware of my blind spots, when I stretch my point of view. It’s like feeling the moment in total harmony, every new vantage point revealing more of the bigger story being told. Sometimes, it’s as simple as physically shifting my point of view. I’ll take a few steps back. Walk to the other side of the room. Stand instead…

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1000 Words A Day Summer Project

“A two-week intensive writing push with an accountability partner.” “Craft Talk” by Jami Attenberg is the home of the #1000wordsofsummer project, a community of writers of all levels who are all supporting each other to write 1,000 words a day for two weeks. This project has been in existence since 2018. The next round starts June 17, 2023 and ends June 30, 2023. When you sign up, during the project, you will receive an email from Jami Attenberg encouraging you to write. Sometimes another published author will contribute their thoughts on creativity, productivity, and inspiration. Your mission, should you decide to accept: Write 1000 words a day for two weeks. “Craft Talk” is a community of writers who are accountability partners: that is the magic of this project. At the end of this challenge, you will have a big pile of words and a sense of accomplishment and hopefully the…

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The Pulps

The Pulps (1890s-1950s) Made from the cheapest paper available, pulp magazines were among the bestselling fiction publications of their day, with the most popular titles selling hundreds of thousands of copies per month at their height. The pulps paid just a penny or so a word, so writers quickly learned that making a living required a nimble imagination and remarkable speed, with some working on several stories simultaneously. Contemporary fiction writers can learn from pulp magazines the importance of a tight, character-driven narrative; the necessity of imaginative descriptions and how to immediately grab the reader with an action-filled lead. Jack Byrne, managing editor of the pulp magazine publisher fiction House, wrote in an August 1929 Writer’s Digest article detailing the manuscript needs of Fiction House’s 11 magazines: “We must have a good, fast opening. Smack us within the first paragraph. Get our interest aroused. Don’t tell us about the general…

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Writing That First Thing

“Remember that when you’re writing that first thing, you’re in an incredibly precious time. When you’re writing that book or that early story, write for yourself first and foremost. There’s going to come a time when that won’t be the case anymore, when there are going to be all these people who are involved. So, don’t be in any great hurry to publish or to get it out there into the world. Take your time to hone and draft that first book. Appreciate those early years where you’re writing for yourself because it never is quite the same once you start publishing.” Excerpt from a Writer’s Digest interview with Brandon Taylor. The bestselling (and Booker Prize-shortlisted) author discusses the interconnectedness of his work, the importance of short stories, and his latest release, The Late Americans. Interviewed  Michael Woodson The May/June 2023 issue of Writer’s Digest is all about “Keeping It Short” —short forms of…

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Memoir: Writing For Clarity

“I think most memoir writers write first of all for ourselves, not for any specific audience. We write for our own clarity. The painful admissions, the ways in which we are upset by ourselves, our actions, things we did, things we failed to do, all of that has to be honestly faced. No point in skirting the truth. Who would we be fooling? Ourselves?” — Abigail Thomas Excerpt from “Memoir is Exploration, So Keep Yourself Open: An Interview with Abigail Thomas” By Dinty W. Moore, Brevity magazine Abigail Thomas is the author of many acclaimed memoirs, including A Three Dog Life, Safekeeping, and What Comes Next and How to Like It. She lives in Woodstock, New York, with her dogs. Dinty W. Moore is the founder and editor of Brevity magazine and is likely out in his garden at this very moment.

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Simple listening allows sparkling . . .

“A dear friend gave me a small notebook, with a sun on the cover. I often find myself writing in it while drinking my morning coffee, mostly just short phrases or impressions. It reminds of the simple listening that allows sparkling dew drop images to appear.” — Pam Hiller You can read more of Pam’s writing: Journey on The Write Spot Blog and in  The Write Spot to Jumpstart Your Writing: Discoveries. #justwrite #amwriting #iamawriter