Organizing a Writing Project by Guest Blogger Nona Smith, author of Stuffed, Emptying the Hoarder’s Nest, A True Tale. Nona tells the story of writing Stuffed: I didn’t start out with the idea of writing a book, but from the get-go, I was aware we were onto a unique experience. In late November of 2010, my husband, Art, became the executor of his friend Linda’s estate. Linda was a hoarder. Not your run-of-the-mill hoarder, but a collector of unique stuff as well as plain ol’ junk. We felt it prudent to document what we found because in addition to being the executor, Art was the only on-site heir. So I took photographs of the plethora of original artwork by a famous botanical printmaker, the rare mechanical music machines and closets of musical scrolls, tools and computers and even of the life-size teddy bear reclining in the bathtub. I also photographed…
Category: Guest Bloggers
Guest blogger Arlene Miller asks, “Should we dumb down the language?”
Guest Blogger Arlene Miller writes: I am a member of some grammar groups on LinkedIn, where there are fascinating — and long – discussions of what some people would call grammatical minutiae. However, this week, I saw a discussion that I found a little surprising. The question posed was “Should we continue to teach who and whom to our students?” the real question is: Should we continue to teach the difference between them and when to use each? On my blog, bigwords 101, I talked about the difference between linguistic and grammatical prescriptivism and descriptivism: ▪ Prescriptivists (the camp that I lean toward) think that the rules are there and they should be followed. ▪ Descriptivists believe that language evolves as new usages come into play. Well, if we followed a purely prescriptivist viewpoint, we would still be using the language of centuries ago – thank you, Chaucer. But what would happen if we…
I wanted to connect with others.
Guest Blogger Lois Lavrisa writes about the lack of self-confidence and doubt amongst writers. My husband and I attended an event featuring the bestselling financial guru, Suze Orman. We chatted with friends as my husband’s coworker approached us. Beth, a perky lady with a huge smile, approached us. Beth shook my hand. “I’m a huge fan.” I nodded enthusiastically. “Me too. I love Suze. I can’t wait to see her.” Beth’s face froze for a moment, as if registering what I said. Then she gently squeezed my hand. “I’m a fan of yours.” For a few moments, I didn’t know what to say. I finally said a quick thank you to Beth. She was sweet and I was completely flattered. It’s just that I was just taken off guard because I don’t have great author confidence. Instead I have loads of self doubt, maybe it could be called author angst,…
An Argument for Daily Writing by Ellen Sussman
Guest Blogger Ellen Sussman writes about “An Argument for Daily Writing.” You want to be a writer. But… You’ve got a demanding job. A demanding spouse. Demanding kids. You wrote a novel that didn’t sell. You wrote two novels that didn’t sell. Three? Four? You don’t have a snazzy office. You don’t have the latest computer. You write at a café and the moms bring all their screaming babies to that café. You don’t think you’re good enough. Your high school English teacher told you you’re a lousy writer. Your mother told you that your brother was smarter than you are. You have a hangover. You have carpal tunnel. You’re hungry and there’s no food in the house. Excuses are easy. Writing is hard. I’ve got one way of silencing all those voices. I go to work every day. Writing is my job. So I show up. Screw the hangover….
Guest Blogger Jennifer Lynn Alvarez talks about the importance of daily writing
The Importance of Daily Writing, by Guest Blogger Jennifer Lynn Alvarez Writing is an exercise that requires practice and training to build the muscle required to become a “finisher.” When I set out to write a novel after a fifteen-year break, I struggled to trap my imagination on paper. I wrote a few days a week, and it was mentally agonizing, similar to how I feel when I begin a new exercise routine for my body. However, I was happy to be writing again, and so I kept at it, but my writing routine was sporadic. I finished a middle-grade book, THE PET WASHER, in about a year, and it’s only 33,000 words. In January of 2012, I made a decision to write something—anything—every day. I announced this on my blog, and like any new routine, it was difficult to keep up at first. I didn’t have a book contract…
Guest Blogger Karin Gillespie: 5 Pieces of Advice That Changed the Way I Write
Guest Blogger Karin Gillespie writes: “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” Long ago, when I first read the statement above, I imagined an encounter with a big-bellied, toga-wearing monk who would whisper the secrets of the universe into my ear. Over the years I’ve learned you don’t necessarily need a monk to show you the way. If you’re open to it, wisdom comes in many guises, such as advice from a friend, a passage in a book, an overheard conversation or even a sudden insight. What follows are the valuable writing gifts I have received over the years. Depending on where you are in this journey, they may or may not resonate with you, but each one was precious to me and changed my way of thinking about my craft. Morning Pages Since I was a little girl I always dreamed of being a writer but it wasn’t…
Guest Blogger Maria Murnane reveals her secret to getting past the sticky parts.
I recently read a blog post by Maria Murnane at She Writes and asked Maria if I could share it with you. She graciously said yes. Maria writes: I’m currently working on my seventh novel, and one of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned about the writing process is when to hit pause on a particular scene/sentence/description and move on. If you’re a perfectionist or Type-A personality, that can be hard to do, but it’s extremely important. Trust me. I use all caps to keep me focused on progressing the story. When I was writing my first novel, if I wasn’t sure where to take the story next, I would spend countless hours tweaking, editing, refining, and tinkering the words I already had written. Where did that get me? Nowhere! The problem with spending too much time on a particular area of the book is that you aren’t moving the…
Your name could be here. . .
Fridays are Guest Blogger Days on The Write Spot Blog. Contact Marlene if you want to be a guest blogger on The Write Spot Blog, ~600 words, inspiring and encouraging for writers. You can read what other Guest Bloggers have written by clicking here.
Guest Blogger Ted A. Moreno’s Top Ten Tips for Super Productivity
Ted A. Moreno, Certified Hypnotherapist and Success Coach, shares his top ten tips for super productivity. 1. Start the day centered and grounded. Jim Rohn said “Either you run the day, or the day runs you.” How you start the day will affect how your day goes. If you wake up and you are already rushing around and running late, the day is running you. Give yourself some space to be prepared mentally and feel super in the morning, even if it means getting up earlier to exercise, read or meditate. 2. Write down your goals the night before. Make your to do list the night before. Plan to start the next day with the most important things that will make the biggest difference, or start with the hardest. This way, you move into the day with momentum and the feeling of productivity and being super! 3. Keep yourself fed and…
The Miracle of Language: Reminders from 50,000 Feet by Daniel Ari
Guest Blogger Daniel Ari talks about The Miracle of Language: Reminders from 50,000 Feet Chin. An alien from another galaxy encountering those four written characters or the sound we as English speakers make reading them would have no idea what we were writing or talking about. The markings or sounds alone would give the alien no inkling that they even possess a corresponding meaning in the physical world. We write using a complex system of symbols that are almost entirely abstracted from the physical phenomena they indicate. The alien might stand a chance at understanding spoken onomatopoeias, perhaps fetching a connection between the shouted words bang, boom or screech with the aural phenomena they represent. And perhaps the written article a might indicate to the alien the spirit of its meaning as something singular. Yet wouldn’t you be impressed with an alien that could intuit even those connections from our…