tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107133072024-03-12T19:22:50.913-04:00The Writing Roomthe place for writing inspiration and practicelit loverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655721435559160806noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10713307.post-1113741834418735402005-04-17T08:43:00.000-04:002005-04-17T08:43:54.416-04:00old friendsI have been remiss in my updates lately. Work has intruded, and with only a little more than a month until summer break, I have to acknowledge and bow to Work's demands. But I want to offer something here, some gesture of good will and the reassurance that I am indeed coming back--eventually.<br /><br />Lately, I've found myself rereading old, beloved books. This weekend I read one of my favorites from high school--<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0440204887/qid=1113741488/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/104-3343986-0224733?v=glance&s=books&n=507846"><span style="font-style: italic;">Illusions</span></a> by Richard Bach. As I read, I felt as though I was reconnecting with old friends. I laughed aloud, teared up, and probably enjoyed the novel even more than I had in high school. Reading it again was a delightful experience.<br /><br />And now I've begun to reread Anne Lamott's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0385480016/qid=1113741766/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/104-3343986-0224733"><span style="font-style: italic;">Bird by Bird</span></a><span style="font-style: italic;">,</span> a wonderful must-read for writers. What amazes me is how much I forget in between my readings, and how much joy I get in rediscovering the beauty and truth these writers have to offer. To me, that's good writing--writing that stands up to multiple readings, that still feels fresh almost 30 years later (like Bach).<br /><br />What books have you read and reread in your lifetime? Share with us all the books that bring you joy, the books that make <span style="font-style: italic;">you</span> yearn to put words on the page.lit loverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655721435559160806noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10713307.post-1112967181430521692005-04-08T09:40:00.000-04:002005-04-08T09:40:34.110-04:00love from A to ZIf you've never explored <a href="http://www.alcheraproject.com/index.html">The Alchera Project</a>, I encourage you to surf your way over and take a look. Each month, the site owner provides a number of interesting writing prompts that address a variety of writerly skills--poetry, fiction, freewriting, and even list-making. I've been a lurker on the site for quite some time, but this will be my first foray into actually completing (and posting) one of its projects.<br /><br />The topic (direct from Alchera):<br /><blockquote>List/ Option 4: Things You Love....Alphabetized.<br />I went back in the archives an entire year to see what list projects we've done and, oddly enough, none of them deal specifically with things you love. But making a list of things you love it just too easy, and the point of Alchera is to challenge the creative mind. So, not only are you to make a list of things you love, but you are to do it with the alphabet. That's still too easy in my opinion, so you've also got to come up with at least two things for each letter. 'X' is really going to be tricky. (Example: Aenima & And All That Could Have Been, Blueberry muffins &...this is a lot harder than I though...Bourbon?) This kind of project takes time.</blockquote>See my effort in the first comment.lit loverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655721435559160806noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10713307.post-1112880834651274352005-04-07T09:33:00.000-04:002005-04-07T09:33:54.650-04:00those things you doI do not feel inspired today. My spring break grading marathon continues and I am hitting a wall at the moment. I should feel encouraged--I'm so close to the end--but instead, I'm beginning to feel a wee bit resentful. So, here's a writing prompt for you that mirrors my current state and comes to you courtesy of <a href="http://www.creativewritingprompts.com">creativewritingprompts.com</a>:<br /><br />What do you do when you procrastinate? Do you become a couch potato? Do you turn into housekeeper extraordinaire? Do your culinary skills suddenly emerge? Make a list of ten things you <span style="font-style: italic;">do</span> to avoid doing the things you <span style="font-style: italic;">should</span> be doing.lit loverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655721435559160806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10713307.post-1112807842808504782005-04-06T13:17:00.000-04:002005-04-06T13:20:17.266-04:00sneaking up on yourselfIn <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0140195874/qid%3D1112657492/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/103-0160776-8356632"><span style="font-style: italic;">One Continuous Mistake</span></a>, Gail Sher recommends experimenting with <span style="font-style: italic;">when</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">where</span> you write by trying out writing at unusual times or in unusual places. A few places I've written (some unusual, some not so much):<br /><ul> <li>In the car <span style="font-style: italic;">while I was driving</span> (okay, while I was stopped in traffic)</li> <li>In the shower (you'll just have to trust me on this one)</li> <li>In restaurants</li> <li>In bookstores </li> <li>In coffeeshops</li> <li>In mall food courts (one of my favorites)<br /> </li> <li>In the middle of the night (sometimes without turning on the light)</li> <li>While walking in a park</li> <li>On a plane</li> <li>On a bus full of teenagers I was responsible for </li> </ul> You get the idea. Sher contends that sometimes it helps to "sneak up on our minds," to catch ourselves unaware and off guard and discover what such writing yields. Sounds fun, doesn't it? So today, write at a time or a place (or both) that's unusual for you.lit loverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655721435559160806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10713307.post-1112708390764549932005-04-05T09:39:00.000-04:002005-04-05T09:39:50.763-04:00forbiddenSometimes all we need is a quick jolt to get us, or our story, started. A kick in the pants is just what Lou Willett Stanek, Ph.D., delivers in her <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0380795523/qid=1112656947/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/103-0160776-8356632?v=glance&s=books&n=507846">Story Starters</a>. The book is geared towards the fiction writer, but any writer could use the ideas she explains and the prompts she provides. Not convinced? I'll give you an example, oh Doubting Thomas.<br /><br />Try the following prompt from <span style="font-style: italic;">Story Starters</span>:<br /><br />"Every day your character walked past the place he (she) was forbidden to go. Then one day he opened the door."<br /><br />So, suppose you're not writing fiction, and you don't have a character. Then what? (I am imagining the voices of my students even now.) Then take the concept of the prompt and use it to jumpstart a creative nonfiction piece or a poem. The concept? What happens when we finally give in to temptation, when we indulge in the forbidden? (Of course, there are always other ways to go when you're talking concept, like why <span style="font-style: italic;">is</span> the forbidden so alluring? or why is <span style="font-style: italic;">it</span> --whatever <span style="font-style: italic;">it</span> is--forbidden in the first place?) Go ahead--open the door.lit loverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655721435559160806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10713307.post-1112646413592423412005-04-04T16:26:00.000-04:002005-04-04T16:26:53.593-04:00when love beganI remember being fascinated by words long before I could actually write any. I loved story time more than any other time of the day, and I was that kid who always begged for "just one more" at bedtime. I wanted to write so badly that I sat one day at the age of three or four, pad and pencil in hand, randomly stringing together letters, my tiny bottom firmly planted on the little red stool that was mine alone. I followed every attempt with a plea to my mom, "Is this a word?" Over and over, the answer was no. Finally, I hit the jackpot, with C-A-T. A proud moment.<br /><br />Bonnie Goldberg, in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0874778255/qid=1112646261/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/103-0160776-8356632?v=glance&s=books&n=507846"><span style="font-style: italic;">Room to Write</span></a>, encourages you to explore one of your own profound writing moments. Write about the first time words had an impact on you, the moment when your love affair with language began. Don't just tell the story--relive it. Use vivid imagery, as much detail as you can remember (or imagine), and take the reader there with you.lit loverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655721435559160806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10713307.post-1112050582185601472005-03-28T17:56:00.000-05:002005-03-28T17:56:22.186-05:00100 wordsOften my students complain that they cannot possibly write enough to meet my expectations. The mere idea of composing 500, or even worse (gasp!) 1,000 words is more than their little brains can comprehend.<br /><br />I seem to have the opposite problem. I tend to go on and on (just ask my husband). Frequently I find I've used three words where one would do, or I've repeated myself unintentionally (a hazard of my profession), or I've used a few too many adjectives or adverbs. You get the point. But sometimes limits can foster creativity. The following exercise is for those of you like me, who find yourself in love with words and who sometimes overdo it.<br /><br />Construct a paragraph--any kind of paragraph, descriptive, narrative, expository--but use only 100 words. No more, no less. Go.lit loverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655721435559160806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10713307.post-1111954469220837312005-03-27T15:14:00.000-05:002005-03-27T15:14:29.220-05:00it's all in who you knowHello! I'm back again after a very long, unwelcome absence. Duty called (read "day job"), so blogging got put on indefinite hiatus. Even now, I'm feeling a bit guilty for being here, doing this (read: having fun), instead of working, working, working, working.<br /><br />Enough whining. For now, I offer you a fun, relatively easy write down memory lane, courtesy of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/089879739X/qid=1111954120/sr=2-1/ref=pd_ka_b_2_1/103-7553680-0370200"><span style="font-style: italic;">Discovering the Writer Within</span></a> by Bruce Ballenger and Barry Lane. These two suggest that you take some time (probably 30 minutes at least) to make a list of every person you've ever known. You might want to start out chronologically, but don't make a big deal out of it. It's okay if you miss a few people along the way. The important thing you'll soon discover with this activity is just how many people you have encountered in your life, each of them a tool in your writer's toolkit, each of them capable of contributing a detail here and there, many capable of starring in entire stories or novels. Happy reminiscing!lit loverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655721435559160806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10713307.post-1110722033072034102005-03-13T08:53:00.000-05:002005-03-13T08:53:53.073-05:00now and thenI was just reading in one of my favorite magazines, <a href="http://thesunmagazine.org/"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Sun</span></a>, an article by Genie Zeiger entitled "Now and Then." Suddenly, it occurred to me what a wonderful writing prompt the article's concept would make. <br /><br />As adults, each of us is prone to remembering how things used to be, often with nostalgia. Sometimes, then is better. Sometimes, now is a definite improvement. And sometimes, now and then are just different.<br /><br />Give it a try. Write for at least ten minutes, with your focus being a comparison of <span style="font-style: italic;">now</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">then</span>. As you contrast your past to your present, be aware of how the differences reflect the changes in you and in your world. Be open to exploring what material and physical differences can say about us as emotional and spiritual beings.lit loverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655721435559160806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10713307.post-1110415123086395892005-03-09T19:38:00.000-05:002005-03-09T19:38:43.086-05:00one little wordOkay, I'm tired and not feeling too creative, so this one's an oldie but goody. I can't give credit because I've seen this prompt too many times, in too many different places. It's practically a cliche, but then, like all good cliches, it became one because it worked.<br /><br />So...<br /><br />Grab a book off your shelf, desk, etc. Any book will do. Don't spend any time at all choosing--the one closest to your fingers is the right one for this job.<br /><br />Now, close your eyes, open the book, and place your finger somewhere on the page. Open your eyes. What word are you pointing to? Unless it's an article or a preposition, that's your word. Don't look for a better one or you'll spend all night doing nothing else.<br /><br />Now take your word and run with it. Freewrite using that word as your starting point--feel free to ramble, get off topic, whatever. Just get writing.lit loverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655721435559160806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10713307.post-1110290287339418592005-03-08T08:50:00.000-05:002005-03-08T08:58:07.340-05:00trash to treasure, part deuxI'm sure you were sleepless with anticipation, right? So here's your other recycling option.<br /><br />Suppose you don't really have any old writing that you're willing to reimagine--maybe you're Stephen King, and everything you write is gold, for example. Well, here's recycling option two for you:<br /><br />2. Instead of fearing hackneyed, overdone, and even TRITE, embrace it. Think of one of the MOST cliched plots there is--for instance, the Cinderella syndrome--and make it the basis of your piece. Your challenge is to take this oh-so familiar story and make it fresh with unexpected characters, inspiring setting and your unique twist on a well-loved tale. Have fun with it and remember--so little of writing is about plot. Take Sophocles and Shakespeare as your role models. It's not about WHAT happens, it's all in HOW it happens and WHO is involved.lit loverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655721435559160806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10713307.post-1110237201942191262005-03-07T18:13:00.000-05:002005-03-07T18:13:21.943-05:00trash to treasure, part oneSometimes I sit down to write (okay, lots of times), and absolutely nothing seems interesting to me. My every idea feels hackneyed, overdone, or worst of all, TRITE (that most hideous of comments). What can you do when you want to write, REALLY want to write, but all you can see is blah, blah, blah in your head and on your page?<br /><br />Why not try a trick I like to call recycling? It can work a couple of different ways.<br /><br />1. Take a piece of your writing that has never quite worked. You know, the poem that you could never finish, that short story with the not-quite ending? Now start by doing <span style="font-style: italic;">one thing differently</span>. Maybe you'll decide to change the setting. Maybe the point of view switches from first to third person. Maybe your protagonist changes from a religious zealot to an ambitious drag queen. You decide. What have you got to lose? The piece wasn't working anyway, so here's your chance to have fun with it!<br /><br />Come back tomorrow for part two!lit loverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655721435559160806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10713307.post-1110145474259773132005-03-06T16:44:00.000-05:002005-03-10T14:27:35.416-05:00'tis the seasonI love spring. I love suddenly being able to sit outside and listen to the birds, discovering that I have cute toes again, indulging in fruity, frozen drinks, and gazing into the green, green, green that is Georgia in the spring. Spring always brings me new energy, new inspiration, new ambitions, and a new longing to make the most of what I have been given.<br /><br />Do you feel the same? Is spring your siren, or is it another season that awakens you from your artistic slumber? Write a scene in which you or a character you've created reacts to a seasonal change. Let the season either mirror or completely contrast with the character's interior mood. Employ vivid description of seasonal detail, make full use of imagery, and allow your character's observation of the season to reveal his/her personality and dilemma.lit loverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655721435559160806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10713307.post-1110039037072642292005-03-05T11:10:00.000-05:002005-03-05T11:10:37.073-05:00only youI am currently re-reading <a href="http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer">Ayn Rand</a>'s <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0451191137/qid=1110038894/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/102-5625181-1226508?v=glance&s=books&n=507846"><span style="font-style: italic;">Anthem</span></a> for the first time in twenty years. The book awakens a youthful yearning in me. It reminds me of how it felt to be young, and idealistic, and so sure that you knew so much more than the jaded adults around you. Not to say that I don't agree with its basic premise, that ego is the essence of intelligence, joy, invention, that we must acknowledge and celebrate our differences if we are to excel as a species and reach any form of happiness on earth.<br /><br />So let's take a page from Ayn Rand's school of thought today. What is it that makes you uniquely <span style="font-style: italic;">you</span> and no one else? Do a freewrite of discovery as you celebrate your own unique and individual self.lit loverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655721435559160806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10713307.post-1108665730168919232005-03-03T13:41:00.000-05:002005-03-03T14:23:58.846-05:00burn, baby, burn<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">There's nothing like a really good putdown. Some comics have built entire careers around their ability to deliver the perfect insult. Let's face it, we all take a little bit of guilty delight in other's misfortune every once in a while. Yes, there's definitely an art to the perfect slight.<br /><br />Two choices this time:<br /></span> <ol> <li><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">When was the last time you got burned with a real zinger--you know, the sort of comment that really stings, maybe even embarrasses you in front of other people? If you could do it all over again, with the benefit of hindsight and time, what would you say and/or do differently in response?<br /> <br />OR<br /> <br /> </span></li> <li><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">What's the best insult you've ever heard? I'm not talking mean, I'm talking creative as well as scathing. Write it here and then try your own hand at doling out some real burns.<br /> </span></li> </ol>lit loverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655721435559160806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10713307.post-1109776571765046582005-03-02T09:57:00.000-05:002005-04-06T13:28:47.636-04:00get good at being badEverybody procrastinates, right? (No, Traci, just you.) But if you find yourself constantly procrastinating when it comes to your writing, maybe you should listen to Joel Saltzman in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0446395072/ref=lpr_g_1/103-7138773-8462236?v=glance&s=books"><span style="font-style: italic;">If You Can Talk, You Can Write</span></a>:<br /><blockquote>"If you want to create massive writer's block, insist on being a perfectionist; if you want to snuff out the creative impulse, insist on being a perfectionist; if you want to torture yourself for the rest of your life for never being good enough, insist on being a perfectionist."</blockquote>Saltzman continues:<br /><blockquote>"PERFECTIONISM LEADS TO PARALYSIS, WHICH LEADS TO PROCRASTINATION."</blockquote>Could this be you? Are you already revising your first sentence before you've completed your fourth one? Does your fear of never writing anything great keep you from writing anything at all?<br /><br />Today is the day to break the cycle. Your task? Write something bad. Really bad. Embarrassingly awful. And even as what you're writing becomes more and more horrid, you must not stop. Keep writing truly hideous prose or poetry for at least twenty minutes. I dare you.lit loverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655721435559160806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10713307.post-1109684050482829682005-03-01T08:25:00.000-05:002005-03-01T08:34:10.483-05:00public eyeI love to write in public places. One of my favorites is the coffeshops inside some of the larger bookstores these days. It's such a treat to enjoy my steaming cup of coffee, to eavesdrop on the conversations around me, and to quietly weave a few of those unsuspecting strangers into my writing world.<br /><br />This prompt comes courtesy of Beth Baruch Joselow's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1885266731/qid=1109683982/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/103-7138773-8462236?v=glance&s=books&n=507846"><span style="font-style: italic;">Writing Without the Muse</span></a>. Go to a public place with your writer's notebook. Any place will do--the library, the airport, a restaurant. Observe the people around you and choose one person as the focus of your writing practice. Try to inconspicuously observe your subject for at least twenty minutes. Begin by noting physical details, but move onto speculation--what is this person's occupation? family situation? personality? pet peeves? quirks? After your twenty minutes of note-taking, write a detailed character sketch of the person you've observed.lit loverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655721435559160806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10713307.post-1109598090687635512005-02-28T08:32:00.000-05:002005-03-01T10:10:38.690-05:00from best to worstFor this prompt I'm taking a tip from <a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org/">NaNoWriMo</a> founder, Chris Baty. I've been reading his hip, funny new book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0811845052/nationalnov09-20/103-7138773-8462236"><span style="font-style: italic;">No Plot? No Problem</span></a>, and slowly planning my foray into novel writing. I'm not sure if I'm up to the 30 day challenge of NaNoWriMo, but I did really enjoy the following activity Baty shares in his book.<br /><br />Baty suggests that, before you begin your novel writing adventure, you make two lists:<br /><ol> <li>What, to you, makes a good novel?<br />AND<br /> </li> <li>What bores or depresses you in a novel?</li> </ol> Be as specific or as vague as you like in your lists, but give some extra thought to the qualities novels you like share, as well as to what you hate to read. Baty makes a sage observation: "If you won't enjoy reading it, you won't enjoy writing it."<br /><br />Obviously, you needn't limit your lists to novel writing--apply them to whatever genre you wish to explore. I've included my own response to this activity in the first comment to this entry.lit loverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655721435559160806noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10713307.post-1109529564364511092005-02-27T13:39:00.000-05:002005-02-27T13:39:24.363-05:00one writer's beginningsI've just started reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060565535/qid=1109529453/sr=2-1/ref=pd_ka_b_2_1/104-3645569-2007146"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Faith of a Writer</span></a> by Joyce Carol Oates. It's a collection of essays that reflect upon various aspects of writing. In one such essay, Oates revisits the one room schoolhouse she remembers so vividly, the same schoolhouse in which her mother was educated. In another, Oates recalls her first real book, Carroll's <span style="font-style: italic;">Alice in Wonderland</span>, and the impact that volume has had on her writing. Over and over, Oates examines the facets of her life that contributed to and helped create the writer she is today. Like Eudora Welty in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0674639278/qid=1109529381/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-3645569-2007146?v=glance&s=books&n=507846"><span style="font-style: italic;">One Writer's Beginnings</span></a>, Oates acknowledges that her sense of herself as a writer seemed to begin even before she had ever committed a word to the page.<br /><br />Think back to your own childhood. When did you begin to feel that urge to create? What was the first book or story that captivated you? Describe your own journey to becoming a writer.lit loverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655721435559160806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10713307.post-1109296965008703262005-02-24T21:02:00.000-05:002005-02-24T21:11:42.180-05:00the perfect sandwichYears ago, when I was enrolled in a fiction writing course, we were collectively whining about writer's block. We lamented the stalled plot, the character we could no longer direct or empathize with, etc., etc. Amidst the self-pity, I remember a friend saying simply, "Whenever I get stuck, I just have my character make a sandwich." We started to laugh, but then realized our classmate wasn't laughing. He smiled instead. "You know, everyone makes a sandwich differently. It gets 'em moving, and before you know it, your story's up and running again."<br /><br />Since then, several of my characters have made their own sandwiches, from PB & J to triple-deckers. The sandwiches rarely remain a part of the story, but my friend's core advice, "get your character moving," has helped many a stalled plot.<br /><br />Try it for yourself. Choose a character, and observe as he or she performs some everyday ritual or task, such as making a sandwich, cleaning out a refrigerator, smoking a cigarette, etc. You may be surprised at the extraordinary character insights you discover through ordinary actions.lit loverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655721435559160806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10713307.post-1109199578778070182005-02-23T17:59:00.000-05:002005-02-23T17:59:38.776-05:00killer fictionIf you write fiction, you just gotta love John Gardner. The man was opinionated, for sure, but he sure knew his stuff. I'd highly recommend <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0679734031/qid=1109199466/sr=2-1/ref=pd_ka_b_2_1/104-3645569-2007146"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Art of Fiction</span></a> to anyone who's the least bit interested in fiction writing. You may not always agree with Gardner (I'd be shocked if you did), but you're sure to come away with a new respect for and understanding of what makes great fiction.<br /><br />Here's today's prompt, courtesy of Gardner himself:<br /><br />Describe a lake as seen by a young man who has just committed murder. Do not mention the murder.lit loverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655721435559160806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10713307.post-1108665674161372062005-02-21T13:40:00.000-05:002005-02-22T08:31:56.730-05:00speaking out<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">When I was in the eighth grade, I adored my English teacher. She was funny and friendly, and I looked forward to her class each and every day. However, I gradually discovered that the regard was not mutual. Once, I shared with her a poem I had written several years earlier. The poem tackled a mature subject, drug addiction, but I'd seen enough tv to feel relatively confident in addressing it. My teacher, however, questioned how I could have written it, and implied that I had not. Later in the year, when I won the school essay contest, she expressed great surprise and actually said, "Well, I guess there weren't that many entries."<br /><br />Have you ever had a teacher who you feel treated you unfairly, or who squelched your creative spirit? Isn't it time to get it all out in the open? Write a letter to that teacher, and go for broke. Say what you always wanted to say, but never could when you were the student. Now's the time to free yourself from that critical little voice that's kept you from realizing your writing potential.<br /></span>lit loverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655721435559160806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10713307.post-1108915492518916922005-02-20T11:04:00.000-05:002005-03-01T10:12:55.986-05:00family valuesWith all the hype about maintaining and sustaining family values these days, you'd think all families had the same ones. But clearly, that is not the case. Every family creates their own morality, their own subtle set of values that may or may not be verbally communicated, but which exist all the same. Revealing those values can be the key to creating a believable family in your writing.<br /><br />The following prompt comes from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0844259004/qid=1109689947/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/103-7138773-8462236?v=glance&s=books&n=507846"><span style="font-style: italic;">Everyday Creative Writing</span></a> by Michael Smith and Suzanne Greenberg.<br /><br />Fill in the blanks in each of the following sentences:<br /><br />The event/relative my family never talks about is ___________________.<br />The only thing my parents ever lied about was _________________.<br />In my family, the worst thing that could happen to you is ________________.<br /><br />Look over your responses and freewrite on some of the values your family held. Be sure to focus not only on the values they <span style="font-style: italic;">claim</span> as values, but also those implied by gestures and behavior.lit loverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655721435559160806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10713307.post-1108665631467841292005-02-18T13:39:00.000-05:002005-02-18T16:51:53.420-05:00random accessI love the new Apple commercials for their latest innovation, the iPod shuffle. The slogan, "Life is random" just about sums it all up, doesn't it? And sometimes, random can be a really good thing.<br /><br />Give it a try. List 10 random objects. Push yourself to the unexpected in your list (try to avoid desk and chair, for example). Be specific, but try to avoid brand names.<br /><br />Now use each object in your list to complete the following metaphor: "If love were a(n)..." Don't stop at filling in the blank here. Extend the metaphor, Homer-style, to really explain the comparison.lit loverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655721435559160806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10713307.post-1108665151985100602005-02-17T13:25:00.000-05:002005-03-02T10:23:57.400-05:00baby needs a new pair of shoes<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Lately, I've been feeling pretty judgmental of some folks in my family, pretty frustrated with the way they are (or, more aptly, are NOT) handling certain things. I've also been feeling a bit taken advantage of by folks at work who seem to expect more and more of me with less and less compensation as time marches on.<br /><br />So, how do you use writing in a constructive way to deal with this? Think of that one friend or relative to whom you so often want to say, "If you only knew what it was like to be me." Now switch it--write as if you were spending a day walking in his/her shoes. Here's the hard part: you have to maintain the other person's point of view without succumbing to sarcasm. Be sincere and use one of writing's greatest tools: empathy. For at least ten writing minutes, live in the skin of the one who most frustrates you and see what happens.<br /></span>lit loverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655721435559160806noreply@blogger.com0