Writers: Be open to criticism, even if it’s from another species…
Monthly Archives: November 2020
Curation Corner: Look into MasterClass Live
As I’m writing this, Dan (The DaVinci Code) Brown is the middle of his 50-minute YouTube video that includes a Q and A session with students who had signed up for his MasterClass course.
Here is the link to MasterClass Live on YouTube. Lots of excellent free knowledge being shared by the experts.
I was going to post this next week, but I’m going to squeeze this in today to promote their 2-for-1 annual membership offer through Nov. 30. (Nope, not getting any $$ for doing this. Just wanted to pass this along. I’m inches away from ordering myself, as it opens me up to send a free year as a Christmas gift.)
Many opportunities for ‘goodwill words’
First of all, these posts have nothing to do with giving myself props.
They have everything to do with encouraging others to find a little corner in their daily/weekly schedule and jot down/hunt-and-peck a thought or two for someone else’s benefit.
When I finished posting the note above on legacy.com, it hit me that some opportunities for goodwill writing can reach out and thunk us on the forehead. This was one of those times.
While Fred is reading it from ‘another place’, I hope it brings some comfort and a smile to his family. He was a special guy.
Nothing special, I realize, nothing earth-shaking or life-changing, but as writers, every time we put pen to paper, it’s an act of faith. In this case, I have faith that these simple items will improve a someone’s day, even just a little bit.
Plenty of writers are directing their thoughts and support to folks they know and some they don’t know, so my ‘project’ is nothing new or unique.
But it’s something that makes sense.
And…
- it is a self-sustaining ‘volunteer opportunity’, which have dwindled ‘a bit’ since mid-March.
- it’s one more feel-good checklist item for my day’s end ‘review’.
- it’s so much better than watching the news.
- it provides a layer of human contact
- it’s been fun and rewarding and it will continue.
Let me know if you want to join me. I have a raft of resources that will make the project doable.
th at inventwithwords dot com
Journal writers: Beware the rut!
Stephan Pastis, creator of the Pearls Before Swine comic strip, explores the dilemma of journal writers.
And if you think you’re in a writer’s rut, check out this post by K.M. Weiland:
8 Signs You’re Stuck in a Writing Rut—and Why You Should Care
Some favorite points from her 2011 post:
— “And where stagnation lives, art dies.”
— “Challenge yourself to tell each story differently.”
— “Thanks to laziness and fear—and often obliviousness—it’s much too easy to fall into comfortable patterns…”
For those readers/writers in the U.S., have a Happy [though possibly disjointed and untraditional] Thanksgiving.
Any readers/writers from Canada? How was your October 12 celebration…complete with fall colors, right?
My ‘goodwill words’ project continues…
I sent this one yesterday. I took out the word cloud and the greeting to provide a layer of privacy for the person, even though her story is featured on moreloveletters.com. I hope the words give special people like this recipient a little shot in the arm.
Nothing special, I realize, nothing earth-shaking or life-changing, but as writers, every time we put pen to paper, it’s an act of faith. In this case, I have faith that these simple items will improve a person’s day, even just a little bit.
Plenty of writers are directing their thoughts and support to folks they know and some they don’t know, so my ‘project’ is nothing new or unique.
But it’s something that makes sense.
And…
- it is a self-sustaining ‘volunteer opportunity’, which have dwindled ‘a bit’ since mid-March.
- it’s one more feel-good checklist item for my day’s end ‘review’.
- it’s so much better than watching the news.
- it provides a layer of human contact
- it’s been fun and rewarding and it will continue.
Let me know if you want to join me. I have a raft of resources that will make the project doable.
th at inventwithwords dot com
What I wish I knew as a creator
I’m porting this retirerenew post over to this blog.
A fun five-minute video with plenty that speaks to us as writers.
A bad time for writers ;->
Stephan Pastis, creator of the Pearls Before Swine comic strip, captures the current dilemma of ‘a few’ writers out there…
Have a great weekend…and go outside. ;->
And if you’re bored with what you’re writing–check out this three-minute read from Susan Mary Malone.
What inspires my ‘goodwill words’ project?
Here is a sample letter request from moreloveletters.com.
I welcome these needed reminders that others are struggling and my life is on cruise-control. It’s not always easy to come up with what I would consider ‘the right words’, but in those cases, I go with tact, sincerity, and the mantra of ‘better done than perfect’.
Plenty of writers are directing their thoughts and support to folks they know and some they don’t know, so my ‘project’ is nothing new or unique.
But it’s a project that makes sense.
And…
- it is a self-sustaining ‘volunteer opportunity’, which have dwindled ‘a bit’ since mid-March.
- it’s one more feel-good checklist item for my day’s end ‘review’.
- it’s so much better than watching the news.
- it provides a layer of human contact.
- it’s been fun and rewarding and it will continue.
Let me know if you want to join me. I have a raft of resources that will make the project doable.
th at inventwithwords dot com
Cruising the Web for writing wisdom
from https://twitter.com/i/lists/120501776 [Writing Gurus]
https://advicetowriters.com/advice/2013/6/7/do-not-sit-and-mope.html
Seven Methods to Inspire Your Next Book
from Writing Routines
Three of the methods:
- Start with one character in one room.
- Create the world your story will inhabit.
- Make new stories from tired, old pieces.
My ‘goodwill words’ project continues…
Nothing special, I realize, nothing earth-shaking or life-changing, but as writers, every time we put pen to paper, it’s an act of faith. In this case, I have faith that these simple items will improve a person’s day, even just a little bit.
Plenty of writers are directing their thoughts and support to folks they know and some they don’t know, so my ‘project’ is nothing new or unique.
But it’s something that makes sense.
And…
- it is a self-sustaining ‘volunteer opportunity’, which have dwindled ‘a bit’ since mid-March.
- it’s one more feel-good checklist item for my day’s end ‘review’.
- it’s so much better than watching the news.
- it provides a layer of human contact
- it’s been fun and rewarding and it will continue.
Let me know if you want to join me. I have a raft of resources that will make the project doable.
Word Inventions 