Take ten minutes and write a short review of your current finished, or nearly finished, project.
In a way, you’ll be taking a close-up view…but from a distance, that of an ‘objective’ reader. Yes, kind of a paradox, isn’t it?
Category Archives: Bookshelf selections
Writers Horoscope for October 20: Today, you’re open to distraction.
Here it comes…big time.
National Novel Writing Month
And while it will be a distraction from your daily slog, perhaps this is just what you need…a distraction from your daily slog!
There’s plenty to be learned from this unedited dive into verbosity. But don’t take my word for it…
Why You Should Participate in NaNoWriMo, Too!
Come join the writers horoscoper in this 30-day launch into the unknown.
Writers Horoscope for October 19: Open the confessional.
Admit it, that half-finished crossword puzzle has more allure than that half-completed blog post.
Even the half-mowed lawn has more allure than the half-completed blog post.
Solution: Ditch that blog post and write about the writing vs. anything-and-everything-else tug-of-war. You’re not alone, that’s for sure.
Writers Horoscope for October 18: You rise above nagging fear today.
- “Do you really want to offer readers a peek into the real you?”
- “That editor doesn’t want to read your query, much less your manuscript.”
- “That subject’s been covered ad nauseum.”
Yep, the voice of hindrance is back.
What to do? Simplify your task. Focus on process, not product. And these eight other ways to Harness Your Fear and Fuel Your Writing. [Thank you, Sage Cohen]
Want to stay brave?
Here is a go-to daily kick-in-the-seat-of-the-pants book you might be interested in. [Gee, that may have just set a world record for number of hyphens in a single sentence. Very dashing of me**, I must say.]
Do One Thing Every Day That Scares You by Robie Rogge and Dian Smith
***
This just in from the ‘exhibit a little fearlessness’ department, a fellow writer from a Facebook group dared us to share her post. So I am. [I’m guessing her timing is meant to coincide with Breast Cancer Awareness Month, though, of course, the message applies all year.]
Certainly, in the most difficult moments of life you realize who your true friends are and which ones really appreciate you.
Unfortunately, like most friendships, FB friends will leave you in the middle of a story. They will post a “like” for the story, but in reality they do not take time to read your post if they see it’s lengthy. More than half of you have already stopped or will stop reading right here. Some may have already scrolled on to the next post in their feed.
Well, I decided to post this message in memory of other family and friends who this awful disease has taken, or is affecting at this time.
It will be interesting to see who will take the time to read this entire post; a little test just to see who reads, and who shares without reading.
If you have read everything so far, select “like” so I can put a thank you in your profile.
Cancer is a very invasive and destructive enemy. Even after the end of treatment for cancer, the body is still ravaged and fights with itself in an attempt to reconstruct and repair the damage caused by radiation, chemotherapy and other agents used to combat the disease. It’s a very long process. Wouldn’t you think it would be nice to see who can relate to what someone is going through?
If you , like me, know someone who is fighting cancer, or if you know someone in remission, or knew someone who sadly lost the battle, please honour them by copying and pasting this post on FB.
I DO believe a select few of my friends will re-post this, to show their support for their family/friend who may be struggling.
COPY and paste – NOT – SHARE this post.
I’d like to know who took a minute from their day to read this and took a second minute to think about and honour that “someone”.
I did. I hope you do too.
** Believe me, inserting that pun took a fair amount of courage as well. ;->
What’s on my bookshelf? If You Can Talk, You Can Write
First of all, I love short chapters.
Thank you, Joel Saltzman, author of If You Can Talk, You Can Write [1993]—50 chapters squeezed into 190 pages.
And he practices what he preaches, as Saltzman might as well be playfully preaching to us over coffee in the kitchen.
Three of my preferred chapters:
- If You Don’t Know What to Say, Start Saying It
- Write About What Matters to You
- But It’s Not Even Close to Perfect
My favorite Saltzman quotes:
- “What’s needed is entitlement, the firm belief that ‘If it interests me, it interests others.’ “
- “All you have to do is learn to stop rejecting your thoughts and start writing them down.”
- “…you can adopt a much saner, more productive point of view: PROGRESS, NOT PERFECTION.”
Saltzman also weaves in short anecdotes, pop quizzes [Ten questions you can’t get wrong], and valuable quotes from other writers, including:
- “In every work of genius, we recognize our own rejected thoughts.” —Goethe
- “If the result of something I do is that someone feels 10 percent less crazy because they see someone else thinking what they’re thinking, then I provide a service.” —Albert Brooks
This is one of about a dozen books I would snag from my shelf in case a fire broke out at home. [If it wasn’t already been planted in my back seat box of writing stuff…]
What’s on my bookshelf? If You Can Talk, You Can Write
First of all, I love short chapters.
Thank you, Joel Saltzman, author of If You Can Talk, You Can Write [1993]—50 chapters squeezed into 190 pages.
And he practices what he preaches, as Saltzman might as well be playfully preaching to us over coffee in the kitchen.
Three of my preferred chapters:
- If You Don’t Know What to Say, Start Saying It
- Write About What Matters to You
- But It’s Not Even Close to Perfect
My favorite Saltzman quotes:
- “What’s needed is entitlement, the firm belief that ‘If it interests me, it interests others.’ “
- “All you have to do is learn to stop rejecting your thoughts and start writing them down.”
- “…you can adopt a much saner, more productive point of view: PROGRESS, NOT PERFECTION.”
Saltzman also weaves in short anecdotes, pop quizzes [Ten questions you can’t get wrong], and valuable quotes from other writers, including:
- “In every work of genius, we recognize our own rejected thoughts.” —Goethe
- “If the result of something I do is that someone feels 10 percent less crazy because they see someone else thinking what they’re thinking, then I provide a service.” —Albert Brooks
This is one of about a dozen books I would snag from my shelf in case a fire broke out at home. [If it wasn’t already been planted in my back seat box of writing stuff…]
What’s on my bookshelf? The Writer’s Idea Book
From my bookshelf, The Writer’s Idea Book by Jack Heffron, published in 2000. [Note: There is also a 10th Anniversary Edition.]
It’s broken down into four sections: Bending and Stretching, Exploring, Finding Form, and Assessing and Developing.
To quote the author: “…the tone of the book will vary, from high-minded to playful to downright crabby.”
I really haven’t come across the crabby parts, which sound well worth tracking down.
Heffron–an accomplished writer and editor [Writer’s Digest Books, Story Press, and currently copy director at Barefoot Proximity in Cincinnati] provides over 400 different prompts to nudge, shove, cold-cock the reader into some fertile writing territory.
Some examples:
- A Day in the Life of a Writer. In this mindfulness exercise, “Your goal here is not to develop material for a single piece, but to plump your notebooks with ideas and details.”
- “You’re very old. You’re on your death bed…Family and friends gather around you. What do you tell them about life? What advice about living do you offer them?”
Apologies to the ‘absolutes’ police: With this book, you’ll never have nothing to write about…ever.
What’s on my bookshelf? The Writer’s Idea Book
From my bookshelf, The Writer’s Idea Book by Jack Heffron, published in 2000. [Note: There is also a 10th Anniversary Edition.]
It’s broken down into four sections: Bending and Stretching, Exploring, Finding Form, and Assessing and Developing.
To quote the author: “…the tone of the book will vary, from high-minded to playful to downright crabby.”
I really haven’t come across the crabby parts, which sound well worth tracking down.
Heffron–an accomplished writer and editor [Writer’s Digest Books, Story Press, and currently copy director at Barefoot Proximity in Cincinnati] provides over 400 different prompts to nudge, shove, cold-cock the reader into some fertile writing territory.
Some examples:
- A Day in the Life of a Writer. In this mindfulness exercise, “Your goal here is not to develop material for a single piece, but to plump your notebooks with ideas and details.”
- “You’re very old. You’re on your death bed…Family and friends gather around you. What do you tell them about life? What advice about living do you offer them?”
Apologies to the ‘absolutes’ police: With this book, you’ll never have nothing to write about…ever.
What’s on my bookshelf? The Wizard of Ads
Here is the first of an occasional wordinventions feature, What’s on my bookshelf?
I hope you like it.
Today: Marketing consultant Roy Williams’ The Wizard of Ads from the trilogy by the same name.
Quote: “Intellect is to be cherished. Please don’t think I’m trying to diminish it. I’m merely urging you to give intuition the credit it deserves. I hope to give you the courage to follow your heart. Sometimes the thing that makes the least sense is exactly the right thing to do.” [page 182]
I like this work because it places just as much emphasis on people skills and life’s intangibles as it does on effective writing.
What’s on my bookshelf? The Wizard of Ads
Here is the first of an occasional wordinventions feature, What’s on my bookshelf?
I hope you like it.
Today: Marketing consultant Roy Williams’ The Wizard of Ads from the trilogy by the same name.
Quote: “Intellect is to be cherished. Please don’t think I’m trying to diminish it. I’m merely urging you to give intuition the credit it deserves. I hope to give you the courage to follow your heart. Sometimes the thing that makes the least sense is exactly the right thing to do.” [page 182]
I like this work because it places just as much emphasis on people skills and life’s intangibles as it does on effective writing.
Word Inventions 