Curation Corner: 9 Ways to Chip Away at Writer’s Block
Tag Archives: advice for writers
Curation Corner: Time for some advice…or not.
So, let me give you a little advice… ;-|
5 Pieces of Common Writing Advice You Should Absolutely Ignore
A few comments:
Some folks have written complete books on item #1.
Sometimes that longer word just does the work much more effectively.
We’ve all heard about that ‘filthy first draft’ [I prefer the alliterative version.]. But knowing there is a massive clean-up operation ahead often steers me anywhere but there.
The best piece of advice came at the end: “use the wisdom that works for you and discard the rest.”
Keep putting words on the page! Unless, of course, it’s one of your off-days. Or you don’t feel like ‘showing, not telling’. Or you prefer to simply ‘not edit” period/ever/I’ll smack anyone who suggests it!’ vs. ‘edit-as-you-go to’!
There now, wasn’t that helpful?
Curation Corner: 30 uses for those half-used or blank notebooks
Lots of good ideas in Shelby Abrahamsen’s
30 FUN AND EFFECTIVE WAYS
TO USE A BLANK NOTEBOOK
You’ll see some of my favorites in the intro graphic.
Plus, there is something non-threatening to picking up a half-used notebook and diving in with your latest brainstorm. Just my observation…
Curation Corner: Can/should writers multitask? A verdict.
First off, my posting this is the epitome of multitasking, as I was in the middle of a search for online images for another project. I guess that makes me as qualified as anybody to post this. (Further proof of my qualifications: Dating back a couple of weeks, I have three separate posts in draft mode.)
Sadie Chelsea of thehonestwriter.org breaks down the issue for us here.
One thought: Sadie’s post claims “Multitasking can even impair cognitive ability…” For me, that’s assuming I have any left.
Another thought: There are some mindless tasks that can be accomplished while, say, exerbiking or with the TV on. Granted, it may well erode that cognitive ability discussed above.
A third thought: I’ve run out of cognitive ability for the moment. Time to click ‘publish’.
Stuck for writing topics? Visit Quora.
Okay, so here I sit and there is a dog on the floor beside me who is morally (possibly even biologically) opposed to humans using technology when he’s nearby. In other words, he’s smarter than most humans, including me.
Despite the canine objections…seeing as how I’m well into retirement, I was struck with this thought: At what age does a man become a codger?
So I clicked over to Quora. Lots of ideas and discussion [and ads, but I’m sure you’re as adept as I am at looking past that stuff.]
Then, in the right column ‘Are you a geezer, codger, or coot?‘ caught my eye.
Seemed like a fun little etymology exercise.
And it set off my idea machine [ten ideas ideally on a single topic] exercise for the day:
Find ten writing topics from this page on Quora.
1. When did I become a codger?
2. Does my dog think I’m a codger? [An interview]
And I came across, this guy on Quora, who fed me all kinds of topics—
He says he still believes in ‘silly little things like:
3, “Life is simply a never ending series of decisions.”
4. “We are in control of our destiny, although politicians think they are.”
And my favorite…
5. “Worry is the most egregious mistreatment of imagination that there is.”
This person is also shooting to live to 112 1/2—a source of multiple topics…
6. “What if I knew I’d live that long? How would I live my life right now?”
7. “Do I want to live that long?”
8. “If I knew the exact date, or even month, of my passing, how would I treat those last few months?”
And circling back to the original ‘When did I become a codger?’…
9. Would there be a new classification/label for someone who’s hanging around at 112?
10. Where would I be warehoused at that age?
11. Would I still have a dog at that age?
12. When should we decide to NOT have a dog? [i.e. don’t want to leave him ownerless/homeless if I should pass—or— don’t want to be so feeble that I can’t take good care of him]
So these are thoughts that might have entered my mind as I celebrated World Baking Day yesterday. Instead, I focused on chocolate chip-peanut butter-cranberry cookies and a fresh loaf of Italian cheese bear bread.
Other stuff I’m doing:
retiredguys.net
and more Goodwill Words Project letters.
Curation Corner: Make your writing fit and trim.
I ran across this post from vappingo.com (a valuable new find) that’s all about ridding your work of ‘flabby words and expressions’.
Exact Title: 164 PHRASES AND WORDS YOU SHOULD NEVER USE IN AN ESSAY—AND THE POWERFUL ALTERNATIVES YOU SHOULD
I like the ‘powerful alternatives’ part…
A few examples:
— Use ‘will differ’ instead of ‘will be different’.
— Use ’emphasize’ instead of ‘point out’.
–Use ‘Start by’ instead of ‘The first step is to…’
While I don’t write essays, a quick scan of the list awakened me to lazy expressions I’ve used in my posts and letters.
Note: After reviewing the post, I’m now paranoid about every word I’m writing. Probably a good idea to NOT check out this post…
before your first drafts.
There are 17 more pages of Vappingo posts here.
Curation Corner: Are you a writer who’s stuck? Try freewalking.
Hey, it works for Jessica Lourey!
I’ve enjoyed seven of her Mira James Mysteries (set in Battle Lake, Minnesota–population 927) books, so I looked up Jessica Lourey on Amazon and voilà!
Check out her May 2, 2021 Freewalking post.
Some excerpts:
“Every time I finish these emotionally honest books, I free a piece of Little Jessie…” (herself)
“The Pretender will be my twenty-first novel, so you’d think I’d have things figured out by now, and I do when it comes to the mechanics of it. My experience, though, has been that writing’s always hard, and my fears grow to fit the space I give them.”
“So when I say I have something that works despite, know that I’m not just blowing smoke. I’m coming at you from the trenches.
Here it is, my miracle cure for don’t-writis: freewalking.”
Here also is Jess’s TedX Rapid City talk: Use Fiction to Rewrite Your Life
Hope you enjoy and learn a little something!
Curation Corner: Let Hemingway do the work.
Click here or on the above word cloud for a 90-second run-through of The Hemingway App, an online pair of eyes [creepy, I know] that points out [without browbeating] a writing flaw or two.
Here is an opening sentence I used on another blog…and Hemingway’s feedback. [That hack…I’ve heard he claims to have written The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms.]
You just paste in your masterpiece and out comes the quick but helpful evaluation.
There is also a $20 desktop version.
Note: Thanks to websiteplanet.com for reminding me about The Hemingway App and a few other helpful tools.
Curation Corner: Solve painful writing problems in 5 steps
I never fail to learn new writing strategies when I visit Copyblogger. Just as valuable is the writers’ acknowledgement that writing is hard…followed by helpful approaches to mindset mixed in with a few hacks to jump start our efforts.
The graphic is just the outline of a post by Brian Clark that’s well worth saving. Check it out.
Hope it helps. It should…
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.
Word Inventions 