Letter writing is the only device for combining solitude with good company. Lord Byron It is 2012, spring/early summer and I’m writing a friend a letter about my life. “In the garden, irises, roses and columbine are blooming, the peonies seem to grow inches every day and they are full of buds but as of today… Continue reading Special Delivery
Category: Writing Prompt
The Rule of Three in Creative Writing
How do writers use the rule of three? As a chef I know the magic of three. Always garnish the plate with odd numbers, usually threes. Two raspberries looks OK nestled next to the creme brulee and the sprig of fresh mint. But add just one more and the plate is perfect. Writers know the same… Continue reading The Rule of Three in Creative Writing
an owl’s warm feathers
This morning my gym was offering free 10 minute sport massages so I waited 30 minutes after class ended to take advantage of it. My backpack was filled with books to read while I waited, but a pen and my traveling notebook were more interesting to me. I opened the notebook to phrases from the last poetry workshop I took.… Continue reading an owl’s warm feathers
Fearless Writing
“The scariest moment is always just before you start.” Stephen King Today, start your writing practice from the window. You can use this image as a start or wherever you are look out the window. Freewrite, start a poem or a story, a sentence or even just a word.
The Fragrance of New Flowers
The writer spreads the fragrance of new flowers, an abundance of sprouting buds. Lu Chi (261-303), from The Art of Writing, translated by Sam Hamill The last month has been hurried…finishing up end of the year paperwork, opening a new business, and dealing with interruptions, changes and well, just normal life things. Often… Continue reading The Fragrance of New Flowers
Discovering Poetry
“I have never started a poem yet whose end I knew. Writing a poem is discovering.” Robert Frost I loved the poem that The Writer’s Almanac presented today because it says a lot about voice. One Night by Jeremy Voight. If you’re not reading this on January 8th, you can do a search on the… Continue reading Discovering Poetry
Thoughts on the Subconscious-Part II
“It is only through your conscious mind that you can reach the subconscious. Your conscious mind is the porter at the door, the watchman at the gate. It is to the conscious mind that the subconscious looks for all its impressions.” Robert Collier (American motivational author, 1885-1950) If you read part 1, I am using… Continue reading Thoughts on the Subconscious-Part II
5 Ways to Face Down Rejection
I take rejection as someone blowing a bugle in my ear to wake me up and get going, rather than retreat.” Sylvester Stallone I don’t have any statistics on creative writing rejections. I do know that many best-selling authors often boast of how many rejections they received before they got their first work published. And… Continue reading 5 Ways to Face Down Rejection
“Books must be written, not talked”
In a longish life as a professional writer, I have heard a thousand masterpieces talked out over bars, restaurant tables and love seats. I have never seen one of them in print. Books must be written, not talked. Morris L. West Writing tip Many professional writers firmly believe that you should keep your work in… Continue reading “Books must be written, not talked”