Recent Posts from our Blog
Sunday Exercise: Just a paragraph, but oh, what a paragraph!
Have you ever read a passage of a story and just stopped to enjoy what the writer did? How the writer shared their world view in such an economical way? or how they created a world without using fancy terms? Happens all the time, yes? Well, I keep this book on my desk, which I [...]
Sunday Exercise: So Many Writing Exercises! Which Is The Best?
There are writing exercises galore for storytelling, such as story or “first-line” plotting prompts. However, there are only a rare few that focus on the quality of your writing. It’s the quality of your writing that sells your stories. So which is the best writing exercise for improving the quality of your writing? The one [...]
Friday: Imagery Exercise—What is Tone in Writing?
One of the more frequent writing questions I get is “What is tone in writing?” It’s rarely defined, never mind taught. However, as I mentioned before, Nancy Dean in her textbook, “VOICE LESSONS: Classroom Activities to Teach Diction, Detail, Imagery, Syntax, and Tone,” created my absolutely favorite definition of tone in writing: “Tone is the [...]
Friday: Imagery Exercise—When words desert you…
Have you ever seen that animated little stick guy on You Tube, where he’s pounding his fingers, then his head on a keyboard and does so until the blood starts to splay? Warning: it’s a bit graphic, but it’s also very evocative of how hard it sometimes feels to “get it right” on the page. [...]
Friday: Imagery Exercise—Literal v. Figurative Descriptions
Some of the best descriptions I’ve read — including some of the responses to the previous #ImageryFriday exercises! — are not literal descriptions that paint a picture, but figurative, which evoke an emotional response. So the question becomes when is it best to use literal descriptions and when to use figurative ones? There are no [...]
Friday: Imagery Exercise — The Christmas Factor
I hope you’ve been enjoying our Imagery Friday exercises. If you’re here for the first time, you might want to read the first post in this Imagery Friday series to gain a perspective on how this highly important exercise enriches our writing. (The link opens in a new tab or window, so it’s easier for [...]
Friday: Imagery Exercise—Selection, selection, selection
Everything is an image. If you don’t believe me, read Stephen King’s article, “Imagery and the Third Eye,” about how his writing is all about imagery— “…it is the imagery that makes the book “stand out” somehow; to come alive; to glow with its own light.” —Stephen King As writers, we are taught to think [...]
Friday: Imagery Exercise—Character, as Seen in the Face
Imagery Friday is about keeping our writing hands limber, so we leave our readers with vivid, unique, and very telling images. For me, strong images are a beacon of great writing. We’ve all read them: a phrase, a brief passage, even a paragraph that catches our imagination and moves us there, wherever the writer’s “there” [...]
Friday: Imagery Exercise—Underwater Hotel!
Welcome back to our Imagery Friday! If you’re here for the first time, you might want to read our first post about imagery HERE. It’s brief, but fun (and opens in a new tab or window so you don’t lose this page). When you’re done, come back here for today’s exercise. You’re also welcome to [...]
How do I find my Authentic Writer’s Voice?
Have you ever paused as you were writing or revising to look at what’s on your page and found yourself thinking “Oh, man, that is just the right word!”? Somehow it just feels right, but how did you come up with it? and how do you find the right word, when you begin groping through [...]
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