Workshop Holly Lisle's Vision Holly Lisle's Workshop By Holly Lisle © 2002, By Holly Lisle Your short story or novel has not been going well, or maybe you've even finished it but now discover that you hate it. If this is your situation, you have my sympathy: I recently tanked 283 pages of a novel that was going to all the wrong places, and even with a brutal deadline hanging over my head, I've never been so happy to see something go. Big question, though? Maybe. Let's take a look at what you want to cook and see if there's anything in it worth saving. 1. Can you write down, right now, in ten words or less, the theme? 2. Can you sit down immediately and write one sentence that sums up the story? 3. Can you name the single character who matters most to the story, and write down in one or two short sentences what this most important character wants or needs most of all? 4. 5. Can you write out, quickly and clearly, why this story matters, and to whom it matters? 6. 40-60 points -- Let It Live
The Write Prompts The month of April is dedicated to National Poetry Reading in the United States and Canada. While it is meant to encourage reading of poetry there is no reason not to turn it into a poetry writing month. If you don't normally write poetry take the plunge and do some this month. Even bad poetry writing is a good exercise. For the month of April, every day read a poem of your choice then write a responding poem either in the same form or a form of your choosing. If you want something that requires a little less searching on your part then sign up for a daily podcast of Garrison Keillor's The Writer's Almanac. To get you started here is a favorite poem to get your started: Song of Enchantment by Walter De La Mare A Song of Enchantment I sang me there, In a green -- green wood, by waters fair, Just as the words came up to me I sang it under the wildwood tree. The Writing Challenge Options:
40 of the Best Websites for Young Writers Jun 09, 2011 Looking for writing help, peer review, grammar tips or just a little bit of advice from the World Wide Web? Don't miss these 40 helpful websites for young writers. Writing Communities and Courses Young Writer's Society - Dedicated to scribes between the ages of 13 and 25, the Young Writer's Society is the world's largest website for young writers. Grammar and Reference Websites The Purdue Online Writing Lab - Purdue University's Online Writing Lab is a wonderful place to learn all of the various rules of grammar and usage. Creativity Boosters The Story Starter - Creativity abounds at Story Starter!
Yarny Write to Done Arouse your creativity Electric flesh-arrows … traversing the body. A rainbow of color strikes the eyelids. A foam of music falls over the ears. It is the gong of the orgasm. ~ Anais Nin Creativity is like sex. I know, I know. The people I speak of are writers. Below, I’ve exposed some of their secret tips, methods, and techniques. Now, lie back, relax and take pleasure in these 201 provocative ways to arouse your creativity. Great hacks from Merlin Mann of 43 Folders The Journaling Life: 21 Types of Journals You Can Create to Expr The Blog of Scott Hansen » Overcoming Creative Block I do not know what to write. I am sitting here staring at the screen, running sentences in my head, and turning my music on and off. Earlier I went foraging for food (in hopes of sparking some magical words), but ended up getting distracted by Arrested Development for 20 minutes. This happens just about every time I sit down to do anything. I’ll probably go play the guitar between this paragraph and the next. Of course this is a familiar situation. Knowing this I decided to ask some of today’s most exciting artists and creators what they do when the ideas aren’t flowing. What follows are 25 strategies from these creatives to spark your inspiration; hopefully you’ll find something helpful in there. Nicolas Felton is a graphic designer based in New York City I think I rely on a few tactics to keep my creativity flowing. I try to alternate the tenor of my years, like crop rotations. My other strategy is to keep my plate as full as possible. Tom Muller is a Belgian graphic designer Michael C.
The Ultimate Guide to Writing Better Than You Normally Do. Writing is a muscle. Smaller than a hamstring and slightly bigger than a bicep, and it needs to be exercised to get stronger. Think of your words as reps, your paragraphs as sets, your pages as daily workouts. Procrastination is an alluring siren taunting you to google the country where Balki from Perfect Strangers was from, and to arrange sticky notes on your dog in the shape of hilarious dog shorts. The blank white page. Mark Twain once said, “Show, don’t tell.” Finding a really good muse these days isn’t easy, so plan on going through quite a few before landing on a winner. There are two things more difficult than writing. It’s so easy to hide in your little bubble, typing your little words with your little fingers on your little laptop from the comfort of your tiny chair in your miniature little house. It’s no secret that great writers are great readers, and that if you can’t read, your writing will often suffer. Available in print withThe Best of McSweeney’s Internet Tendency