January 2021 – 1705 days.
Life goes on. Life-altering events are mulched over and the diamond bits are buried. The pain doesn’t go away, it’s just part of the soil. … Read More January 2021 – 1705 days.
Category: A Day in the Life of a Writer
A new wrinkle
In all the scenarios I’ve ever imagined, never once did I think of Stephen King’s dystopian vision as a possibility of what Jake could endure. At this point I skitter like a rock across a lake over thoughts of where Jake might be. It’s an unbearable lightness of being. I am unbearably light. I had… Read More A new wrinkle
Write Rite Right of Passage
I am embarking on a trip in a few days that will lead me to connect with my past in good ways, and I am in full panic mode. I’m half convinced I’m going to die, the same way I used to feel in the past when I went over bridges. I read years ago… Read More Write Rite Right of Passage
Memoir writing: Make a list of memories and then cull from it
Write a list of 25 memories. The note for each memory should be short. Example: the time I sledded into a tree the summer I spent with my brother’s grandma taking the shortcut to school through the woods shooting the rapids in the Santa Ana aqueducts with Mama the night my mother attempted suicide ice… Read More Memoir writing: Make a list of memories and then cull from it
A Day in the Life of a Writer: Still in the starting process.
After you’ve written several memories down, you can keep going, you can take a wee break and make a list of memories to come back to, or you can pause that part of the process and focus on fleshing out one or more individual memories. Sometimes it’s best to vomit everything onto the page. Sometimes… Read More A Day in the Life of a Writer: Still in the starting process.
A Day in the Life of a Writer: Getting started on your memoir
When you want to write a memoir, it’s difficult to know where to start. You hear people discuss themes, and character arcs, and think, “I just want to tell about my life. Just start at the beginning, y’know?” Yes. And no. Where exactly is the beginning? And the beginning of what? A memoir is not… Read More A Day in the Life of a Writer: Getting started on your memoir
Story Saved Me. Is Saving Me.
Once upon a time…. Those words perk up our ears like no others can. Once upon a time…. We are wired for story. It’s in our DNA, it’s in our blood. We need story because it’s how we learn about the world. This one time, in Forest Falls, when I was about 8 years old,… Read More Story Saved Me. Is Saving Me.
Character Development: Character Flaws
If you’re looking for a way to flesh out your characters, check out this site: Character Flaws: The Seven Chief Features of Ego. What I find fascinating is how each flaw is exhibited in people, and why. For example, The Martyr Complex. Someone with this flaw is convinced that s/he’s persecuted, and believes that s/he’s… Read More Character Development: Character Flaws
A Day in the Life of a Writer: Wisdom from McKee
I’m reading McKee’s Story along with one of my writing partners, and we’re both finding gems. Sure, screenwriters are the intended audience, but story structure is story structure. My favorite lines so far: “But fact, no matter how minutely observed, is truth with a small “t.” Big “T” Truth is located behind, beyond, inside, below… Read More A Day in the Life of a Writer: Wisdom from McKee
A Day in the Life of a Writer: Back to GMC
I’ll be writing about how I’m using GMC, which I got from GMC: Goal, Motivation and Conflict: The Building Blocks of Good Fiction by Debra Dixon (Clean link) I’ve begun working on my novel again, and recently had a breakthrough because of an app I found online that utilizes Dixon’s GMC. I dumped what I… Read More A Day in the Life of a Writer: Back to GMC