Saturday, February 3, 2007
Contest
5 Minutes for Mom is hosting a contest for you to possibly win a piece of jewelry. Be sure to check it out!
Monday, January 8, 2007
Out of the Mist
Where do the ideas and characters come from?
I'm not sure. It's hard to explain.
Possibly not a very satisfying answer, but it is an honest one.
Usually the idea comes to me fully developed. In the back of my mind things have been working themselves out and when it is ready I know when, where, who, what and how. I am a seat of the pants writer for the most part.
What does that mean?
Well, there seem to be three basic types of writer in my experience.
1. the seat-of-the-pants writer
2. the step-by-step outline writer
3. a combination of the two.
As a seat-of-the-pants writer, I don't consciously plan the story. It comes to me fully developed with characters, setting, and conflict. All I have to do is write it down. This doesn't mean that I don't do any planning. I have a beginning, middle, and end by the time I finish the first draft. From there I have to fill in the bare bones with substance.
The step-by-step writer is a creature of amazing organization (I definitely don't fit into this category). Chapters with all their elements are thought out and carefully outlined before any writing begins.
The third type of writer is a combination of the two, and really requires no explanation. Most of the writers I've talked with are this third type.
Which is the best method?
Whichever one works best for you.
Blessings and happy scribing!
I'm not sure. It's hard to explain.
Possibly not a very satisfying answer, but it is an honest one.
Usually the idea comes to me fully developed. In the back of my mind things have been working themselves out and when it is ready I know when, where, who, what and how. I am a seat of the pants writer for the most part.
What does that mean?
Well, there seem to be three basic types of writer in my experience.
1. the seat-of-the-pants writer
2. the step-by-step outline writer
3. a combination of the two.
As a seat-of-the-pants writer, I don't consciously plan the story. It comes to me fully developed with characters, setting, and conflict. All I have to do is write it down. This doesn't mean that I don't do any planning. I have a beginning, middle, and end by the time I finish the first draft. From there I have to fill in the bare bones with substance.
The step-by-step writer is a creature of amazing organization (I definitely don't fit into this category). Chapters with all their elements are thought out and carefully outlined before any writing begins.
The third type of writer is a combination of the two, and really requires no explanation. Most of the writers I've talked with are this third type.
Which is the best method?
Whichever one works best for you.
Blessings and happy scribing!
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
In the Beginning...
A question I am often asked: "When did you start writing?"
I can´t put an exact date on it, but I was eleven, maybe twelve years old. I started with descriptions.
I was ten or so when we moved from the city to the farm. It was a spread-your-wings-and-learn-to-fly experience. Rocks and sky and rivers and trees. So much freedom. It was an inspiration. Suddenly words formed with rhyme and rhythm, and clamored to be written down.
I can remember standing in a rock hollow in the side of the cliffs above the river and writing about what I saw and heard and felt. The whisper of the wind in the treetops below my high place. The river winding below like a shimmering silver ribbon in the late afternoon sun. The green and yellow and brown patchwork of fields in the rolling distance. The musty, woodsy smell of moss and last fall´s decaying leaves. The shrill heart-piercing cry of a red-tail hawk circling high overhead in the azure sky. The lacy, doily-like grey-green patches of lichens growing on the face of the limestone cliff. That description became a scene in the first novel-length story I wrote. I finished that novel before I was sixteen.
This will probably date me for sure but my brother use to make fun of me by calling me John Boy Walton. It never worked quite the way he intended. I always took it as a compliment.
While my classmates at high school were thinking about their prom date or the next football game, I was thinking about my characters and what conflict had to be resolved.
Now, years later with 28 novel-length stories behind me, I´m still thinking about the next story. It´s as natural as breathing, and for me, as necessary. It is my way of relieving stress. There is something so peaceful, so relaxing about watching words flow onto paper.
I would love to hear about your experiences with writing, or life in general, as well as any questions or comments.
Blessings!
I can´t put an exact date on it, but I was eleven, maybe twelve years old. I started with descriptions.
I was ten or so when we moved from the city to the farm. It was a spread-your-wings-and-learn-to-fly experience. Rocks and sky and rivers and trees. So much freedom. It was an inspiration. Suddenly words formed with rhyme and rhythm, and clamored to be written down.
I can remember standing in a rock hollow in the side of the cliffs above the river and writing about what I saw and heard and felt. The whisper of the wind in the treetops below my high place. The river winding below like a shimmering silver ribbon in the late afternoon sun. The green and yellow and brown patchwork of fields in the rolling distance. The musty, woodsy smell of moss and last fall´s decaying leaves. The shrill heart-piercing cry of a red-tail hawk circling high overhead in the azure sky. The lacy, doily-like grey-green patches of lichens growing on the face of the limestone cliff. That description became a scene in the first novel-length story I wrote. I finished that novel before I was sixteen.
This will probably date me for sure but my brother use to make fun of me by calling me John Boy Walton. It never worked quite the way he intended. I always took it as a compliment.
While my classmates at high school were thinking about their prom date or the next football game, I was thinking about my characters and what conflict had to be resolved.
Now, years later with 28 novel-length stories behind me, I´m still thinking about the next story. It´s as natural as breathing, and for me, as necessary. It is my way of relieving stress. There is something so peaceful, so relaxing about watching words flow onto paper.
I would love to hear about your experiences with writing, or life in general, as well as any questions or comments.
Blessings!
Monday, December 11, 2006
WHAT IF?
I write fiction. I've tried non-fiction, but must admit that, for the most part, it is too bland for me; too confining. Somehow it stifles MY creativity. I'm definitely a fiction writer and my favorite writing game is WHAT IF?
Writing a good read is about more than just words on paper (or in this day and age - words on your hard drive). It's about characters, settings, plots, and conflicts. It's about "what if". Any given character placed in any given situation - "what if?" The possibilities are endless.
In teaching creative writing to teens I use this question to get them thinking. I give each student a character name (John, Mary, Joe, Beth, whatever...) and a one line starter. It's trite but one of my favorites is-- "It was a dark and stormy night, __________(insert character's name). The assignment is to take the situation and place your character in it. Now - "What if?"
It always amazes me that regardless of how many students I have in the class no two stories are alike. Imagination is not only special, it's also individual. Try the "what if?" game sometime. Even if you don't fancy yourself as a writer, you might be surprised where your imagination can take you.
Happy strolling.
Blessings,
Kathie
Writing a good read is about more than just words on paper (or in this day and age - words on your hard drive). It's about characters, settings, plots, and conflicts. It's about "what if". Any given character placed in any given situation - "what if?" The possibilities are endless.
In teaching creative writing to teens I use this question to get them thinking. I give each student a character name (John, Mary, Joe, Beth, whatever...) and a one line starter. It's trite but one of my favorites is-- "It was a dark and stormy night, __________(insert character's name). The assignment is to take the situation and place your character in it. Now - "What if?"
It always amazes me that regardless of how many students I have in the class no two stories are alike. Imagination is not only special, it's also individual. Try the "what if?" game sometime. Even if you don't fancy yourself as a writer, you might be surprised where your imagination can take you.
Happy strolling.
Blessings,
Kathie
Friday, December 8, 2006
FIRST STROLL
Are you thinking: What a weird name for a blog? I'm a writer. That might explain it to some, but in case you are still in the dark - or the mist - here's an explanation of sorts.
My mind is a BUSY place and (as a writer) characters, scenes, plots, conversations materialize out of the mist as I stroll (mentally) along. All I have to do is write it down. Understand?
People frequently ask me, "Why do you write?"
My first response, with a pleasant smile, "Why don't you write?"
I get various comebacks to that, but the most common is "Because there is nothing to write about."
At this point in the conversation I usually say, "I'm sorry."
I truly feel sorry for people who feel there is nothing to write about. Don't get me wrong or jump to conclusions. I don't think that everyone can or should be a writer. My response has nothing to do with their abilities to write. It has to do with their attitude toward the world around them. For me, they live a sad existence.
The universe around us is running over with miracles and wonders and stories to be told. It's a tragedy that was we age, moving from infancy to childhood to adolescence to adulthood, that many of us lose our curiosity and sense of wonder. If 'growing up' means losing my ability to observe and feel and experience, my curiosity, and my need to 'know more', then I prefer not to grow up. (I'm 52, by the way). There is a precious beauty in seeing the world through the eyes of a child. One of my favorite pieces of poetry says it so well.
My mind is a BUSY place and (as a writer) characters, scenes, plots, conversations materialize out of the mist as I stroll (mentally) along. All I have to do is write it down. Understand?
People frequently ask me, "Why do you write?"
My first response, with a pleasant smile, "Why don't you write?"
I get various comebacks to that, but the most common is "Because there is nothing to write about."
At this point in the conversation I usually say, "I'm sorry."
I truly feel sorry for people who feel there is nothing to write about. Don't get me wrong or jump to conclusions. I don't think that everyone can or should be a writer. My response has nothing to do with their abilities to write. It has to do with their attitude toward the world around them. For me, they live a sad existence.
The universe around us is running over with miracles and wonders and stories to be told. It's a tragedy that was we age, moving from infancy to childhood to adolescence to adulthood, that many of us lose our curiosity and sense of wonder. If 'growing up' means losing my ability to observe and feel and experience, my curiosity, and my need to 'know more', then I prefer not to grow up. (I'm 52, by the way). There is a precious beauty in seeing the world through the eyes of a child. One of my favorite pieces of poetry says it so well.
To see the world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.
William Blake
In the past I've taught Grammar (no moaning or groaning allowed), literature, and creative writing - among other subjects. For me there are few things more exciting then assigning teenagers to keep a journal as part of their course grade (the moaning and groaning is substantial), and after a few weeks having a teen stay behind after class to fearfully or timidly ask me if I would read his/her first attempt at a novel or short story.
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Brings tears to my eyes and joy to my heart. I've help the blind to see. That teen will never be the same again. He may not one day have a book on the Best Seller list, but he now sees the universe with a sense of wonder. His eyes and ears and emotions have been opened to a universe of endless possibilities, limited only by his own imagination.
The world is not a static place. It is dynamic! Life is never boring. Every person you meet has a story to tell; every situation has a lesson to teach. We were not created to mope our way through life. We, as humans, are the jewel of GOD's creation and HE gave us a universe overflowing with light, color, sound, smells, and tastes; a universe for us to experience and enjoy. If GOD wanted us to merely exist He could have given us a drab, dull, bland world of grey and brown, but HE didn't. HE put us in a place of beauty. A place that is the reflection of His glory and majesty. Open your eyes and your hearts to the treasures around you.
Take a stroll.
Blessings,
Kathie
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