-
Focus on the Essentials: Attend a Conference
Seasoned writers have a secret they tell everyone. Lean close and I’ll whisper their most discussed riddle. Writing conferences are essential to writing success. Here are five major reasons why successful writers continue to attend writing gatherings and conferences: Join us for the Fall Gathering in October and reach the writing potential God has for you! What other reasons do you have for attending The Gathering? Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of all ICW Members.
-
Plot Your Novel: 3 Tried and True Methods(+1)
Historians and literary scholars tell us there are three basic plot methods for writers to plot a novel. Of course, you choose the fourth. First, let’s review the three initial methods of how to write a plot, implied by John Gardener’s The Art of Fiction. The first method is to find a plot you like and make it your own. No, it’s not plagiarism, such as copying scenes word by word. The method is more like the movie ‘Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?’ which is structured on the Odyssey. Stories such as Star Wars are based on ‘B’ movies of the 1940’s and 1950’s. Shakespeare gets many of his plot…
-
A Novel: In Three Acts
Every author hears of the three-act novel at some point. One thinks of Shakespeare, vast libraries, and high literature when discussing the points of writing a novel with three parts. However, rather than complicating storytelling, its origins in Ancient Greece were designed to make the process easy and clear. Let’s take a look. The acts are split this way: Act 1: Set up the main characters by tossing them into the worst conditions you can concoct. Act 2: Torture characters until they are ultimately confronted with their mortality. Act 3: After facing their worst fears, the characters are ready to turn chaos into resolution. Or, to simplify: Act 1: I’ve…
-
Make Reading Your Constant Diet
“That box is probably too heavy for you.” She put a hand on my arm. “Let me get someone to help you lift it.” She motioned a teen boy over. “Mike, can you help Peter lift this box?” “Sure!” The teen boy bent down and picked up the box. “Where do you want it?” Oh goodness. What had been a trial for me to lift, the man-child hefted easily. “Over there.” My doctor had long been on my case to lift weights, and the incident was enough for me to hire a personal trainer to help me gain strength. I was excited and told the trainer I could spend two…
-
Overcome the Yips!
I stretched my back. Next, I gave each of my fingers a massage. I closed my eyes and warmed up my imagination. Then, I put on the perfect playlist. A quick check showed my favorite glass holding iced tea was full, and my screens were all at the perfect height. It was time to write some killer dialogue. Writing session, commence. “Sup?” “Not much. You” “Eh.” Nothing else came to mind. Not only was that the least helpful dialogue I’ve ever written, but I’d also actually permanently destroyed brain cells typing it. Word yips strike the beginner and veteran writer without respect for persons. Sometimes, going back to the basics…
-
Let There Be Light!
For writers, our imagination is a tricky little troublemaker. As children, we stared out the windows during math class. Do you remember being a teen? You contemplated anything but what you were doing in the moment. Now as adults, we make up fictional characters we torture. Yes, our imagination is trouble. Those visions are also your best friend, and they are how I awaken my writing brain. Here’s my process. Close your eyes. What do you see? Okay, yes, it’s dark. Thank you for pointing it out. With eyes closed, tap into your imagination. Quickly conjure up a scene, a person, their looks, clothes, and posture. Fill in the world…
-
Ride The Wave
I rarely find myself with sweaty palms these days…except when I share my writing. I’ve posted and published so much over the last decade, you’d think exposure alone would seal this last fount of my social anxiety. But, no. As my finger hovers over the send or submit button, my hands are damp and shaky, every time. [Even now] Another writer asked me a question, basically, “How do we know our writing is good enough to be published? What if we share it with people and it actually sucks?” That’s the question of the social media century. We think our work is good, but we question ourselves, and what if…
-
Of Orchids and Dandelions
“Medicine, business, law, engineering… these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are the things that we live for.” ~ Robin Williams in Dead Poet’s Society There is one key element of my writer’s journey, which has launched me to each next level of craft mastery and publication. What is the secret? More on that in a minute. First, some context is necessary. I was a bit of a jerk growing up, or, as one person rightly said, insufferable snob. I weaved my way through life, breezing through high school with my buddies and a few years of college with the guys. I…
-
Villain or Hero? Skip The Tired Tropes Consult the Philosophers
Many authors, including myself, have a theory about what makes a book sell past one or two printings. One word. Magic. Well, not quite. Here’s what we see. Over the years, philosophers, theologians, and others have narrowed down seven basic good characteristics and seven not-so-good things a person does. Over time, they’ve been labeled the Seven Heavenly Virtues and the Seven Deadly Sins. It’s easy to list them. Perhaps we’ll spend the time later. But for now, let’s talk about one virtue—loading the dishwasher. Loading the dishwasher is also coupled with unloading, and over the past 6,000 years, dishwashing has been known to be one of the greatest attributes a…
-
Writing Human Nature
A man named Aesop, in Greece, wanted to write a children’s book. He pulled together a few local tales, penned them, and hit the best-seller list. By age seven, little Spartan and Athenian warriors went to school to become community-minded members of society by learning the fables. At the same time, they trained to be bloodthirsty warriors and graduated to slaughter Persians. Well, no society is perfect. The fables stood the test of time. What are they, and how can they support your writing? A fable is a short story featuring animals or objects as characters. The tale is designed to rely on the animal’s nature to convey a clear…
