Creative writing – Page 44

Want to be a good writer? Learn from a great one.

Published on April 5, 2017March 30, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell16 Comments

Like Ernest Hemingway!

This morning as I stumbled along reading posts I found the Positivity Blog, Simple Tips and Habits That Work in Real Life. What a great concept for a blog. Everyone is looking for things that really work every day.

This particular post was Ernest Hemingway’s Top 9 Words of Wisdom by HENRIK EDBERG.

Now you may not be a writer, or maybe you are already a successful writer but this article is for everyone. I believe these nine words of wisdom which Mr. Hemingway applied to his life and his writing could benefit us all.

Here is what I gleaned from the post:

Listen more.
- Be present. How many times have we heard that lately? Seems everyone is attempting to slow down and smell the roses. Some of my best lines came from a conversation I overheard in a restaurant.
Trust yourself.
- This is very hard for me. But at some point, as a writer, I must trust my writing and the readers. Did I mention this is not easy?
Eyes on the prize.
- Again, not easy. I have a tendency to get distracted. Busy does not mean moving in the right direction. Multi-tasking is not a talent. Keep writing.
Make writing a habit.
- Nike once had a motto, Just Do It. Seems I need to adopt this for my writing. What about you?
Attitude is everything.
- Fake it till you make it. Failure is okay as long as I don’t quit. Get back on the horse that threw me. All right, all right that’s enough platitudes.
When the times are tough, the tough get going.
- Sorry, had to do one more bit of bullshit, LOL. But in all honesty, writing is hard so sometimes I have to slough through the hard days.
Don’t sweat the small stuff.
- I think we all struggle with this concept. But when I think about it will anyone really remember that I left the sink full of dirty dishes last night?
Turn my imagination loose.
- If I can’t suspend disbelief, how can I expect my readers to? Hmm, food for thought. Gotta mull this one around a little more.
Understand rather than judge.
- Whoa, that’s deep. Accepting and understanding not only what I feel and think but also the feelings of others. Kinda brings us full circle to #1 (Listen.)

Reading this post tells me that not only was Ernest Hemingway a great writer he was a wise man.

What do you think?

Could this apply to everyday life?

Talk to me – I love reading your comments.

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When is the best time to use contractions?

Published on March 31, 2017March 30, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell25 Comments

Okay, first things first. If you’ve read any of my post you know…

I’m no expert.

But recently a fellow writer Jena C. Henry, be sure and hop over and check out her blog, posed a question.

When is the best time to use contractions?

I, in turn, agreed to toss the question out to my readers.

However, as this is my blog, here are my thoughts.

No rule says we must use contractions. I don’t want my writing to sound as if I’ve got a stick up my ass. Unless of course one of my characters is actually walking around with a stick, well you know. To me, writing with contractions makes the story and dialog sound less stilted and more inviting.

However, I don’t think a contraction is warranted in every instant. In other words, I believe this is just one of the many tools in a writer’s arsenal. Using them should be part of a writer’s personal preference or style. There are times when using a contraction can sound confusing and may take an extra beat for the reader to figure out what is happening. Any doubt- write it out. Remember, a good rule of thumb is to “write like you talk.”

Click here and grab this cheat sheet of Common Contractions.

Now Jena and I would like to hear your answers.

When should a contraction be used?

Do you use more, or less, contractions in your writing?

Do you think they are overused?

Should writers forgo them for a more formal style?

At the bottom of this post, I’ve linked a few articles with a bit more authority on the subject than me. So keep reading!

Leave me a comment – I love hearing from you!

Please stop by and say “hey!” I’ll leave a light on.

Keep reading!

Using Contractions Correctly

Contractions by Neal Whitman, read by Mignon Fogarty, Grammar Girl

Contractions List: When To Use and When To Avoid by Joe Bunting

Do you want to write about fear?

Published on March 29, 2017March 28, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell4 Comments

Ever struggle with a scene?

Well, I’ve been struggling with a scene in a WIP that needs a light touch. I want to convey fear and terror without being overt about what’s happening.

And as usual, when I need help along comes one of my blogging/writing buddies.

Thanks, Dan Alatorre AUTHOR!

Recently, Dan posted a tease regarding a new contest. However, this isn’t what got my juices flowing. No, it was the video challenge. Hop over to Dan’s post and check out the video.

WRITING CHALLENGE: See It, Write It

Dan posed three questions about the video clip. I used #3 as an exercise to work on my scene problems. Helped me a lot to work on writing about anxiety and fear.

#3. The place where the nanny is crossing the street and the little girl almost gets run over – HOW would you set that up in a written story so we jump when we read it?*

Here is the result of my exercise. Please be kind.

We could make it if the girls didn’t dawdle. I gripped the hands of my small charges tighter and marched on aching feet toward the cross walk.

“Hurry along girls, before the light changes.”

I should stop at the market and get something for dinner. Mr. Singleton likes lamb chops.

“Nanny, Nanny, I got to pet a rabbit today.” Eve tugged on my hand.

“Hmm, that’s nice.”

“She did not.” Anna made a face at her younger sister.

“Did too.”

“Girls, that’s enough, we don’t have time.”

Maybe there’s something I could cook for dinner in the freezer.

Of course, the girls have homework. They always have homework. It’s Chatty-Kathy Highwaters fault I’m running late this afternoon. If she hadn’t insisted on telling me, and everyone within hearing, about her big pay raise, I wouldn’t be in such a hurry. Although I wouldn’t call five percent much of an increase for minding three kids.

“Oh, my God!”

The screech of metal against metal filled the air as two cars attempted to destroy each other.

I yanked the girls back onto the curb and out of the way of two damned fools, playing Speed Racer. They could’ve killed my babies. Where the hell is New York’s finest when you need them?

“Nanny, you’re hurting me.” Anna whimpered.

I eased my death grip on the girls and kneeled. Hands shaking, I fished a crumpled tissue from my pocket and dried their tears.

“How about we go for ice cream?”

So what if dinner is late tonight? I’ll think of something. For now, I’ll let the sweet taste of chocolate with sprinkles wipe this horror from their minds. No need to worry the Mister and Mrs. about what didn’t happen.

Have you ever used a writing challenge to help a WIP?

Do you find showing fear and terror difficult?

Did you try your hand at one of Dan’s questions? Which one?

Talk to me – I love comments.

Please stop by and say “hey!” I’ll leave a light on.

Do you enjoy a little fun with words?

Published on March 27, 2017March 23, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell2 Comments

Then you might be a LEXOPHILE (LOVER OF WORDS.)

I love StumbleUpon. Never know what I’ll find when I push that orange button.

My latest find is LEXOPHILES (LOVERS OF WORDS.)

I smiled as I read through the list of puns and wordplay. Wish I were this imaginative. Of course, I’ve my husband and grandchildren to keep me in the pun game. They a never at a loss for a few.

Of the 46 listed, these are my 10 favorites.

#4. A backward poet writes inverse.
#13. You are stuck with your debt if you can’t budge it.
#17. A lot of money is tainted: ‘Taint yours, and ‘taint mine.
#21. The short fortune-teller who escaped from prison: a small medium at large.
#24. If you jump off a Paris bridge, you are in Seine.
29. Marathon runners with bad shoes suffer the agony of de feet.
#32. She was only a whiskey-maker, but he loved her still.
#38. A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police are looking into it.
#41. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.
#45. When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion.