Tag: Writers

Can Mindfulness Be Applied to Writing?

Published on by Jean M. Cogdell5 Comments

 

Food for thought! reblogged from Ryan Lanz

Source: Can Mindfulness Be Applied to Writing? by Sheree Crawford

Talk to me – I love reading your comments.

Please head over and “like” my Facebook page at Facebook at jeanswriting . Or to connect with me, click the “write me” tab. Don’t forget you can follow me on StumbleUpon,  on Twitter @jeancogdell , and Amazon.com.

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

Do you want advice help from the great Steven King?

Published on by Jean M. Cogdell6 Comments

Do you want advice help from the great Steven King? I said it before and I’ll say it again.

Want to write well? Learn from the pros.

One of my all time favorites is Steven King. I mean who doesn’t love getting the bejesus scared out of you just before bedtime? Mr. King knows how to do just that. Anyone read “It?”

Back to what we can learn from the great “King.”

22 lessons from Stephen King on how to be a great writer

Here’s what I gleaned from an article at Business Insider. FYI- #9 and #12 are my favorites.

  1. Turn off the TV and read more.  Okay, no sacrifice there.
  2. Brace yourself.  Sorry, nothing prepares me for disappointment and rejection.
  3. Stop wasting time being a people pleaser.  A good writer is bound to step on some toes.
  4. Write for yourself. (yep.)
  5. Start with the tough stuff first. Hmm, gonna think on this some. There are times it’s all hard going.
  6. Turn off the damn social media. Shut out the world and write.
  7. Don’t write like you’ve got a stick up your ass. Using words readers must look up every third sentence is not a good idea.
  8. Avoid adverbs. Seems I’ve heard that before. And don’t get too long-winded with the paragraphs.
  9. Don’t pick grammar correctness over the story. Love this one!
  10. Description is an art. I do love it when a passage paints a picture.
  11. Keep the background in the back of the story.
  12. Tell it like it is. Write what is real about real people.
  13. Take risks, jump and write like no one is reading.
  14. You don’t need a crutch like booze and pills to be creative. Stay sober and write.
  15. Don’t be a mimic. Be true to yourself.
  16. Write what’s in your head, like telepathy.
  17. If you don’t take your writing seriously, no one else will either.
  18. Write each day. Not sure I agree with this one because sometimes life gets in my way. Just saying. Sorry, Mr. King.
  19. Three drafts in three months! Not in my world. But I could dream.
  20. Finished? Let it rest before going further.
  21. Cut, cut and gut. We’ve all heard how important it is to trim the fat.
  22. Balance! Keep a good balance in your life.

So tell me? What did you get out of Mr. King’s 22 tips?

Which are your favorites?

Do you find reading about other authors helpful?

Talk to me – I love reading your comments.

Please head over and “like” my Facebook page at Facebook at jeanswriting . Or to connect with me, click the “write me” tab. Don’t forget you can follow me on StumbleUpon,  on Twitter @jeancogdell , and Amazon.com.

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

Related articles

If you want to submit, it’s important to know the rules

Published on by Jean M. Cogdell4 Comments

It’s been a long while since I submitted anything for a literary publication. As I’ve posted in the past, life gets in the way too many times and distracts me from #writing. This year I hope to do better. After setting my goals for the rest of the year, I need to lie down. Whew.

But back to submitting stories or articles. Check out the following post and…

Know the rules , stay organized.

Don’t get locked out when you submitt!

If you want to submit to publications, know the rules.

Connie Jasperson explains how to use Submittable and how to track your submissions. Keep reading and get to submitting that great story.

I’m a member of several author groups who regularly meet in online chat-rooms to talk about the craft. Every member of these groups are published authors, some traditionally, and some Indie. Many are hybrid, with work both traditionally and Indie published. Much of what we discuss involves the problems we face in developing marketing strategies. […]

via #amwriting: submissions: discovering who wants them and how to manage your backlist — Life in the Realm of Fantasy

Have you submitted anything recently? If not why?

Do you think submitting is an important part of being a writer?

Talk to me – I love reading your comments.

Please head over and “like” my Facebook page at Facebook at jeanswriting . Or to connect with me, click the “write me” tab. Don’t forget you can follow me on StumbleUpon,  on Twitter @jeancogdell , and Amazon.com.

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

Related articles

How is your day as a writer?

Published on by Jean M. Cogdell26 Comments

Do you ever have a day like this?

You know the kind. One step forward and two steps back. Come on fess up.

I’ll admit some days this is more or less how I write. LOL

Good morning! Fueling up!

 

 

Just one quick look.

 

 

 

 

Research location. Where oh where to put this story? Oh, I’d love to visit Paris. I’ll check flights. Won’t take a minute.
Time to rock-n-roll! I got this.

 

Need to chat with my critique partner. Just one question. My we have a lot to catch up on.

 

 

 

 

 

Let’s see what everyone is doing. Just one quick look.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time to make the magic happen!
WTF did I write that for? Editing, editing, and more editing.
Maybe I need a little adaptation research.

 

 

 

 

 

 

She didn’t post that picture! On no.

 

 

Happy hour! It’s five o’clock somewhere. Tomorrow is another day. Cheers!

Hope you this brought a little fun to your week.

But do tell me. Am I wrong?

Do you write without distraction, nose to the computer?

Talk to me – I love reading your comments.

Please head over and “like” my Facebook page at Facebook at jeanswriting . Or to connect with me, click the “write me” tab. Don’t forget you can follow me on StumbleUpon,  on Twitter @jeancogdell , and Amazon.com.

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

Images courtesy of Pixabay and GIPHY