writing – Page 27 – Jean's Writing

How to avoid murdering your career

Published on August 16, 2016February 14, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell44 Comments

Ever feel like you are strangling a story to death?

I feel your pain. Really, I do. Sometimes I think my WIP needs to be put out of my misery.

delete key.png

So, let’s all avoid the paper shredder. Because there’s help by – 10 Career Killers by David McFarland Story Doctor.

Here is what I learned from reading 10 Career Killers.

Critics don’t buy books. Don’t write like a professor, write for your reader.
Idiots don’t buy books either. Don’t dumb down your writing.
Develop a wide range of topics. Don’t be a one-hit wonder. Don’t become bland.
Keep up with technology. Learn to speak. Don’t let fear of the unknown stop you.
Be thankful when fans or critics point out things that need changing. Then do it.
Keep writing. Don’t let success kill your talent.
Invest and save. Remember the law of gravity. What goes up must come down.
Focus on your writing. Don’t let outside forces suck up your time.
Figure out what to write and how to market it. Don’t rely on others to make you rich.
Remember the rules of kindergarten and play nice. Don’t burn any bridges.

I usually have a favorite when I read a list of writing tips, but picking just one of these is hard. If I had to pick, I’d pick #3. Why? Because I love all genres and mediums. I love e-books, movies, YouTube, and apps. To me, technology is fun. I can enjoy reading everything from a Steven King novel, a children’s picture book to the latest Vampire YA.

David goes into a lot more detail in his post. After you’ve clicked and read the entire thing, be sure and let me know what you thought.

Which of his writing tips do you relate to?

Got another tip to avoid killing a writing career? Do share.

I’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment or click the “write me” tab or you can contact me on Twitter @jeancogdell,Facebook at jean.cogdell and Amazon.com. Just do stop by and say hey! The lights are on and I’m waiting.

Please remember to share this post with your Twitter peeps and Facebook fans.

How to add just enough color to the story

Published on July 26, 2016April 15, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell14 Comments

Last week I wrote about saying a lot with little.

That’s great; brevity is needed from time to time. But for a story to be truly beautiful, horrific or memorable, whether short or long, the writer must paint a vivid picture.

So how do we, as writers, paint a picture without adding so many color and descriptions that we end up with a muddy mess?

muddy art pallet Jeans Writing

Anyone?

I admire writers that write with beautiful descriptions dripping from the page like diamonds around the neck of a debutante. But me, I struggle every time I sit down to write. Writing just enough words to make the sky a calm vibrant blue on a warm sunny day or adding clouds, birds, airplanes, light breeze until even I’m tired reading the paragraph. The reader does need more than, “The sky was clear.”

I’m a simple person, so I had to come up with a simple process to overcome. Kinda like any overwhelming project, I take it one piece at a time. In art class, we were taught to block out the subject/scene at first pass. Quick and dirty get the basic dimensions down on paper. Writing is another art form. I try to apply what I learned about drawing and painting to the art of storytelling.

Here are my 2 steps:

Sketch and block out the story. (my version of an outline)

Like an artist sketching out a drawing in charcoal, I write the bare basics first. Just sketch out “what’s to happen.” Giving myself an idea of how many chapters it will take to reach the conclusion.

2. I tackle each scene or chapter one at a time.

I add a layer of shading, and color to the scene, breathing life into the surroundings. Such as, what is important to the character? The sky, weather, buildings…?

Pretending I’m watching and listening to a movie, I let the scene unfold as describe what the character sees, hears, smells and touches, adding these layers of textures a little by little.

Then I go to the next scene and start the process all over again.

How do you decide to add color and description when you write? All at once, as you go, or a little at a time?

Do you have any tips to help me and others with this struggle?

Need more great tips on taking your writing further?

Keep Reading!

Check out the link at the bottom of this post!

I’d love to hear from you! Click the “write me” tab or contact me on Twitter @jeancogdell, Facebook at jean.cogdell and Amazon.com, stop by and say hey! The lights are on, and I’m waiting.

Please remember to share this post with your Twitter peeps and Facebook fans.

How to take your writing to the next level Part 2 by S B WILLIAMS

How to say a lot with a little

Published on July 22, 2016July 19, 2016 by Jean M. Cogdell6 Comments

Is this one of your biggest issues?

Getting just right the who, where, why and what they are doing. It’s mine. questions-1328465_640 Sometimes I get carried away with descriptions. Yet often, like a good perfume, a little goes a long way. A little is divine, too much, yikes. skunk-34149_640

I’m not a visual person so describing situations or scenes is difficult for me. So I’ve invented little tricks to help myself not over think it too much. However, the downside is I end up rewriting a lot. And I do mean a lot. Sigh… I guess there really are no shortcuts.

Things that help me:

Look up the word. The dictionary and thesaurus really can be a great source for brainstorming.
Have the character stop and look around. Describe what they see, smell or hear but not what they are doing.
Write the scene like a piece of Flash Fiction. This is a good discipline in brevity. It helps me see things in a different light.
Remind myself that my readers know what the color purple looks like. I don’t need to go crazy.
Reading, reading and reading.

One of the best articles I’ve read lately on this subject written by RYAN LANZ. Be sure and hop over and read it for inspiration on good descriptions. Link at bottom.

I’m also now reading:

Another good resource is:

7 WAYS TO WRITE VISUALLY (WITHOUT DESCRIBING EVERYTHING) by RYAN LANZ.

Do you have any tips that can help me with writing good descriptive scenes?

Are you a visual person? Do share!

I’d love to hear from you! Click the “write me” tab or contact me on Twitter @jeancogdell, Facebook at jean.cogdell and Amazon.com, stop by and say hey! The lights are on and I’m waiting.

Please remember to share this post with your Twitter peeps and Facebook fans.

To Grandmother’s House We Go

Published on July 21, 2016July 21, 2016 by Jean M. Cogdell6 Comments

The Daily Post Prompt: Frail

Mom wrapped the warm apple pie in her best kitchen towel before she placed it in the Chiquita banana box. The smell of apples and cinnamon filled the old station wagon. My mouth watered as visions of homemade vanilla ice cream over hot pie danced in my head.

My nose plastered against the window I watched until our house faded in the distance.

“How long before we get to Grandma’s?”

“Geez Mark, we just left,” I said. God little brothers can be so annoying.

“So.”

“Don’t start kids.” Dad caught my eye in the rearview mirror.

“Mark, it’s just a short drive. It won’t take long.” Mom said.

Distance and time are different to adults. Stuck in a car with a six-year-old little brother for even a short drive can seem like an eternity. But eventually Dad turned on to an old road and as if by magic an old farmhouse appeared.

homestead-623858_640

“Oh, dear.” Mom said.

“Yeah, but she refuses to let me hire anyone to help.”

Dad cut the engine. The four of us sat in silence staring at peeling paint, and a sagging front porch. Cardboard covered one of the window panes to the right of the door.

Was this where my dad grew up? Where were the apple trees he used to climb? My head swiveled toward the barn or what was left of it, fence rails and posts lay on the ground. No cows or chickens ambled to greet us.

“Kids, be on your best behavior. Remember your grandmother is old and I expect you to be respectful. I don’t…

A loud bang interrupted Dad’s lecture. Mom jumped, her hand flew to her chest as if shot. The screen door slammed against the house as Grandma stepped through the doorway.

“You getting out or what?”

Nothing frail about the voice that boomed from the tiny gray-haired woman as she glared at us from the porch.

“Hi, Mom.” Dad waved as he stepped from the car.

Sawdust filled my mouth, no longer watering for the taste of apple pie and ice cream.

Prompts are fun!

It’s been a while since I posted a prompt. Hope you enjoyed this one.

Have you written any good prompts lately?

What are your favorite prompt sites?

I’d love to hear from you! Click the “write me” tab or contact me onTwitter @jeancogdell, Facebook at jean.cogdell and Amazon.com, stop by and say hey! The lights are on and I’m waiting.

Please remember to share this post with your Twitter peeps andFacebook fans.