writing – Page 76 – Jean's Writing

Does your group speak truth?

Published on June 25, 2015June 25, 2015 by Jean M. Cogdell5 Comments

Reading the post at Jane Friedman’s by guest writer Jennie Nash on

The 4 Hidden Dangers of Writing Groups

several points really hit home with me.

However, most important were the offered solutions.

Too many times we receive a lot of information but no actionable answers.

After Ms. Nash writes about the pitfalls of a writer’s group, she goes on to give ideas on how to help constructively.

So if your group is not filled with “experts” on editing, there is still a way to have a successful writer’s group.

The first fix Ms. Nash wrote, that stood out in this article for me was:

Give each writer time to talk about the weaknesses they see in their work and the solutions they are contemplating. Let them try to sort those things out in a supportive space. Often, simply having to articulate your problem goes a long way towards solving it. I find that writers frequently know what’s wrong with their own work if you give them the time and space to confront those truths, and this is far better than asking people who are not trained to weigh in on what’s wrong with the work. Click here to read the entire article by Jennie Nash The 4 Hidden Dangers of Writing Groups .

This is how my critique partner and I work. We bounce idea’s, and portions of our writing, off each other to work out issues. Ms. Nash is correct about the importance of complete honesty. My friend listens as I talk through whatever writing problem I’m dealing with in the moment and doesn’t hesitate to tell me when I need to change something.

Just remember everything is easier to swallow with a spoon full of sugar. Kindness pared with a truthful suggestion or critique is helpful and constructive.

Y’all know how much I love your comments, so tell me are you a member of a writer’s group?

I’m also nuts for clicks, so please pass this on to your Facebook and Twitter pals remember to tell me what you think.

If you’re not already, please follow me @jeancogdell on Twitter or jean.cogdell on Facebook!

Want to know how to protect your writing?

Published on June 25, 2015June 22, 2015 by Jean M. Cogdell6 Comments

Protection is as important as production.

What is needed to protect your work?

Find out how to protect your writing.

Molly Greene: Writer Blogger & Author, Gen Delacourt Mysteries, has a very informative blog post regarding Estate planning basics for writers.

Whether you have already published or still in the dreaming and planning stage this is an article you need to save for the future. Don’t let your work get lost in the cyber world.

Kathryn Goldman writes–

“An additional benefit to copyright registration is that it makes planning for the proper succession of your works just a bit easier.

The registration certificate gives substance to something that otherwise might just be considered a digital file on your computer or in your KDP account. It’s one of those important documents you hear so much about that belongs in a safe deposit box with your other important papers.–“

Click on the link below to read the entire article.

Estate Planning Basics for the Self-Published Writer by Kathryn Goldman

Tell me have you registered your writing or author name?

Let me know in the comments section because, I love comments, almost as much as I love clicks, so after you pass this on to your Facebook and Twitter pals remember to tell me what you think.
If you’re not already, please follow me @jeancogdell on Twitter or jean.cogdell on Facebook!

How to Add a Little Humor to Your Story

Published on June 24, 2015June 24, 2015 by Jean M. Cogdell7 Comments

I think all writing at some point can use a little comic relief. Think when your cooking that special meal and nothing is going right. Come to think of it something always funny happens in the kitchen.

Comic relief is a way to release tension. Think Die Hard movies. Bruce Willis and his wise cracks during a crisis.

Or how about an intense love scene? Think romantic comedies. Harry met Sally.

Funny or ridiculous situations and our human response can ease the pace in our writing. And take the pressure off of the reader.

Weave a running gag throughout the story, and lead the reader down the proverbial path. I mean who doesn’t love a quirky character.

I’m not good at writing humor. So, I’m gonna work on that some today.

If you’d like to add more humor to your writing, head over and read Darcy Pattison’s post 5 More Ways to Add Humor, at Fiction Notes.

Do you add humor to your writing for a little comic relief?

If so tell us how you manage to get the timing right.

Take a paragraph you’ve written and see if it would benefit from a little humor. Or rewrite the paragraph from a humorous viewpoint.

Writing Exercise: One paragraph, any subject or WIP (50 – 150 words) Paste your’s in the comments section.

After you comment share with your Facebook and Twitter pals, and don’t forget to
follow me @jeancogdell on Twitter or jean.cogdell on Facebook!

My attempt at writing a paragraph with humor:

I trembled as the cold rain-soaked my shirt. No umbrella and no coat. I just lost my scout status. After a few minutes of walking, a red Ford pickup added mud to my waterlogged shoes as he pulled to a stop. Wet hair plastered to my skull and mascara streaked down my face was not how I wanted to meet the office hunk. Mitch worked in the mail room. All the girls loved his Elvis grin and smoky eyes. My dreams of getting his attention did not include looking like a drowned rat. When his passenger door popped open and he asked if I needed a lift, I wanted to disappear. Since my silent plea for a bolt of lightning drop from the sky failed. I muttered a weak thanks and climbed in.

Don’t you love eureka moments?

Published on June 23, 2015April 17, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell8 Comments

Those Ah-ha moments when the light bulb in your head flashes?

Me too! I love it when I figure out something.

After reading a post Do You Write Like a Reader by Glenn Mori over at Flash Fiction Chronicles, I had just such an epiphany.

Eureka Idea bitmoji Jean m Cogdell

Ah-ha #1: Too many times I fail to remain in the skin of my characters. To look around and describe what is happening through their eyes. I often worry about overwriting. About my story looking as though a kid marked the paragraphs with a purple magic marker. One excellent writer who gets into the skin of her characters, without flowering it with purple prose, is Sheila Good over at Cow Pasture Chronicles. And I’m not biased just because she’s my sister.

Ah-ha #2: Like Mr. Mori, I read between the lines when I proof my document. Instead of seeing what’s written, I re-experience what I was thinking when I wrote it. We all must remember, we want our readers to get into the head of our characters. The readers can’t reside in ours.

Ah-ha #3: I write like I read. While that is not always a bad thing, for me it can be when I’m squeamish. For instance, if a scene in a book is uncomfortable or too stressful, I’ll skim read to get through the tough parts. But it’s not good to skim write. Our readers need to experience the high tension or drama of our characters. They need to feel the character’s pain and fear. Not assume.

Ah-ha #4: I need to make sure I’m communicating what I’m thinking. Sometimes the meaning of the words written are misconstrued. After all, the reader can’t read my mind. So it’s important to write what you mean.

Writing Exercise: One paragraph, any subject or WIP (50 – 150 words)

Remain in the skin of a character. Use their senses. Look around and describe where the character is or what is happening through their eyes. Is he/she bored, afraid, cold, hot, happy, or sad? Are they with someone or alone? Sitting still or moving about? Well, you get the idea.

Share your paragraph in the comments section.

Here’s mine:

My hands shook like someone with palsy. I grasp the key and twisted. The grinding set my teeth on edge. Throw in the smell of burning oil and I was ready for full-on hair-pulling panic attack. Damn it to hell this wasn’t the place nor the time for a breakdown. Tears spilled down my cheek and I cussed the useless cell phone lying on the passenger seat. So much for the “the most reliable network plan.” A monster truck whizzed past, and I shrieked like an eight-year-old little girl when my knee slammed against the steering wheel. Things were going from bad to worse. In search of an umbrella, I dug under the seats, throwing empty wrappers and lost shoes to the back. Walk or wait, either way I was road kill.

After you comment share with your Facebook and Twitter pals, and don’t forget to
follow me @jeancogdell on Twitter or jean.cogdell on Facebook!