Month: July 2010

Writer’s Wisdom 93

/ inkspeare

To Snack or Not to Snack … That is the question.

Many of us have good or bad snacking habits.  Most freelance writers are glued to the computer ten or more hours a day and snacking becomes a habit.  It becomes a bad habit when we start snacking on the wrong food choices, such as candy, potato chips, and other stuff.  As long as we have to snack why not feed the brain with food items that fuel it?  Some of this brain power snacks are Trail mix, nuts, healthy carbs, whole grains, fruit, veggies … A few suggestions are apple slices with peanut butter,grapes, oatmeal with pecans and cinnamon, fruit smoothies, and eggs, turkey and whole grain bagel for lunch. 

This is good but we must keep these foods around so we don’t end up reaching for the quickest fix.

Writer’s Wisdom 92

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When a Book Happens

When does a book happen?  I thought about that for a while.  Many writers have manuscripts piled, many rejected, others awaiting completion, others just waiting … stories waiting to be read.  This got me thinking, a story has been put into paper, in a way it has been told, even if it has not been read yet by many.  In that sense, a story brews in the writer’s mind and it is born once it is put on paper (or PC).  A book is more complicated than that.   A book is born when it is read – a book happens when someone reads it.  The story has been dormant for how many years it might have taken, and the simple act of reading awakens it.

Writer’s Wisdom 91

/ inkspeare

Magic Versus Grounding

How do you like to write your fiction?  Do you like magical settings and characters, or do you like some grounding elements that may give the story more realism?  I would choose one or the other for good continuity.  The Harry Potter books are a good example of magical worlds.  Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Saga is an example of grounding a magical and fictional world.  She gave her vampires and werewolves characteristics of nature or used cultural folklore to make her settings and characters more real to the reader.

To ground a fictional story you can utilize science as well.  You can stretch the imagination of the reader but still keep a small piece tied to the ground.

Writer’s Wisdom 90

/ inkspeare

Essentials in my writer’s library

Every writer has his/her favorite books, and the one that inspire the daily grinding.  I love books, but some of the ones that make my list and that I recommend to any aspiring writer are the following.

A copy of the current Writer’s Market (you can subscribe online as well)

Everyday Spelling – Laurie Rozakis

Grit for the Oyster – Suzanne Woods Fisher

The Complete Artist’s Way – Julia Cameron

How I Write – Janet Evanovich

Everyday Professional Writing – Rozakis

The Complete Book of Contemporary Business Letters – Round Lake Publishing

The Office Professional’s Quick Reference Handbook – Sheryl Lindsel – Roberts

Keys to Great Writing – Stephen Wilbers

I also keep a  dictionary and a thesaurus at hand.

This is just a list of some helpful writing tools that I recommend.