Three Quotes on Writing

I came across a few quotes in the last several days from other authors that were worth sharing.

Kurt Vonnegut: "People have been hearing fantastic stories since time began. The problem is, they think life is supposed to be like the stories." Although the point of this article is that people create drama in their uneventful reality, I think it shows off well how to create drama in your works.

Abraham Piper: "Phrases like oddly enough, not surprisingly, or ironically, hinder readers from discovering the oddity, lack of surprise, or irony on their own." Not surprisingly, I'm quite guilty of this one.

Randy Ingermanson: "If God has called you to write, then don’t you dare quit. Don’t you DARE!" Thanks to Myra Johnson for pointing this one out.

Anyone else want to share a writing quote in the comments?

Squeezing the Creative Juices Dry

I read a post titled Ten Great Ways to Crush Creativity, and while it is aimed at the creativity desired in a business, I think some points apply very well to the creative process in writing.

1. Criticize and 7. Punish mistakes
No sooner do we write something down than we start picking it apart. "This won't work in the plot." "This doesn't fit into the argument." "This sounds awkward." Before we know it, we've turned from critiquing the piece to punishing ourselves verbally: "I'm never going to get this right." "Who am I kidding, I'm not a writer." Good writing takes time, and it takes the freedom to let the ideas flow... even if they aren't perfect at first.

6. Adhere to the plan
Some of us struggle with this more than others. My strength of outlining a plot is also my downfall. I get so focused on what I originally planned that I ignore the possibility that maybe one piece doesn't belong or should go in a different direction. Sure, the end goal should be kept in mind, but a plan should be flexible enough to allow for multiple ways to get there.

10. Don't waste money on training
Or time. Why learn from others when you can be mediocre all on your own? Training doesn't necessarily mean that you're taking a college course. It can be as simple as talking to another writer or even keeping a writer's eye peeled when reading a book.

Curtain Control

Jill Dearborn, author of Bang the Keys: Four Steps to a Lifelong Writing Practice, suggests that the act of writing should have cues of beginning and ending, similar to how a play begins with the curtain rising and ends with it falling.

Arranging one's time is a huge part of this phase in one's writing practice. There is something about training your body and mind to begin and end an endeavor consciously, as in lighting a candle to start the workshop, blowing it out to end, that naturally carries over into the way you structure your writing life as a whole.

How do you set off your writing times? How do you get in the mood? Is there something that you do to mark the end of it? I don't do anything special, unless you count the opening and closing of my notebook, but I'm considering trying something to get me in the mood.

Acorns to Oaks

Rita Gerlach writes:

For a writer to truly become masterful it takes work, and you can never believe you've so arrived that you no longer need to improve or grow. Pride can lead to a fall. A humble heart keeps you open to learning.

At this point in my writing, it's fairly easy to stay humble. All I have to do is crack open a published novel, and I can easily see how far short my work falls. My trap comes in by giving up instead of seeking growth. And giving up is really pride as well, claiming that God cannot transform me into a great writer, or that I know better than God at how I should be spending my time and energy.

So, the question for everyone out there is: What are you using to grow your writing talent?

Everybody's Favorite YouTube Videos

If you're interested, Novel Journey has been posting some YouTube videos of grammar lessons on their blog every Saturday or two. Here are the first three:

Verbs
Adjectives and Adverbs
Prepositions and Transitive Verbs

Please pace yourself on these; they have to last until next Saturday, at least.

There is a Published Writer in our Midst!

Everyone, please join me in congratulating our very own Steph Fink! Her diligence, hard work, and determination have paid off. This November, you can find her article "More Examined in the Waiting Room" in the P31 Magazine.

Steph submitted this article several times to Scribe's Alley. She worked tirelessly on writing and rewriting. She took a chance by submitting her article and now she is a published writer!

Thank you for being such an inspiration Steph! Way to go!

Remove your Setting from the Background

Ronie Kendig recommends that your setting should be more than where your characters interact, but instead should have a psychological impact on them (whether good or bad):

Setting should be as much alive as your character. Don’t let it grow stale or cliché. Does your character have a flat-screen TV? Why? Is it your heroine who uses the massive, ceiling-to-floor screen to study the surveillance footage of a crime scene? Or is your hero an America’s Army game junkie who’s hooked it up for life-sized gaming? Does the floor-model TV remind your hero of long nights spent watching Mr. Ed with his grandfather? What about the curio cabinet full of snow globes? Why are they there?

Where are your characters placed? What is around them? How does all of this affect how they feel, what memories are evoked, and what actions they take? I now understand that in the bizarre reality I'm creating in my novel, I need my characters to be thrown off, on guard, or simply curious more often than I do. What about you? How could your characters interact with your setting? How can a richer setting compel your characters and plot more effectively?

Let your I.E. DIE

Is murder okay if you're just killing that voice in your head? Kathleen Y'Barbo, an author of more than 3o published works, thinks so.

Inside each writer, just to the left of the creativity spot and wedged tight against the spot where logic meets magic, is another sort of editor. This editor is mean, nasty, critical, opinionated, and the worst enemy your manuscript ever had. Okay, some of you may have met a few human ones who display these characteristics as well. I assure you, however, there is not a single editor alive – or no longer with us – who can do more harm to your writing than I. E., aka. your Internal Editor.

She goes on to describe the I.E. and some of its more diabolical friends: the Research Junkie, the Perfectionist, and the Squiggly Red Line.

So, who is your writing nemesis? Mine is the Snoozing Lullaby, the one who says I can sleep in for just a few minutes more, and all I'd be losing is my time to write. He's been winning the battle this past week, but I'm in the mood to spill some blood, at least of the imaginary kind.

Hemingway on Writer's Block

Check out this idea from Ernest Hemingway on combating writer's block:

The best way is always to stop when you are going good and when you know what will happen next. If you do that every day … you will never be stuck. Always stop while you are going good and don’t think about it or worry about it until you start to write the next day. That way your subconscious will work on it all the time. But if you think about it consciously or worry about it you will kill it and your brain will be tired before you start.

(quote from Ernest Hemingway on Writing, courtesy of WriteToDone and Lifehacker)

I've tried that a few times, stopping mid-sentence a few times. The only problem I've seen with it is I forget how I wanted to continue the sentence. I'm debating about even making some notes to myself on where I'm headed.

What do you do to keep the words flowing?

Street Theater

If you get a chance to get into the city for one of these shows, I promise, you won't be disappointed! These teens write and star in the story of their lives. It is a remarkable experience.

City at Peace takes it to the streets of DC!

This week, City at Peace DC is debuting our first ever free street theatre with scenes from our show LIVING [in theory]. Thanks to our collaborative partners, DC Department of Parks and Recreation and Duke Ellington School of the Arts, we will run four shows, one in each quadrant of DC.
We wanted to make sure you have the latest details on street theatre:
Rain or shine, the first street theatre performance will now be Thursday, May 28th at Fort Davis (1400 41st Street SE, corner of 41st and Alabama)Our upcoming show at Randall (820 South Capitol St, SW near Nationals Stadium) will be rescheduled date TBD
We have two more shows next week: Tuesday, June 2nd at Stead at 1625 P St, NW (Dupont Circle)Thursday, June 4th at Turkey Thicket at 1100 Michigan Ave, NE (near Brookland/Catholic University)
All shows begin at 6pm. Bring your friends and family (suitable for audiences 13 years and older), folding chair or cushion and pick your seat to watch our street theatre starring 13-19 year olds from DC, MD and VA.
The show will address a diverse set of challenging issues such as racism, independence, fitting in, self abuse and hetero-sexism. The show is an engaging tool for initiating dialogue and finding ways to make change within your community.
For questions, please contact me, Tom Prewitt, Managing Director at 202-319-2200 or wtprewitt@cityatpeacedc.org. Thank you to our gracious partners:

We hope to see you there!
Tom

P.S. If you can't make it to the show, you can make a gift to support our work!
City at Peace DC is a non-profit organization that uses the performing arts to promote non-violent conflict resolution and cross-cultural understanding. Each year, City at Peace DC provides a year-long intensive program for teens to share their personal stories and explore the challenges that confront young people from racism and peer pressure to sexism and power. Through the process, they learn life-changing communication skills, embrace diversity and understanding, and become empowered to foster change in their communities.

2009 Schedule

Here is the group schedule as it stands now. I will update this post as changes are made.

June
4- Group 7:30 - 9:30
11 - Jen out of town, leader Mike Gross
18 - Jen out of town, leader Mike Gross
25 - Group 7:30 - 9:30

July
2 - Group 7:30 - 9:30 (anyone going out of town for the 4th?)
9 - Group 7:30 - 9:30
16 - Group 7:30 - 9:30
23 - Group 7:30 - 9:30
30 - Group 7:30 - 9:30

August
Jen on maternity leave - Leader TBD

Sept
Jen on maternity leave - Leader TBD

Oct
Jen on maternity leave - Leader TBD

Nov
Jen on maternity leave - Leader TBD

Dec
Jen on maternity leave - Leader TBD

Jan
7 - Jen Return from maternity leave

A Writer's Prayer

May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you. May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion. May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings. May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the Lord grant all your requests.
Psalm 20:1-5 (NIV)


May the Lord give you those missing words when you are searching for just the right sentence. May he send you help and support from those who are on the road with you, reminding you that you are not alone. May he remember all those late nights/early mornings spent seeking him, while you furiously scribble/type to get that idea down before it escapes. May he accept your rough draft and give you wisdom about how to make changes. May he give you the desire to be published, change a life, change your mind, or just complete your project, and make those plans succeed. Scribe's Alley will shout for joy when you are victorious in completing a project, submitting something, getting something published, or accomplishing your goals. We will lift up our banners of praise in the name of our God. May the Lord grant all your requests as you walk boldly before the throne of God thanks to the blood of Jesus Christ.

To Edit or Not to Edit

Here's something lighthearted to remind us that editing is necessary, even for the greatest writers.



Be aware there's some questionable language in this video.

(Credits to 22 Words for finding this video.)

Is it Magic?

Quote: The only way to learn to write is to write. -Peggy Teeters

The following was taken from The Fire in Fiction by Donald Maass:

"A masterpiece novel may be singularly inspired, and it certainly can be a once-in-a-career event. But even so, it is not magic. It may feel that way to the author. He may hype its close-to-my-heart genesis and confess in The Writer on NPR that the manuscript wrote itself.

It disappoints me when authors perpetuate the myth that writing is magic. Some allow it to be so. It's a a shame that those writers fail to understand their own process. What's wrong with that? What's wrong is simply that magic is unpredictable. A method that's mysterious cannot be repeated.

I believe that passion is available to every author, every time she sits down to write. Every novel can be inspired. Every scene can have a white-hot center. it is not a matter of conjuring demons, being obsessed, or just plain luck. The passion that inspires great fiction can be a writing technique as handy and easy to use as those with which all fiction writers are familiar. Passion can be a practical tool."

An Outpouring

You have to learn to pace yourself
Pressure
You're just like everybody else
Pressure
You've only had to run so far
So good
But you will come to a place
Where the only thing you feel
Are loaded guns in your face
And you'll have to deal with
Pressure
-- Billy Joel

So, here we are. Writers. We have a pull on our hearts to put pen to paper (or fingers to keys) and craft a tale of truth or fiction out of our imaginations. There are words to be used that no one else can write, and yet time and time again we stare at the clean and white, not knowing even how to start. And when we do staple the letters down to the page, we always seem to get them in the wrong order.

How heavy of a weight when we cannot seem to do the thing we must do. Heavier still is it if we feel the weight of God's calling on our writing. We need to use our words to glorify Almighty God, to show Him to the fallen world! How will we ever live up to that?

And then a fellow writer reminds me of the true perspective:

He doesn’t call me on this adventure called life so that I can, with my deep pools of awesomeness, release some sort of handcuffs He’s wearing. He calls me on this adventure because He knows I love adventures and He enjoys seeing me do things I love.

Maybe he's right and God really is saying:

"Let me be clear. I am God. I am complete. I do not need your additions. I want your work to be an overflow of love. I want to pour so much love and strength and truth into you that you cannot help but do things. Add to the world. Add to the people around you. Overflow on them what I give to you. Not because I need you to do something but because you can’t help but go out and share the love I am overflowing in you."

If that is true (and I'm starting to believe it is), we are not burdened by the call to write, but are blessed with the opportunity to write. We don't have to write; we get to write. Let's celebrate and pen some words overflowing from His love.

Fun New Site

I was cleaning out my inbox this morning when I found an e-mail from Courtney from forever ago. She sent me this link: http://www.poewar.com/ which is now located in the left margin under "Check These Out". It contains freelance writing opportunities, exercises, writing tips, interviews, and more. I hope it helps to light the path on your writing journey.

If you read anything inspiring, or have a breakthrough, please let us know. Let's build each other up by sharing our encouraging news.

New Blog

Please note the new blog posted under "Must Reads" in the left margin. Resting on the Alter chronicals the adventures of Jimmy Ballanger, a long time member of Scribe's Alley. Enjoy!

Practice What You Preach

For this is what the high and lofty One says he who lives forever, whose name is holy: "I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite." Isaiah 57:15 (NIV)


The following was taken from The Writer's Block by Jason Rekulak:


Take a common cliché and write as though it were a literal truth. Describe a character who is "fat as a cow" or "skinny as a rail." Invent a fashion model who becomes "green with envy," or a cardiologist whose "heart swells with pride." Suspend left-brain impulses toward logic and common sense.

Your Right to Trite

You may be filled with fright
That you will pen something trite
Or release a full-blown blight
When first you start to write.

Believe I know your plight
For I have fought the fight
Of dreading endless spite
For things I strive to write.

Let me be your shining knight
And get your heart to just take flight;
Producing junk is just alright
When you first begin to write.

For when finished you may right,
Edit away with all your might.
Then your work will be a'ight
And be proud of what you write.

Food for Thought

Quote: If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn't brood. I'd type a little faster. -Issac Asimov

The following was taken from The Writer's Block by Jason Rekulak:

Clichés are a common pitfall for many beginning writers, and the easiest way to avoid them is to read and read and read - as much as you can, fiction and biography and journalism and anything else you can get your hands on. By processing thousands of pages through your subconscious, you'll develop a "cliché radar" that will zero in on phrases like "heart of gold" and "light as a feather" (Etymologists take note: the word cliché dates back to eighteenth century France and early newspaper publications; typesetters wold keep commonly used phrases and expressions on easy-access blocks called clichés.)