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.)

Letters from an Editor

I came across this interview with a successful literary agent, and thought it was worth sharing. Here's one thing that jumped out to me:

For thirty years I have observed fiction careers. I’ve seen them succeed and fail. The more I see, the more I feel that novelists fall into two broad categories: those whose desire is to be published, and those whose passion is to spin stories. I think of these as status seekers and storytellers.

You can’t tell the difference right away, but over the course of a career it always emerges. Status seekers focus on self-promotion and obsess about the industry. Storytellers ignore that stuff and focus on improving their novels. Guess who succeeds and who fails?

He also has a new book out called "The Fire in Fiction". It's been added to my wish list, though I've got WAY too many books to order this quite yet.

What's That Smell?

Quote: "There are two kinds of writer: those that make you think, and those that make you wonder. -Brian Aldiss



Today, as I was chopping cucumber and strawberries for my salad, I thought, "This smells like summer".



As writers, it is our job to bring our readers into our world with us. To give them enough space to be able to look around and see what's going on. Using the 5 senses is a great way to do that. So, choose three things to describe using all 5 senses. Here is a small list, but I bet you can come up with even better things to describe.

Summer, Winter, Fall, Spring
Your house
The beach
A baby
A baseball game
Birthdays

Pick Two Numbers

Romans 8:35,37
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. (NIV)


The following was taken from The Playful Way to Serious Writing by Roberta Allen:

Pick two numbers from 1 to 20. Then, scroll down to find the words that correspond to your chosen numbers and combine them in a piece. Set your timer for five minutes and go.



1. Jog
2. Job
3. Lethargy
4. Levelheaded
5. Lung
6. Luna Moth
7. Neutron
8. Neuter
9. Nag
10. Picnic
11. Possible
12. Ribbon
13. Riding
14. Scream
15. Saddle
16. Sink
17. Skidding
18. Toy
19. Snob
20. Sullen