Worderella Writes

In the Midst of Living

“My ideas usually come not at my desk writing but in the midst of living.”
- Anaïs Nin, French Writer

First, I need to say that last week the lovely Evangeline at Edwardian Promenade awarded the I Love This Blog to me, and I have to spread the love around. See the end of this post for the award, and my nominations. <3

This week’s exercise is to take a look around you. So often do we writers get lost in the act of writing, that we forget we are supposed to be writing about life. Who are these characters that we spend our every waking moments with? How can we possibly know who they are, and how to make them distinct, if all we do is sit around our houses dreaming about them?

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A Six Word Story

This month, I’m doing a series of short exercises, one a week, to help those of you who are stuck with your WIP. Maybe you’re doing NaNoWriMo, maybe not. In any case, it helps to have an exercise to spark your imagination.

This week’s exercise is a challenge in brevity. The goal of NaNoWriMo, for instance, is to write 50k words in a month. A 50k word work is about the length of a short novel, similar to an Avon or Harlequin romance. This can be a challenge in and of itself… how do you write a novel with developed characters and an interesting plot in 50k words? Some writers, who are cheating themselves, will litter their WIP with adverbs, adjectives, and unnecessary description just to make that word count goal.

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Set Yourself on Fire

Success isn’t a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire.
- Arnold H. Glasow

A somewhat creepy quote just in time for Halloween, I think. Can you imagine what it must feel like, to set yourself on fire? Let’s think of it in the literal sense, first.

There are the branches and twigs, all dried to a satisfying crisp so they will catch flame. There are the ropes, to keep you in place as the flames grow higher and start to lick at your feet. There is the stake to which you bind yourself, and the gasoline in which you douse yourself. There is the doubtful assistant, who ties you up, and lights the flame for you. There are your shrieks, though of triumph or horror for completing the task, we’ll never know.

Gruesome. Happy Halloween.

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Inspiration from Clever Television

I’m an information junkie, and I blame that on my belief that everything has an influence on my writing. Because of this, I choose my television and movie choices carefully (most of the time). If I listed my favorite tv series, a pattern of character-driven plots will emerge (The Office, Gilmore Girls, 30 Rock…), which makes sense because my fiction is character-driven. Maybe I should watch shows that are more about the plot, so I don’t have blindspots? In any case, today I’m writing about one show and one movie that inspire my creative juices, and I hope you’ll share yours!

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Guest Post: Stay the Course

A guest post from my friend Graham Carter, a reporter and editor from across the pond. He writes to answer the cries of us writers who have let our doubts get the better of us, and not a moment too soon. So read on, and feel inspired!

Let’s talk drumming.

Yes, I know this is supposed to be all about writing, but there is an analogy here that I think all writers should be aware of, so stick with it (pun intended).

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WIP: Dragging my Feet

Am I the only one whose writing slows to a sluggish halt as the finish line approaches? I’m terrified of everything seeming like a deus ex machina, so I’m fighting to make sure nothing is too easy, and that everything depends on the characters. Which means I’m leaving a lot of notes in this draft for the editing phase about dropping hints here and there in the character’s actions so that things make sense, that everything is building up to the end.

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Writing for the Love of it

I once got into an odd conversation with someone about writing… let’s call this person Frank the Writer. So Frank saw my pile of writing magazines, and I could tell by his expression upon opening one of the issues that he was surprised I highlighted certain sentences which I found insightful or helpful to me as a writer. Watching him read my notes in my old Writer’s Digest, Poets & Writers, and The Writer issues was, for some reason, like watching a child realize there is no Santa.

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Refresh Your Writing

Caricature drawn by Worderella

If you have Writer’s Block, you have sapped all of your creative juices. We writers tend to think we should write all the time without replenishing our imagination, which is as unhealthy as exercising all the time without stopping to replenish fluids. How do you replenish your imagination? Get in contact with people! We attempt the impossible by trying to transcribe the unorganized chaos of life into an organized plot that (dare I say it?) makes sense, is engaging, and means something.

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The Need to Write

If you’re feeling a little burnt out from trying to write when it isn’t coming to you, read this inspirational essay by Beth Conny. She explains that being a writer isn’t a choice, which I’m sure many of you know. Writing is hard work! All that thinking and pondering and daydreaming…and then actually taking the time to write? And the editing! Who would pick this as their hobby or livelihood? Many crazy people, apparently, if we go off the number of books we see floating around. Anyway, I thought I’d post this because it made me smile and feel a little inspired. I hope it helps you as well.

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Quote: Write, Write, and Write Some More

Word Nerd: What piece of advice helped you out the most as a writer?

FFORDE: Do it for fun. Do it for yourself. Do it because you want to write. Writers write because they can’t stop

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