A Writer’s Bookshelf

Title: Word Magic for Writers

Author: Cindy Rogers

Publisher: Writers Institute Publishers

Date: 2004     272 pages   $19.95

www.writersbookstore.com

Mark Twain said: “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter—it’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”

Every writer, experienced or just beginning wants to use that “right word.” In Word Magic for Writers, Cindy Rogers will show you how to make your writing better. Easy to read, clearly explained with exercises to practice each language device, the book is both instructive and delightful.

Like a baker “who knows the importance of ingredients and how to 

use them,” writers need to know their “ingredients,” i.e., words 

and how to use them in order to produce not only palatable reading,

but the spicy zest, the flavor that takes their books beyond 

good to gourmet.

Chapter titles to pique your interest:

Language Devices from Alliteration to Zeugma

Sound Devices to Tickle A Title and Snap Up A Sentence

Nothing Like A Simile

Excessively Extravagant Exaggeration

Vibrant Words and Vivid Images

Attention Grabbers: Titles and Headlines.

From the familiar tongue twister and simile to synecdoche and 
metonymy, you will be treated to clear explanations and glittering
examples of each language device.

Word Magic for Writers is a resource you need on your bookshelf.

                                                                                                 Pat Zabriskie

Passion in Your Writing

By

Christine Stamp

Writing without passion in a story is like eating tomatoes without any salt on them. The tomatoes are beautiful, fragrant, and juicy—but take a bite and they are just average and rather dull.  Nothing out of the ordinary, but take ahold of that magical salt shaker and sprinkle a few marvelous grains of flavor on them and VOILA, they instantly explode with intense flavor in your mouth releasing all those pleasure endorphins in your brain. That—is what passion does to your writing. It’s the magnificent ingredient that intensifies the depth and elevates your writing to that next level. (If you don’t like tomatoes, substitute chocolate without the salt, and if you don’t like chocolate, I don’t know what to tell you.)

Write about what makes you happy, sad, or angry.  The injustice that makes your blood boil. If you transfer all those feelings into your writing, your reader will feel them too, but choose your wording carefully. Make your verbs dynamic and snappy. If you use word combinations that incite your characters and make them believable, then you’ll excite you’re reader.  

In order to give your characters depth and dimension, you’ll have to get to know them as if they were family.  Learn every aspect of their lives.  You’ll need to know what makes them happy,--what makes them cry, --what makes them want to kick the cat. Otherwise they will be flat and in need of CPR.

Quiz Time!

I'm doing something a little different today.  This is a quiz that was used in one of the "Murder, She Wrote" mysteries written by Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain.  At the beginning of each chapter, there was a murder mystery question.  Have fun!  The answers are at the bottom of the quiz.

In what Agatha Christie book did her Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, make his first appearance?

Which mystery writer features cats in her novels?

The origin of the detective story is generally attributed to what nineteenth century writer?

The characters Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin resided in a brownstone on West Thirty-fifth Street in Manhattan.  Who created them?

Who wrote the hard-boiled detective novel "I, the Jury?"

What British mystery writer also writes psychological crime novels under the pseudonym Barbara Vine?

"The Postman Always Rings Twice" was published in 1934.  Who wrote it?

John Dickson Carr specialized in a certain type of murder mystery plot.  What was it?

The first Shamus Awards were presented at Bouchercon in San Francisco in 1982.  What genre of crime writing do the awards honor?

A certain era is considered to be the "Golden Age" of murder mysteries.  Was it the 1920's through the 1940's?  The 1950's through the 1970's?  Or the 1980's through the mid-1990's?

Those are the first 10 questions.  I'll save the others for a later day.  Below is a list of the answers.  How many did you get right?

Question 1: The Mysterious Affair at Styles  (1920)

Question 2: Lilian Jackson Braun

Question 3: Edgar Allan Poe

Question 4: Rex Stout

Question 5: Mickey Spillane

Question 6: Ruth Rendell

Question 7:  James M. Cain

Question 8:  The locked-room mystery

Question 9: Private eyes

Question 10:  1920's through the 1940's

                                                                                                            Karen Sperra

Eat the Big Frog First

                                      

Are there writing chores that you don’t like to do? You save them for later, or put them off till the last possible moment. There have been times when I’d carry a task over to the next day, and the next day until I had to do it to meet some sort of deadline.

But one day I learned to eat the Big Frog first. I read a book that may have had that title. Looked for it on Amazon and there is one titled, Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy. If you’re interested, check it out.

 Now when I make my TO DO List for the day, I put the Big Frog, i.e., the most important job, at the top of the list and start there. I do it first.

Once that Big Frog is taken care of, the rest of the day is fun. My mind is open to new ideas for my book-in-progress or that article I’m working on. At the end of the day, I feel accomplished, satisfied, able to relax, get a restorative sleep and rise to meet the next daywith confidence. It works.

However, If your book or a big assignment is your big frog, you’ll have to divide it into manageable bites. Decide how much time you’ll spend on your book, or how many pages to complete in a day. Accomplishing the goal for the day will bring that satisfaction and sense of accomplishment.

Whatever your goal is for the day is your big frog. Get right to it. Don’t write your blog first or read e-mails. There’ll be time for the little frogs later.

Once you get in the habit of tackling your most important job first, your days at the desk will carry you through to The End of that book, or the final polish on the article.

You won’t be sorry you ate the Big Frog first.

                                                                           Pat Zabriskie

A Walk in the Writer’s Woods (with her little dog, too)

               Today as my dog Dante and I were taking our morning walk in the woods, my thoughts went to the task of writing. This is the “trail” that we followed.
               The focus of the walk this morning is exercise - of the body and the mind. Strengthen my legs and get a focal point for today’s writing project.

                Before taking off, I make sure to have our gear ready. As there are venomous snakes, I put on my hiking boots, strap on a revolver loaded with snake shot, and grab my walking stick. I put a pen and notepad in my pouch, make sure I have training treats for the dog, then off we go. Preparation helps get the mind ready for the task at hand.

                We take off towards the main trail, Dante` checking ahead for new “messages”. Sometimes I have to urge him on to the task at hand, much like myself who can get caught up checking email instead of writing. As Dante would say, “Pee on it and go on.”

                It’s important to focus on the trail ahead. Since today’s goal is exercise, I need to keep moving forward to strengthen the muscles and open the mind to fresh ideas. Gawking this way and that could result in missing some treasure in the middle of the path, or stepping on the afore-mentioned snake.

                Every once in a while the dog will try to lead me off track – he’s caught a new scent that leads off into another sections of the woods. There may be new deer tracks, or a spot where the armadillo was digging, but because I have a goal for today’s walk, I’ll turn my focus again to the path I’ve set and go on. We’ll explore bunny trails on another day.

                When we finally leave the woods and head back to the house, there is a feeling of accomplishment and rejuvenation. We did what we set out to do - exercised the body and mind, and even picked up a “treasure” along the way. Oh, and we did NOT see a snake. I’ve come out of the “woods” of my writing and finished one project and have the seed of another. Not too bad for just a simple, yet focused, walk.      

 Jerolyn Lockhart

A Story In Idioms

A funny thing happened on the way to learn English. I came across the phenomenon known as the “idiom.” Webster’s Handy College Dictionary defines an idiom as “a form of expression peculiar to a language.” Believe me, some idioms are mighty peculiar, but they’re also fun.

Try to write a story using as many idioms, clichés, and colloquialisms as possible.  Here’s a sample.

Henry was in the doghouse for letting the cat out of the bag. What he’d said may have been off the cuff, but it was a bitter pill for George to swallow just the same. George’s back was to the wall, but he knew he’d have to match wits with Henry sooner or later.

     “For two cents, I’d sue him,” he told Mary.

     “Let sleeping dogs lie,” was Mary’s advice, but, no, George wasn’t about

to let any grass grow under his feet.

     It was raining cats and dogs, but since George was nearly driven up the wall, he hightailed it across the street to Henry’s office.

     As usual, Henry got the ball rolling by rubbing George the wrong way. “Hey, it’s gorgeous George! Did I ever tell you, George, you are the cat’s meow. No one can hold a candle to you. Why don’t you throw your hat in the ring? The world is waiting!”

     “Quit pulling my leg, Henry,” George retorted. “I got wind of what you said and I’m here to rake you over the coals. I’m calling you on the carpet! Face the music!”

     “Oh, George,” Henry countered, “you lose your temper at the drop of a hat. Why jump to conclusions? You’re barking up the wrong tree. I didn’t do anything.”

     “Level with me, Henry, do you mean you didn’t let the cat out of the bag about my new invention?”

     “George, use your head, I wouldn’t horn in on anything that important. Do I look like a guy who’d give a tip off?”

     “Well, I don’t know.You do throw your weight around at the office.”

     George sat down heavily, “I came over here to give you a piece of my mind, now it seems we’re talking in circles. Maybe I’m just over the hill.”

     “No way, George buddy, you’re not too old to cut the mustard anymore, but maybe you do have your nose to the grindstone a bit much. You’re run ragged. Why not cool it awhile?”

      “Yeah, you’re probably right. Sorry I blew my stack. I’m always putting my foot in my mouth and end up eating crow.”

     “Forget it, George, you’re just a chip off the ol’ block.”

     “Well, I guess I’d better quit making small talk and put my shoulder to the wheel again. See ya later, Henry.”

     “See ya, George, and hey, George—don’t take any wooden nickels!”

                                                                                       Pat Zabriskie

Writing In All Seasons

Are you an emotional writer?  I am!  I used to go for days without writing anything. Let a crisis arise and the words flowed faster than I could write them down.


I didn't realize I was an emotional writer until I was first coming out of 10 years of dealing with agoraphobia. (The fear of leaving your house.)  I did a lot of writing in those 10 years, mostly songs.  Being stuck in the house that way, I didn't share my songs with anyone but immediate family.

Mom and Dad were always interested in my music and would ask me to share my latest compositions with them when they would come to visit.  One day Dad said, "Daughter, the music is beautiful but your words are a little depressing."  That took the wind out of my sails.  After they left, I got to checking out some of my songs:
"Fear For Today, Fear For Tomorrow"
"Never Alone But Lonely"
"Dear God Please Forgive Me".
And that was only three of the dozens I had written!  I was letting my fears and frustration with my phobia flow through my words.

After I got enough nerve to go to a two day workshop at the college on poetry writing, I was excited to actually be sharing my work with others.  One of the first comments out of the teachers mouth after reading a few of my poems was, "It's obvious you're an emotional writer.  You seem to write when something upsets you or touches you somehow."

Well, there it was again.  I had to sit down and really read the things I wrote to see what Dad and the teacher was talking about.  Now I have changed the direction of my writing. I still write things out when I'm upset but I also write at other times because I enjoy writing.  And I also try not to let my emotions rule my writing anymore.
                                                                                                         Karen Sperra

Some days  

Some days it doesn’t pay to get out of bed. That was yesterday.  Every time I started to write my mind didn’t want to cooperate with my fingers and about the time I got them in sync my eyes wanted to go to sleep.  

But, I was bound and determined that I was going to win this battle.  Wasn’t I the one that was supposed to be in control here? So I got up and did a sink full of dishes, ran the vacuum cleaner, swept the kitchen floor, and did a load of laundry.

 You would have thought that I should have been wide awake, no such luck.  The moment I sat back down and put fingertips to keys, my eyes began to droop.  So back up I got. I went outside and filled the wood bin for the evening. I like these warmer nights, as I don’t have to burn so much wood and the house stays warmer.  Anyway, I’m getting off track here. I came back inside and saw that I had an hour before dinner. Surely, I could get some writing done. 

 I have been frantically polishing the first twenty pages of my murder mystery for a contest that closes on June 1^st. I got about a paragraph done before that sleepy feeling closed over my brain. Maybe a turkey burger, baked sweet potato, and a salad will give me some energy to write a few pages this time. 

Dishes done and a glass of iced tea by my side, I sat down to write. What happened? I sat there staring at the computer screen and nothing came. I was wide awake, but that tired feeling was there, lurking in the background waiting to pounce. How much tryptophan is in a turkey burger anyway? (I have to blame something, besides tryptophan is used to being the scapegoat. Because, it could not be that I'm just having a lazy day and don't want to do any writing. Could it?)  

I decided that I’d just give in and go to sleep. I guess some days it doesn’t pay to get out of bed.

                                                                                                                                                    Chris Stamp

Purpose and Fulfillment

This day I choose to be a professional.

Writing is my job, my occupation, my calling.

Each day I will take up my pen and paper,

my computer and my keyboard,

and do the work I am called to do.

Some days it will be practice, other days a pop-quiz. 

Each day will be a learning experience,

but one day it will be the finished thesis;

the end of one course as I embark on a new one.

The setting of the class, or jobsite, is varied.  My office is home base, but travels in the world outside these walls provide interesting observations, fascinating insights, profound thinking, free-flowing and universal expressions capturing the climate around my mobile world.  I am writing outside the orb, and then take it to the computer to finish the task.  

God has a purpose for me and for my writing. 

I must obey the calling of my heart, the calling He has placed within me,

to find real fulfillment in life and in Him.

Jerolyn Lockhart

I hope this encourages you in your writing endeavors.

Mining Your Files

What treasure may be lurking in your writing files?

After spending a year sidelined by several debilitating conditions, I was happy to find that at the beginning of 2012 my health returned.

I’m writing again and happy as a child who has just mastered cartwheels. Yippee!

While I was ill, no ideas penetrated my sleep-deprived mind. I wondered if I would ever write again. When I started back to work, I pondered how to begin. Would the ideas come back?

I began by searching my files. (I still keep paper files—love those hard copies.) I discovered many articles and stories in progress, or ready to submit. I made a list of seventeen pieces to work on. My goal: to submit one article, filler, poem, etc. a week. Two acceptances so far.

Many of the pieces waiting idly in my file cabinet needed updating. Some were ten years old. Ancient history. And, surprise, I’ve grown and learned more about life and can revamp some writing to reflect a maturity I didn’t have a decade ago.

Happily, now that I’m writing regularly, ideas are flowing in again.

Are you at one of those places where you feel dry? Try mining your files. There’s probably some gold in there. Dig it out. Reshape it, freshen it up. Aim it at a new market you just found. Cash the check. Save the clip.

New ideas will come, but revisit the files once in awhile for some small gem you can share with the world.

                                                                            Pat Zabriskie

Writing With Emotion

Conflict will draw a reader in, but emotionst tug at the heart strings, pull the reader deep into the story and hold them there. Those truthful, down in the gut emotions help us relate to our readers what our characters are going through. A story written without emotion is like an Easter Basket from the Easter Bunny with only cabbage in it. The disappointment we feel, we remember, and the next time you see a sweet little bunny rabbit cross the road, you may just want to run that darn rabbit over with your car.

I can remember my mother telling me a story which took place in the depression. Money was tight and her parents sacrificed to buy chocolate candy for herself and her four siblings.  Everyone was excited about the treats left by the Easter bunny. Everyone, but her baby brother, who unfortunately, found an Easter Basket full of wet, bloody kittens on Easter morning instead of sweet, delicious chocolate. Apparently, the family cat had decided to have her kittens in his basket during the night. We can relate with him, not because we have received our own basket of wet, bloody kittens, but because we all at one time or another have felt disappointment. 

It is important for you the writer to know that writing with emotion will leave you exposed—for you will open yourself up to reveal your vulnerable side. You will be saying to your reader that you know what you are writing about, because, you've been touched by these emotions sometime in your life.  At this point, you peel back and reveal your deepest, most hidden memories when you write. For we often put those emotions that we ourselves have experienced that were intense and sometimes painful into the lives and development of our characters.  Writing with emotion will leave you feeling drained, exuberant, and even free.  Why else would writing be called therapeutic?

Emotions have their place, timing is very important. There has to be a balance.  You have to let your reader come down, rest, and recover for a few pages before you take them on another emotional carnival ride.  Writing what your character feels is writing with emotion. Writing what your character thinks is writing with logic, and that is part of the balance.You also need the opposite of each emotion to counter each emotion such as: love vs. hate, good vs. evil.  Great charters and a great story need both.                                                                                                        

                                                                                                                                         Chris Stamp

Full to the Brim: the Life of a Rural Writer

“Solitude is as needful for the imagination as society is wholesome for the character.”

- James Russell Lowell

So I step into the “Love Mug” to have a frappe with a writer friend, and instead of the records playing (yes, records…as in LPs, platters, those big flat-round-black discs that were played in the 20^th century), the barista is singing and playing the ukulele and her sister is singing harmony. Very nice, especially since they have a good sound. Nothing like live music in a coffee shop while conversing with a friend; and in a small town in Southeast Colorado to boot! Hold that thought…I’ve got to sing along!

     This is just one of the joys of rural living; good friends (expected), good coffee, and unexpected entertainment.

     As my friends mentioned in the earlier blogs (which made me scramble to think of a different approach) we have the fusion of quietude and busyness that makes for a great life. We scramble with deadlines and family, we yearn for peace on our most hectic days - then long for interruption when it’s too silent. We explore the mixed bag of life, just like any other writer, and have the world at our fingertips. On the internet we can educate ourselves and network with other writers; we search out markets and agents, then send our queries and manuscripts. At our desks we create new worlds, or explore the past of our ancestors. We live in the minds of our characters and our fingers follow them through their stories. Outside of our walls, we go into the world to feel the weather on our skin, to interact with others, or just “people watch” and absorb the local flavor - just like any other writer. But in many ways we have so much more. Instead of the smog and rush of the city, we have the freedom of wide blue skies, soaring hawks, quiet lakes and walks along the river. For us, we have the best mix of solitude and friends.
                                                                                       Jerolyn Lockhart