Category: writing

Tools for (Personal) and other Writing

84 Ribbons / writing / writing process

Tools for (Personal) and other Writing

Whether you’re writing letters to friends, creating a remembrance book, or writing a longer work, you need certain tools nearby to enable your process. Consider these ideas: 1.Start with a notebook and pen or pencil. Handwritten ideas come from a different place in the brain than ideas composed on a computer. Consider writing your thoughts long-hand first. Then transpose them onto the card, journal. or computer for your finished piece. I think you’ll find the exercise enlightening. 2. Gather your resources: a thesaurus, dictionary and one of my favorites, The Synonym Dictionary by J.I Rodale (Rodale Press). That way you...

Ballet Trilogy / musings / new works / Tasman / writing

Saying Good-bye to Ballet (for now)

As I say my blog good-bye to ballet-influenced stories are articles, I want to leave you with one last reflection on dance: Ballet is an intense pursuit. Ballet dancers are truly athletes. They:  * train daily from morning until afternoon from age 12 until they retire. * perform before audiences three to four times a week during their 9-10 month season. * seldom have more than two weeks off at a time during the year. * maintain their bodies through eating protein-filled snacks and meals. * learn precise body placement movements as well as choreography. Professionals dedicate their lives to...

prompts / writing / writing process

Writing Warm-up Ideas

Like sports, it’s a good idea to warm-up before you begin writing. Here are a few 5-minute suggestions to use to wake up your writing brain. 1. Scribble. Write nonsense ‘words’ to free your mind of thoughts. 2. Write all the words you can think of that begin with “a”. Another time try other letters of the alphabet as well. 3. Think of a favorite character to describe without using color words. 4. Describe: your work space                      the weather outside a favorite food                         your best friend a childhood pet                       the best meal you ever ate a tearful experience               a stranger...

details in writing / musings / reader suggestions / writing

Writing Genres

Fiction writers have many genres to pick from when they sit down: mystery, romance, science fiction, medical/police/legal procedurals, horror, western, historical,  comedy, adventure, fantasy, political thriller and more. New genres and sub-genres crop up every year as writers stretch their writing brains. My favorites are historical fiction, cozy mysteries (a sub-genre of mysteries), medical-police-legal procedurals, and women’s fiction. I enjoy having a host of characters to get to know and follow as they work through their problems or situations. I’ll leave the high adventure and new world making stories for my husband. I’m moving my writing away from pointe shoes,...

musings / writing

Books I Wish Existed

Ever wish there was a certain book about a certain subject?  You  may search and search and not find the exact thing you want, so think about writing that book yourself! Don’t faint. You can do it! Your local library has resources. Your community probably has writing groups you can join. Community colleges hold auditable classes. Friends may want to join you to write every week or two while you share an afternoon or evening as you talk, enjoy a cup of coffee with a sweet treat, and make plans. Need ways to start? Contact me at Paddy@PaddyEger.com and I’ll...

getaways / writing

The Writing Retreat

As a writer I fill my morning and early afternoons writing or editing or marketing. Once in a while I have the opportunity to slip away to a special retreat where I can write and think and leave the day-to-day cares, chores, and phone calls to people back home. Recently I traveled to the beautiful  second home of a writing friend. She’d assembled a group of fellow writers and invited me to join them. I left my rain and blustery western Washington weather, I thought, for cooler temps and a few snow flurries. Turns out the around the retreat weather...

Impressions Notebook

details in writing / musings / new works / writer reminders / writing

Impressions Notebook

Summer time, winter time, all year ’round. It’s always a great to write down your impressions as you experience them. It’s almost too simple, so give it a try! 1. Keep a small  Impressions Notebook in your pocket and jot down what you see and feel at various moments in your day and across the year. 2. Record the weather: sky conditions and colors,the temp, the way you feel looking  around you or what you feel when you step out into the weather. 3. Outside, touch objects to record their impressive temperature. A chair in the sun feels different from...

Writers VS Editors ? I Think Not!

editing / musings / writing / writing process

Writers VS Editors ? I Think Not!

Authors may feel the relationship between themselves and their editors are contentious times. I’ve had only great experiences so far. For me, the time I spend with my editors is invigorating. We share our concerns about my work: word choices, punctuation errors, pacing on the page as well as whether a sentence or paragraph progresses the story. We discuss my ‘why’ verses their ‘concern’. Often I concede that what I meant and what I wrote are not in harmony. Then we work through the section, make adjustments to help the reader understand my meaning, and move on. In the process...

3 C’s of Effective Communication

details in writing / musings / writing / Writing's distinct voice

3 C’s of Effective Communication

When you talk face-to-face with others or provide your feedback, use the 3 C’s to improve your communication skills. Use: Collaboration, Creativity, and Critical Thinking  Collaboration: work with the goal of listening to others (voices or written words)before you speak.  Creativity: share your original ideas when the other person desires your input. Critical Thinking: use considerate, careful judgment in your suggestions. Be careful not to trample on other’s ideas in your excitement to share your thoughts.      

Quote about Writers

musings / quotes / writing

Quote about Writers

For every writer… there is always the impulse, realized or unrealized, that binds us one to another through the power of language. Every time a person writes, for public or not, he or she is connected to all who have ever felt that magnificent charge of communication through the written word- whether carved in hieroglyphics or glowing in code across our computer…there will always be the brilliant conspiracy between author and reader. Betsy Lerner The Forest for the Trees