Write It Short And Sweet

When I started writing fifteen years ago, I concentrated on short stories. I belonged to a writing group that wrote and read their stories aloud twice a month. The leader of the group gave us a subject,  sometimes a picture or the names of three or four objects to include in our writing. I remember one in particular, "a rocking chair, a china cup and ballet slippers." The creative stories the group wrote and read all included those words, but each one was completely different.

Needless to say, I have a file folder full of my tales. As the group grew, we found we had to limit our words due to a time limit. While the original stories were 1500 to 2000 words, we eventually cut them to 600 or less to give everyone a chance to read their stories.


I mention this because trimming your work makes you choose only the important words and in the end, the story becomes more powerful. In my critique group, I circle the 'was' words in blue, the 'ly' words in red and 'ing' in green. It's not because I don't want the group to use those words, but to point out how many they include and how they can eliminate weak adverbs and still make their stories interesting. 


"He was walking quickly to the car," can be said: "He rushed to the car." Of course, in longer novels, you'd want to show that instead of telling. 

Poetry is another genre that requires choosing the correct and powerful words. I lead a, "Memoir, Creative Writing, Poetry," group once a month. Monday, we are fortunate to have Nevada's Senior Poet Laureate, Raynette Eitel, to give a presentation. She is wonderful with words and rhythm. I'm sure my group will learn a lot even if they don't write poetry. I can't write it, but I love to listen, especially to Raynette's thought provoking poems. I have three of her books and treasure them.


I challenge you to look at any newspaper heading or even an advertisement and write a short story with a beginning, middle conflict and ending in 500 words or less. It will help your writing, and you'll have fun creating an interesting piece of Flash Fiction. As an aside, there are many 
e-zines on the internet who publish Flash Fiction.


Keep writing. Joyce      

Adding Humor

I attended an seminar on adding humor to your manuscript. Guess what? Although I thought I could be funny, at least have a little humor...it's harder than you think to put it down on paper. It loses something in the translation, so to speak. I decided to take notes on the things I read that make me snicker and start from there. When you write romantic suspense, you usually don't include prat-falls, but your heroine can certainly trip over a pair of shoes left in the middle of the room when she's late for a date, or dress in her best only to be caught in a downpour. Maybe when the hero leans down for that romantic kiss, she could sneeze. I'm going to work on it, because a little humor goes a long way.

Secondly, in order to be a good writer, you must read. Read every genre. Read non-fiction as well as fiction. Every year there are new words (slang) added to our vocabulary, and have you noticed that companys are changing their names to initials? Treasure Island Casino in Las Vegas is now called, "T" Other casinos are following suit. As a writer you want to keep up with the times, but be careful that you don't date your manuscript.

I went to the Desert Hearts Reading Group this afternoon. The leader, Linda Cutler-Smith, chooses the romance books we will read and discuss, also giving us an alternate in case we don't care to read a specific genre. What a great group. We meet in Las Vegas at the Sahara West Library and beside discussing books, we feast on the wonderful treats Linda brings.

Next, I am leading a Memoir group. What fun it is to hear all of the family stories and helping the writers put their thoughts into words. I am blessed to have such good friends.

Last, please go to Snowy Creek  Books and read the wonderful reviews I've received on, "Unexpected Gifts." I am so pleased with the input my readers give me. The book is on their catalog page and on Amazon. 

   

Drama in a Small Town: Memoirs

Drama in a Small Town: Memoirs: I have started a class on writing MEMIORS. The interesting thing about my research is that the information can be used for Creative Writing ...

Memoirs

I have started a class on writing MEMIORS. The interesting thing about my research is that the information can be used for Creative Writing as well as Memiors.
Does this sound familiar?
Create an outline.
Do a character interview.
Incorporate the five senses.
Keep a timeline.
Show conflicts and tension.
Reveal the inner struggles.
Relate how you (your character) and other family members (minor characters) have changed.
I've discovered that all writing is related. Many of my fictional characters possess traits of my family or my friends. The events I write about in fiction can be plucked from the pages or any newspaper. Sometimes fact is stranger than fiction. Keep writing. Joyce 

 

UNEXPECTED GIFTS

UNEXPECTED GIFTS

It's a great feeling when someone reads your novel and gives you a good feedback. One of the best is: "I couldn't put it down." Every writer needs a little TLC after working months to create a new novel. Now "Driftwood Springs," is cited to become the location of a series. I look forward to adding texture to the small community and it's residents. Look for,"Christmas at Driftwood Springs," in the future. Meanwhile, "Olivia," the first of The Women of Rexford, should come out later this month. I've already written the second and third of that series. I hope you come to know Olivia, Victoria and Jade in the following months, and maybe I'll add Kristen's and Robyn's story. Keep writing and keep reading. Joyce Brennan

Drama in a Small Town: UNEXPECTED GIFTS

Drama in a Small Town: UNEXPECTED GIFTS: Now that the holidays are over, we can all relate to unexpected gifts. You know, the one, the surprise you didn't anticipate or the visitor ...