by Peggy Bechko
“Never write anything that does not give you great pleasure. Emotion is easily transferred from the writer to the reader.” ~ Joseph Joubert
As a writer have you ever thought about that? Do you believe it?
Personally I do.
Author: Peggy Bechko
Peggy Bechko: Writers Writing – Pondering the Whys
Peggy Bechko: Are you “Aspiring” to Write?
by Peggy Bechko
You know, I’ve been sitting around thinking. I do that sometimes. And what I was thinking about was writers and how often I hear the expression ‘ I’m an aspiring writer’.
Now I don’t want to be nit-picky, but how did this get started? I mean really, if you write you’re a writer. After all, ‘aspire’ means “to desire with eagerness; to long or work for advancement, honor, etc.” or “to rise or to ascend” according to Websters Dictionary.
So, if you write, you’re a writer. You’re not ‘longing for” or desiring with eagerness” or rising to”, you’re doing it. Now, how good a writer you may be I have no clue unless I read what you’ve written whether novel, script, short story or copy. But you’re still a writer.
Peggy Bechko: The Writer’s Questions
by Peggy Bechko
I’ve been a writer for some years now and published frequently and I can remember clearly writing entire scenes and describing little or nothing, not pinning down a character’s character and more distracting missteps.
Questions create a story and if you, as a writer, don’t answer those questions you’ll lose your readers. “What if…” is a big question. So is “What would someone do if”… or “if the world was a much different place in these ways, what would happen…”
Questions, so many questions, but isn’t that our nature, to want to unravel ‘mysteries’?
Peggy Bechko: The Craft of Writing
by Peggy Bechko
Today, a simple list on how to develop your craft of writing, how to keep it crisp, engaging and tell your story.Yep, just a list. Things I’ve learned in years of writing. Agree, disagree, make use or don’t. Your choice. But whatever you decide, keep on writing.- Keep it simple.
- Don’t overwrite.
- Keep a light touch with your settings and descriptions, sprinkle information through your story, don’t feed it in huge lumps.
- Forget multitasking – focus on monotasking – give yourself uninterrupted time for your writing – put down the phone, no texting, nothing, just write.
- Think before you include an expletive. Does it fit the character? Does it give the situation more punch or is it just there for the sake of a bit of shock value? Some people find such words offensive – if you’re going to use them make maximum use of their punch.
- Use simple, declarative sentences unless absolutely necessary.
- Avoid the passive voice – engage your reader.
- Cut the crap. Really. Listen to Elmore Leonard – if it sounds like writing, rewrite it.
- Watch out for adjectives and adverbs. Keep them to a minimum.
- Never rescue your hero or heroine. They have to learn to do that for themselves.
- Watch your paragraph lengths. Keep them shorter unless absolutely necessary ~words as well, writing is not a vocabulary contest.
- Try visualizing who you’re writing for.
- A broom is not a long-handled kitchen cleaning implement, it’s a broom! Clear on that?
- Write the way that works best for you.
- Write first without worrying about spelling, grammar, punctuation fixes. Let your right brain run wild.
- Write from the heart.
- Oh, and don’t listen to too much advice, clear your own path.
Now go write something.