WORDS OPEN OUR WORLD
Featured Blog
Creative Strength: Don't Hide Your Superpower May 2019
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Creativity is a strength, a superpower, that sparks us to write but what do we do when we run up against weakness in our writing ability? Do we panic? Do we find a way around it, or do we take it head on? Here’s the funny thing about a stressful situation, most of us forget what our strengths are, we leave them behind, and we try to be something we’re not. Recently, I spoke with a fellow author who stated that he stayed away from writing dialogue because he didn’t know how to do it well. I asked him to do an exercise with me. He agreed. We headed over to a local mall and sat on a bench in the food court. I asked him to take out his cell phone and turn on the record mode. We then picked various people interacting. I didn't want us to hear what they were saying so we could start making up the dialogue. At first, he was apprehensive, with some practice, soon, we were both laughing. Then I asked him to make up serious conversations. After he was comfortable with this stage of the exercise, I asked him to add in physical attributes. What were their facial expressions, hand gestures and body language? An hour and a half had passed; we had multiple recordings of both of us doing the exercise. I asked him to wait two days before playing the recordings. On day three we listened to the recordings together. He learned that his creative nature was the strength he needed to write dialogue. He had created entire worlds through dialogue and attributes. What he initially saw as a weakness to avoid, he now sees as an exciting new adventure. Our strengths help us every day when we don’t know we need them. If we can harness them to write better, to push boundaries, or help others write, then they are real strengths. Be creative in solving the writing problems that you face. Your creativity is your superpower. Use it! If you’re stuck on some bit of writing, let me know, and we can work together to creatively get through it. |
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Excerpts From My Desk
I hope you enjoy these snippets of my novels:
From: Green Haven Chapter 31 The library was busy at this time of day. Cathy waited for Kyle in the lobby. They found an isolated table near the back. “I created these spreadsheets to better track what was going on. Actually, I made them to see if anything was going on.” “You did this in a matter of days?” Kyle looked at her as he held the stack of papers in his hand. “Yes, why?” She shot him a look as if to say, Yes, I’m that good. If only you could get past that one damn mistake, you would know it. “I’ve been putting stuff together for about three months and I don’t have as much as you do.” Kyle reached for the flimsy folder holding the copies of his lists. “I know I’ve seen the hidden section in your computer.” Cathy waited for the backlash. “Wait! You what?” Kyle was speaking loudly now and standing over her. “We’re in a library, and yes, a while back I overheard you talking to Lenny about setting it up and I knew that you kept your passwords on the backside of your blotter.” “I should fire you right now! When this is all over, I’m beefing up our computer security.” Kyle attempted to slam the folder on the desk for a dramatic effect, but only managed a meek whoosh from the air that leaked out from under it. Both looked at each other. |
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Monthly Recommendation
Here you can find my recommendation for the month. If you have read a book, article, or blog that you think others might want to know about, send it to me and you could find it listed here.
This month is for all you aspiring authors. Make sure to get the latest additions. 1. The Writer's Market 2, Guild to Literary Agents |
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Recently Discovered |
Dana Buckmir (aka Dana Dane)
Available at danabuckmir.com
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This month’s Author highlight is with Dana Buckmir, author of the hilarious Plenty of Laughs. Dana explains how a sheltered New England girl (Dana Dane) relocates to South Florida and describes her online dating adventures in a world of perpetual vacationers, where values are skewed, lines are blurred, and her ideas about relationships indefinitely change. Read about the ups and downs the Florida dating seen has to offer. Below are some question and answers from Dana’s website (danabuckmir.com). What made you decide to write a book about online dating? …[T]he book idea came about because many of my experiences were so over-the-top disastrous, I thought, ‘I have to share this with the world… What lessons have you learned from your online experiences? I’ve learned that transparency is very important. I feel like people should wear signs that indicate their true intentions like “I’m a player” or “I’m a nice guy, but I have some kinky fetishes.” There’s too much game playing online… What advice do you have for people searching for love online? My best advice would be to have an open mind, a sense of humor and go out on as many dates (in public) as possible. For the more questions and the full answers visit: danabuckmir.com Plenty of Laughs is a great read and your emotions will run wild the whole way through. It’s a must read not only for women, but for men We all need to find out what craziness is out there, even if you’re not on the dating circuit. Author: Dana Buckmir Book title: Plenty of Laughs Website: danabuckmir.com Purchase on: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and on the Dana Buckmir website. * * * * * If you would like to be a featured author or know someone who might want to be featured please contact me. |