Personality Traits

Everyone has character, little quirks about themselves. There is no such thing as a “normal” person. No one is average; we are all at least a little bit if not a lot different from each other. This is what makes us unique.

Take writing. No person writes exactly the same as another. We may generically use other authors’ styles of writing, but it still boils down to our own personal traits blooming in the four corners of our papers. For example, although a person finishes a novel with perfect grammar, punctuation, and spelling that even an English teacher who swipes the words with her white gloves never finds a smidgen of a verb, adjective or comma out of sync across the virginal papyrus, there may still be something lacking in the story: the author himself. Don’t get me wrong; some novels do well with plain, simple words for easy expression. The novel may be an ordinary story, but the string of words displayed in an easy-going manner pull the reader into its world and the reader can’t escape and must find out the ending. Other novels weigh heavy in description, such as Jack London’s stories, and the reader cannot help but fall into its story trap until the finale.

My drama class teacher taught us a lot, but foremost the rule was to act naturally, and if needed, insert your own words to fit closely within the scene. This does not mean to change the entire lines, as the next actor may forget his or her lines, but to paraphrase them, add a little stuttering, maybe some trite phrases of your own to add to the whole gamut of the scene. In writing, the same goes forth, as synonyms can replace the usual words, and a glimmer of surprise awaits the reader.

First, write YOUR words down quickly, without stopping to correct the grammar, punctuation or spelling. Let the words rise out of the depths of your soul. There is something to be said for letting go of oneself, to let the freedom of writing pursue itself with words loud enough to shout through the walls of standards. This inner core must speak boldly, come forth willingly and honestly in words heavy in expressive thought.

Next, embellish on these thoughts. Add descriptions of scenes or things of value; lesser descriptions where it is not needed. These treasures should stand out in 3-D form in eclectic style, like a mannequin without a head or with rebar arms and legs. Experiment with this unique style before bleeding it thoroughly on the open page.

Last of all, editing is most critical at this point. Put on the editor’s hat and start whittling away at drawn- out passages that may ho-hum the reader. Slice away at redundant phrases and words. Pull out those extraneous commas and either re-word the sentences or cut those intrusive curves dangling aside wary words altogether.

In any case, don’t forget to have fun writing to your heart’s delight before slashing away all those cumbersome words and thoughts. - Signed, Linda

Repeat, Repeat, Repeat

Have you found yourself repeating the same word in a sentence or paragraph? Omitting articles like "the" and "a" and some verbs, do you have a habit of duplicating the same word from the sentence before, or including it in the same sentence?

When I begin writing something, many times I repeat myself in a sentence or paragraph. This is where synonyms replace those "weedy" words and thoughts. But those "weeds" seem to grow and multiply right before my eyes! The problem transforms itself into not only repeating words, but repeating thoughts, also. It's like writing legal mumbo-jumbo, where the same thoughts and words are expressed over and over. Wants to make you gag and stop reading the boring material.

If you still find yourself repeatedly employing the same words, try turning the subjects, verbs and objects around in the sentence. Make sure your spell checker is on to catch grammar you might overlook in your quest to write the perfect sentence. Now read the sentence and paragraph aloud a couple of times to hear the effects on the reader.

How do I stop repeatedly repeating words and thoughts?

"Practice makes perfect." How many times have you heard that phrase, and yet we all know it's true. Write, write and then write some more! Practice writing the correct way over and over again. This is what you did in grade school, right? Your homework involved the same types of problems, yet in myriads of forms. In high school, our learning approaches were dwindled down to possibly two or three practices on similar problems, and in college the homework, tests and projects were our only avenues of learning identical thoughts.

Another way to squash those duplicated dribbles is to read good books emphasizing metaphors and similes. Reading novels longtime on bestseller lists or the great classics can grow your writing immensely, as the visual reading connects with your brain and prompts copying the writing forms. Pick genres you enjoy reading to your heart's content rather than ones that are good textbook usage.

Last of all, creative writing is an ambiguous form of writing, and sometimes repeating words IS necessary to buoy a rhythmic effect on your audience. Cage this medium especially when writing for children. Children love the flow of words arranged in a musical or sing-song form, as it guides the child along on a whimsical journey.

If after agonizing over the words and thoughts there is no other recourse but to embellish on the expressions and you do not feel the piece is worthy to wave before a promising editor, then another way to deal with this situation is to put the piece down. Come back to it tomorrow, or the next day. Sometimes just letting the piece go on the wayside and returning to it later springs forth fresher ideas, and a whole new way of looking at it.

In any case, look at the overall picture in which you are trying to convey to the reader and decide for yourself which method to employ. Happy writing to all, Linda

Time-Wasters

Time-wasters. We all like to play, to do something other than housework, homework or work-work. In the case of a freelance writer, discipline is the key factor. Without discipline and striving to finish your writing projects, your writing will go slowly or the projects never get done.

Getting a room to yourself is the ideal location for your writing adventures. This will allow you to write almost any time of the day, unless, of course, your wee ones bang on your door for attention or whine what’s for breakfast or beg a shoe to be tied. Then it’s back to waking at the crack of dawn or plunging your thoughts down in the black of night, when your eyelids barely stay open. If you cannot use an extra room for your writing purposes, then write at a time when most of the noise or distractions are at a minimum.

One of the main problems to wasting time is keeping your desk or work area clean, void of extraneous mail or bills begging to get paid. Any distractions can keep you from the love between you and Muse writing together along the wings of time. Or, if there is no other place to keep your financial matters except at the desk where you write, set a time to dispense your payouts, such as twice a month when the paychecks pass through cyberspace to your bank’s URL, and two-minute daily walks through online debits and credits.

Place websites of your writing resources, freelance writing, dictionary and grammar on your desktop for quick reference and as a reminder of your goals. A bookcase of writing instruction, grammar books like the Chicago Manual of Style, MLA and APA, a thesaurus, current Writer’s Market, and books on English and American Literature are all good examples of a writer’s library. Feel free to add others to your library complementary to your own genres.

Another distraction I found was games. So many of us love computer games, but five minutes can spread to two precious hours, and your time allotted for writing has now disappeared. Because of my obsession with a particular game, I asked my husband to temporarily disable all of the games on my computer so that I would not be tempted to ride its plains at this time. I desire wholeheartedly to give this writing bug a try.

Facebook, Twitter, text messaging, IM messaging – these can all be purveyors of time-wasters. Sure, it is good to keep in contact with humanity, but this can also lead to an obsession. Limit your time with your friends so that you can get back to your passion. Announce to them your goal of writing a book or articles and your desire to finish these projects.

Everyone loves the television set. Who can tear themselves away from a gripping mystery, passionate romance, or creepy thriller? To prevent this all-known time-waster, the best deal to make is to leave it off until sunset or wait until the weekend and watch away to your heart’s desire.

We can find many kinds of ways to distract ourselves and waste time instead of fulfilling our life’s purpose. Don't hesitate any more.  Now is the time to write!

Writing is NOT a chore

Writing is NOT a chore. But unless Muse is riding on your shoulder, the words tumble out slowly, hitting jagged corners along the way, and may bounce right off into the deep end; they are so useless.

One way to remedy this is to find a quiet time to write. If that means getting up at five o’clock in the morning to jot down your thoughts or write an article, go to bed earlier to rise with the sun peeking over the horizon. The dawn of a new day can awaken those juices ready to burst out of the depths of your soul. Program your coffeemaker the night before so the smells of java come wafting through the house in the wee hours, and a cup with an egg and toast will bolster your body to start the day fresh.

Now sit down and get all quiet for a moment. Open your patio door and listen to the birds singing, leaves on the trees swaying, hum of bees or hummingbirds, and traffic rounding the bends in the road near your house. Walk outside with your coffee and smell the drifts of morning, the sun glowing in its corner and brightening God’s creation for all to see. Bask in this wonder for a few minutes, sipping your coffee slowly. Now go inside and write down whatever comes to your mind. This may or may not be what you just saw, but the moment of taking a whiff of daybreak awakened the Muse in you.

Some writers enjoy writing at night. For me, this is the time my senses start shutting down, and I do not feel the urge to caress words across the pages, but find it a chore instead. In any case, if you write at night, a few cups of java might keep those senses burning alive in your soul and the words tumble out with ease. Some people prefer writing in the sleep zone because their senses come alive from their nine to five grind. They are all wound up and writing releases the tension built up over the ten hours of commute and work.

If you ride the train to work, this is another place you may take your writing passion. Writing a novel while bumping along the tracks can prove to be either too distracting or a time-saver for your story. A writing pad, netbook or laptop is most handy for writing in this location. Look at the people around you. They are either reading a book, eating a breakfast bar, drinking a cup of coffee, chatting with friends, or writing on their laptop like you at this moment. People are very interesting to watch! Write down on a side note what you see and hear. There may be an unruly child and a mother either paying no attention or reprimanding the youngster. Describe what the people look like, what they’re wearing, the things they do. These can all be useful now or later in your project.

In any case, the goal here is to write at a regular time when Muse is most likely to appear. Don’t hesitate! Now in your life is the time to write.

Set Your Writing Apart

Set your writing apart from the others. Wow your readers with the obscure, eclectic look. Don’t let any of your writing become stagnant to the reader’s eye. Let your reader view something real, tangible and inviting.

Instead of pummeling your story along, slow down and let the reader get a whiff of your senses. Let them feel your anguish or joy, the softness or roughness of its outer core, or clarity of taste and smell. Describe the object or scene, delving into all the senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste. Don’t spare your gifts of the word in carving into detail this object, no matter how simple or complex it is.

Practice your craft with an ordinary object, a living organism or a man-made tech machine. If you’re facing a dull read of your story, this could spark up the drab and let in a little bit of light. Plain and simple stories, such as - boy meets girl, boy gets girl, they get into a fight and she leaves him (or vice versa), then they make up and end of story – can be given a second chance when a description of objects, scenes or people here and there bring them to life.

Start with sight—describe the texture, shape, colors, and clarity with metaphors or similes. Next, add hearing—do you hear anything associated with the object? If not, you can skip this sense. Touch the object, rubbing your hands along it if you can, and write down what you feel. Now, smell it—what do you smell? If you smell anything, even a chemical smell, write it down. Last of all is taste. You may not be able to taste it, but if you can, do not hesitate to show the comparison against another similar taste.

Now, combine some of these sentences to spare no workouts of the mind. Like going to a symphony or a Broadway musical, isn’t it? The reader will get caught up in this object which has now taken shape into their soul, and now cannot put the story down. They must read on. . . .