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Category Archives: Teaching writing skills
Writing Like You Speak
When reading an author’s discussion thread, I noted that more than one person assumed the trick to creating a unique writer’s voice was “writing like you talk.” There is some truth to this if you are a good verbal storyteller. … Continue reading
Posted in Ideas for writing, Style and voice, Teaching writing skills, Trends in books
Tagged colloquial, newscaster, venacular
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Leaders within the Writing Community
Writing is often a solitary endeavor. Authors spend hours alone working words and ideas into something alive within their own minds. New writers, unused to such dedicated isolation, often seek inspiration for their creativity–new sources for intriguing characters and unique … Continue reading
The Language Quandary
Recently, I was reading a novel in which a young woman spoke English with a lovely French accent. At least that is what the author told me. Her dialogue was written in normal, modern, American English which I could … Continue reading
Are Writers Born or Made?
Start any discussions on the art of writing fiction and you will quickly find the group divided. On one side people claim it is an innate trait that people are either born with or without. But, when the authors that … Continue reading
Posted in Creativity, Ideas for writing, Literature, Teaching writing skills
Tagged innate writing
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The Monstrous Part of Writing
The introduction of writing into the state educational achievement tests resulted in a plethora of writing models. One teacher supported the “Six Plus One Trait” writing model with a kind of fanaticism. Others plugged a device called the “freeze frame” … Continue reading
In My Head
As a child I made up stories in my head, mostly about people’s pets. The majority of them were entirely descriptions such as fur color, number of spots, eye color and size. When I bemoaned the fact that these just … Continue reading
Asking for Ideas
Writing a well-crafted novel is hard labor, like going through a struggle harder than childbirth. Some authors want to seek out a short-cut, a sure thing, or a fully fleshed-out plot that has been used successfully in the past. However … Continue reading
Star Words
Creating a good plot is one of the most difficult parts of writing. A perfectly plotted story is going to be snatched up by readers, but so far we seem to have only produced one of these plots that most … Continue reading
The Fable of the Hook
Readers seeking excitement prefer a story starting with the main character fleeing down a dark alley, reeling from an initial enemy strike, or near the edge of Niagara Falls. This immediate danger creates an adrenaline rush. Even if the reader … Continue reading
Writing Sarcasm
The difference between satire and sarcasm makes the first one easier to express in writing. I can take a well-known trope and push it to an unreasonable extreme to create a satirical story. However, delivery of sarcastic lines often requires … Continue reading
Posted in Creativity, Laughter and humor, Literature, Teaching writing skills
Tagged parody, sarcasm, Satire
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