Category: Writer’s Blog
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Why is it good to be idle?
“Idleness is not just a vacation, an indulgence or a vice; it is as indispensable to the brain as vitamin D is to the body, and deprived of it we suffer a mental affliction as disfiguring as rickets. The space and quiet that idleness provides is a necessary condition for standing back from life and…
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Quiet Cars
Silence is like water for Imagination’s garden. One of my favorite silent places is Amtrak’s Quiet Car. Yesterday, when I took my seat in the Quiet Car, I turned off my cell phone, settled back, gazed out the window and consciously let the silence into my mind. A few minutes later, an idea for the…
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Crafting Creative Character Descriptions
See my blog entry on Pencil Tips Writing Workshop for advice about how to write interesting character descriptions.
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If you’re stumped, just hold on…
From Jonah Lehrer’s book, Imagine: How Creativity Works “…the act of being stumped is an essential part of the creative process. Before we can find the answer–before we probably even know the question–we must be immersed in disappointment, convinced that a solution is beyond our reach…It’s often only at this point, after we’ve stopped searching…
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How do you write what becomes a “favorite scene”?
Got a letter yesterday from a boy in a residential juvenile detention facility, another word for jail. He wrote to say how much he enjoyed Invisible Lines, a book that deals with some of the tough issues that I’m sure this boy has had to face. The most touching part of the letter for me…
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Pencil Tips Writing Workshop Blog
I’m delighted to join children’s book writers and illustrators Jacqueline Jules, Alison Hart, Mary Quattlebaum, Laura Krauss Melmed,and Joan Waites as a co-blogger at the Pencil Tips Writing Workshop.My first entry, about the value of sharing mistakes, was just posted. Each blogger takes a turn posting a tip. Please consider subscribing and/or pass along the…
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Beware “But I love this…”
Wrote a new song. Loved it. Well, most of it. I was having a little trouble with the bridge, which didn’t seem to lead anywhere. So, I played the song for my music partner Bill Williams, expecting him to suggest a little touch that would do the trick for the trouble spot. He floored me…
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Letting Go of Your Story
I read an inspiring piece of advice for all writers and artists from Jack Brown in the January 2012 edition of the Songwriter’s Association of Washington’s newsletter. “The best songwriting advice I ever got in my life was from a Nashville pro—even though my sound is not a Nashville sound. He said, ‘You have to…
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Songwriting Tip
My son Max, an excellent songwriter, gave me a great tip. I had just finished a new song and I asked him for critical feedback. He said, “I’ve noticed that you pay a lot of attention to your lyrics. Why don’t you try playing the song all the way through without singing? Just focus on…
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The Power of Story
Sometimes I get a letter from a reader that reminds me what this crazy effort to write books is all about. Stories are powerful. By allowing us a glimpse into the truth of another life, we can better see our own. From my reader: “Nobody realizes the bad plots in their life story until they…