…along with the emotions the writer was struggling to express. But writing by hand is dying. We send emails. We type a blog post or story on the keyboard and save it. Schools in Washington state aren’t even required to teach cursive writing anymore. (I thought that when I started learning ‘cursive’ in third grade that I would have to learn to write using swear words, but that’s another story.) How writing by hand makes me a…
Search Results for: writing by hand
What I Learned On My 5-Day Social Media Diet
…uld be published. What it means for me: The realization that talking about writing doesn’t earn me as many points as the writing does. Cats in sunglasses, political rants and pics of Dim Sum sap my energy. If you are a curious person, if you enjoy engaging people and hearing what they think about things, Facebook is the ultimate distracter. An interesting discussion starts and, well, I have something important to say about that. And before I know…
5 Ways Reading Fiction Helps You Up Your Blogging Game
…sp;The Elements of Style. On Writing (Stephen King-style) and On Writing by the beloved southern writer Eudora Welty (same title, vastly different books). Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bonesand Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird. These are just a few of dozens of excellent books on the writing craft. I have read most of them and keep them on my writer’s bookshelf at arm’s length. And they have helped me immensely in my writ…
Is Writing with Vulnerability a Sign of Low Self-Concept?
…readers We should not be afraid to inject a little vulnerability into our writing. To admit our fears. To be human. What about you? Do you see vulnerability in someone’s writing as a sign of weakness? Do you ever write from a place of vulnerability? Do you think more or less of a blogger who is open and honest about her feelings? A note to my readers who use mobile devices to access the blog: We just installed the plugin WP Touch Pro here a…
5 Cheapish Gifts to Recapture the Inner Child
…to me). 3. Drop the tech tools. Ditching those digital/keyboarding habits by writing by hand, for just a few minutes a day, might be just the thing to reignite those neurons in your brain and get things moving again. Try mind mapping for idea generation and don’t forget those nice, thick-point pens. Ideas: Roller Writers (my favorite cheapish pen); fountain pens (more expensive, but so fun); Sharpies. 4. Being an artist is not the point. Th…
Confronting Fear: The Elephant in the Writer’s Office
…y good writers own their fears. One of my favorite authors on the craft of writing is Bonnie Friedman, who wrote a little jewel called Writing Past Dark. In it she said: “Every day I must prove I am a writer. The knowledge goes away in my sleep.” Cynthia Ozick, author of numerous novels and shorter works of fiction, said: “I have to talk myself into bravery with every sentence.” And even the authors of our beloved classics…
5 of My Favorite Blogs for Writers
…You probably already know who Jane is. She’s a leading expert in the writing and publishing industries. I follow her blog closely for everything from posts on the craft of writing to trends in publishing. Read Jane’s blog here. Follow her on Twitter (@JaneFriedman) and join her Facebook page. Rachelle Gardner – This was a new one for me this year. Rachelle is a literary agent whose blog has lots of rich, writer-focused content. I…
The Judy Lee Dunn Blog: A Renewed Focus
…el, The Bark Peeler’s Daughter. My blog’s goals are trifold: • Writing advice– What I have learned that, hopefully, will help you become a better writer, too. • Book reviews- Expect personalized reviews of books I have loved—a mix of bestsellers, current and past— and what I learned from them that I have applied to my own writing. • My progress toward publication of The Bark Peeler’s Daughter– (Cue the suspenseful mus…