The Write Place
Here you will find everything to do with writing, whether it is my writing or what I'm learning from reading books on writing. Reading, vocabulary, and grammar are the tools of the trade. The very best people to learn from are the ones who are seasoned writers who teach writing. You would be wise to enlist them as your mentors, as I have.
- In: The Write Place
As Priscilla Long says in WPM (Writer's Portable Mentor), "rooms stand for lives; objects hold history." Giving our characters objects that represent a more than humble existence or putting them in a dining room as exquisitely decorated as in Downton Abbey, gives one a feel for the kind of life each exists in.
"Settings mirror lives," Ms Long states. Settings and objects are interrelated since objects in a setting help define the character that would be found in such a setting. "A room can stand for a character's mood - it can look dreary or the dust can dance. We can deepen our work by observing setting and objects (places and things) and using them to enrich every page."
- In: The Write Place
In WPM (Writer's Portable Mentor) there is a chapter that is dedicated to learning to see, which will greatly help your writing. As a fine artist, this is one of the major lessons I've learned, to see shapes instead of things. Everything is made of light and shadow. It took me awhile before I finally got it. I've taught art lessons and realized how difficult it was to try to teach someone to see shapes instead of things.
- In: The Write Place
In the Writer's Portable Mentor(WPM), author Priscilla Long gave many examples of words that have high frequency sounds associated with high energy words and low frequency sounds associated with low frequency words. In Dylan Thomas' poem, the words "Rage, rage against the dying of the light' are words that emit high energy. Low frequency words, like bone and moan bring us down. High frequency words like scream and bee, have high energy connected to them.
- In: The Write Place
When I first heard about this movie it immediately got my attention. Words and Pictures - the story of my life! Writing has taken a front row seat but painting is a close second (having been in the lead for many years.) And with Clive Owen and Juliette Binoche as the main characters, well, it sounded like a winner to me. And yes, I loved it (Jim did, too.)
- In: The Write Place
To continue with my notes on WPM (The Writer's Portable Mentor), I'm reading through the second chapter and again, I liked her idea about keeping a Lexicon (your own specialized dictionary) of words that are "juicy and hot". I have been collecting words for many years using a variety of notebooks. From Word Smart, to 30 Days to a Better Vocabulary, and on and on, my vocabulary has grown (but don't ask me where those notebooks are). And I know that reading a lot will definitely improve your vocabulary and build a strong core of words to use when writing.