the number on her breath—
inward, louder
outward, gentler
my scent pulled in
peace exhaled
jewel eyes half-lidded
surrounded by safety
in this moment
my hand along her fur
—is a purr of love at 25 Hz
Archive for the ‘Writing’ Category
25 Hz
Posted in Writing, tagged cats, creative writing, poem, Poetry, purr on 29 Apr 2013| 3 Comments »
Dear Left Brain: STFU
Posted in Writing, tagged clustering, creative writing, idea generation, natural writing, Writing, writing techniques, writing tips on 26 Apr 2013| 5 Comments »
Yesterday I tried the “clustering” technique for the first time. I was not pleased.
“Clustering” is an idea generation technique where you start with a core idea in the center (the nucleus), and start jotting other notions around it. This sort of random, free-association is what the right-brain does best, and clustering is a way to do that without the left-brain getting in the way.
In the book (Writing the Natural Way), Rico tells of how easily people fall into the technique of clustering, how even second graders are able to generate story ideas using it. It’s the “rare individual,” she says, who has problems with it.
Meet a “rare individual.” (more…)
Ray and Me
Posted in Writing, tagged brainstorming, clustering, creative writing, gabriele rico, generating ideas, novel writing, ray bradbury, word association, Writing, writing techniques, writing the natural way, writing tips on 25 Apr 2013| 4 Comments »
I am setting aside work on my new novel.
If you have a problem with this, take it up with Ray Bradbury.
Some comments on a recent post of mine got me thinking, and I went to get my copy of Dandelion Wine. I hadn’t read it for a long, long (loooong) time; such a long time, in fact, that I’m really a completely different person, and I knew I’d enjoy it more. I’ve always liked Ray’s stories–he and Roger Zelazny were the major influences on my decision to attempt writing, myself–so, an indulgence. I opened the book and began to read.
I didn’t make it past the foreword. (more…)
Lion’s Tooth
Posted in Seattle, Writing, tagged Catherine Maynard, creative writing, dandelion, Doc Maynard, historical fiction, novel writing, Seattle, Seattle history, Writing on 23 Apr 2013| 3 Comments »
Doc Maynard had a wife. Two of them, actually, and simultaneously, some say.
David S. “Doc” Maynard, one of Seattle’s more colorful founders, married Catherine Simmons Broshear Maynard, a widow he had met along the Oregon Trail. He married her almost immediately upon divorcing Lydia, his first wife, a decree granted via questionable–and later, contestable–conditions. (Doc may have implied that Lydia was…deceased….)
Catherine Maynard proved to be as legendary as her husband, helping thwart an attack on the settlers of Seattle, accepting for a time her husband’s first wife under her own roof, and traveling the state on horseback, riding from Seattle across the Cascades to Ellensburg, well into her 70s.
But she did one other thing which, 150 years later, affects every single Seattle homeowner.
Catherine Maynard brought the dandelion to Seattle. (more…)
Maintain an Even Strain
Posted in Culture, Writing, tagged blogging, creative writing, novel writing, Writing, writing techniques, writing tips on 19 Apr 2013| 3 Comments »
It’s been a difficult week for us all, and continues to be so–nowhere more so this morning than in Boston. In reaction I’ve tried to “Keep calm and carry on” by doing normal things and moving forward with projects. I’ve been able to push the line forward a little in some areas: with this blog, with my gardens, and with the new novel. (more…)
were u at dude?
Posted in Culture, Writing, tagged blogging, creative writing, editing, grammar, how to be taken seriously, publishing, Writing on 17 Apr 2013| 3 Comments »
Composing a post for your blog? Writing an email to a colleague? Here are a couple of tips:
The letter “r” is not a verb.
The letter “u” is not a pronoun.
It doesn’t surprise me when blog posts or emails have this sort of embedded “text-speak.” Nor does it surprise me to find them riddled with bad syntax, incoherent thoughts, and errors both typographic and grammatical. It saddens me that those intent on communicating via the written word don’t have the sense (or self-respect) to proofread what they’ve written before they hit “send,” but it doesn’t surprise me.
What does surprise me is when I come across the same in posts on writers’ discussion boards. What does surprise me is when a writer doesn’t catch his own mistake when he writes “Art thou saint or satin?” And it goes beyond surprise when, as I saw the other day, a presenter of a TED talk repeatedly used the letter “r” as a verb in his Powerpoint presentation.
Dude…srsly?
If you want your words to be taken seriously, stick close to the standards of writing. In speech or in the written word, if you consistently flout the accepted standards of spelling, grammar, and composition, your words, your thoughts, sometimes even you as a person, will be discounted, diminished, or totally ignored by the world at large.
I shouldn’t have to use a secret decoder ring to translate a writer’s words into comprehensible English.
In fact, I won’t. And I’m not alone.
I’m not being a grammar Nazi or a writerly snob. I’m not asking for high-falutin’ rhetoric or exquisite imagery. I’m asking for comprehensible grammar and correct spelling. Allowances for hurriedly written texts and non-native English speakers aside, a writer must strive for quality in the written word. You can only blame your iPhone’s predictive spelling function for so much.
In the end, if you don’t mind looking like an idiot because you don’t know the difference between “satin” and “Satan,” fine.
Just don’t expect me to take you seriously at the same time.
Overthink Much?
Posted in Writing, tagged blogging, creative writing, editing, novel writing, novels, Writing, writing techniques, writing tips on 16 Apr 2013| 12 Comments »
Is there anything more desperate than an unpublished writer?
I’ve been participating in some of the writers’ group discussions over on LinkedIn and I swear, never have I seen so many people trying to augur the entrails of the publishing world, never have I read so many vaunted “rules” of writing, and never have I heard so much illogical “advice.” Never.
And yet, I understand it. I understand it all. (more…)
