Owner: The Writing Life URL:http://nienkehinton.blogspot.com/ Join Date: Thu, 17 Aug 2006 10:56:33 -0500 Rating:1 Site Description: The successes and challenges faced by an aspiring novelist. Includes information on writing and the writing life. Lots of resources and links. Site statistics:Click here
Best Writing Advice, Ever 2007-05-25 15:51:00 The best advice I was given was to write every day.You get to be a better writer by writing.~John Baker, novelisthttp://johnbakersblog.co.ukhttp://johnbakeronline.co.ukThe best writing advice I ever received came near-simultaneously from two different sources.I was struggling through my first full-length work, finding it a very different and untameable animal from short fiction. Writing the book was like walking against a wind machine where life, other story ideas, and lack of polished expertise threw themselves against my every effort.I bemoaned this fact to friend and colleague Susan McBride. Her answer was simple. "Just do it," she said. "Write straight through, stopping only long enough to jot notes on vital flashes of inspiration."Sure it made sense, but it was too darn simplistic. And easy for her to say, I thought. She had a book series with Harper-Collins. But sometimes, the simplest of answers is the best.Still feeling sorry for myself, I happened to pick up a copy of Stephen
Just Do It 2007-05-29 13:11:00 Image courtesy of Writing Time, a site for beginning writers that offers inspiration to fire up your creativity, exercises to jumpstart your writing, and guidelines to help you craft your creative writing, whether you're interested in writing an essay, a poem, a short story or a novel.I challenge you to give me 3 words to inspire...
words... 2007-06-04 22:20:00 Desire Innocence Illusion Diabolic Persistence chocolate cookie dough bizarre twisty art Morning food mystery enchantment Fantastic Conflict Luscious feisty dreamy delicious Accordion twilight mockingbird Cure the disease He couldn't remember rebirth agony childish Just Keep Breathing Ultrasound commute pink Fiction is Folks Goal Motivation Conflict Writing begets writing Vacation after finish Sparkle Shadows Peace Rowlingization Kinganomaly SupermegajumbosalesClick here for the word search.
Blog posts to check out... 2007-06-12 09:40:00 Lilith Saintcrow gives The Five Rules of Plotting over at The Midnight Hour.The Plot Monkeys have posted Part Two of their AGENT SERIES. Part One is here.The Unknown Screenwriter posts
about Exposure Therapy for your characters. Unk has a great series on The Transformational Character Arc. Go browse if you haven't already.Jenny Crusie and Bob Mayer talk about tightening the plot over at their 2007 Writing Workshop. Another great sight to browse if you haven't already. It's a year-long workshop, updated twice weekly, on the craft of writing a novel.Ian Hocking shares 10 Writing Beliefs.Velcro City has more writing tips.How To Write a Novel. Seriously? Okay, then. Hop to it.
Hi From Melly. Yes, Still Around... 2007-06-24 14:48:00 It's been a while, I know. I'm not even sure how long it's been since I've posted here.Slowly, I'm starting to get the itch to blog again, or to return to an online community.A friend suggested I'd join Facebook. In fact, he wanted me to join his fan club. I have. Yesterday.So far I'm not really sure what this is all about -- never been one to understand social networking very well -- but for now I'm using it to play chess. So there's definitely a positive.Another friend, this one an online one whom many of you I'm sure are familiar with, Patry Francis, suggested I'd join goodreads. Goodreads, it seems, is sort of a book review social network of sorts. It sure was fun to start the list of books I've read.What I found funny, but not surprising was the average rating of the books I've read (the ones I've put in so far anyway) compared to Patry's. My average rating is 3.88 out of 5, while Patry's is 4.57.The reason this doesn't surprise me is because a) Patry probably sti
Best Writing Advice, Ever 2007-06-29 09:35:00 "The best advice I ever heard was to learn from everything. If a book's rejected, learn from the rejection. And, if there's no feedback...then figure out what you learned by writing that manuscript. All of it prepares you for your career as a published author"~Donna Alward is one of the few Canadians writing for Harlequin's Romance line. Her debut book is Hired by the Cowboy with a sequel scheduled for release in September.You can learn more about Donna and her upcoming releases at www.donnaalward.com. "The best advice I ever had was actually from a Drama teacher, and I apply it to my writing. Whenever I complained of a problem, she'd tell me, "It's not a problem, it's a challenge.' Is it a problem that I'm three chapters from the end and don't know who the killer is? Is it a problem I'm writing a book with almost no dialogue? No...they're challenges! Conquer them, and I know my writing is stronger for it" ~Kate Johnson, author of I, Spy?, part of the Sophie
News - Cairo RIP 2007-07-10 08:09:00 It happened a few weeks ago, but I'm only ready to talk about it now.My sick kitty Cairo
died.The whole household was so distraught (my DH, MIL, our other cat Suki, and dog Piffy) that I decided on a distraction.I'd like you to meet Simba. He fits in like butter on warm toast.He's actually suckling on his tail. He's a rescue. Loves life and playing like there's no tomorrow.Here he's fanning his feet (making bread/kneading) while suckling.Suki loved him from the moment we brought him home. The first day Suki kept running up to Simba and licking him, then running away. In this picture they're caught in the act of playing. Potential LOLCat pics I think.Life is so fragile. Enjoy every moment. Love yourself.
Guest blogger coming July 23rd! 2007-07-13 08:40:00 Murray Suid, author of Words of a Feather, will be guest blogging on Monday, July 23. Words of a Feather explores the connection between words. Since writers live on words, I think it will be a lot of fun to learn more about them. The book is a zany, fact-filled collection of dual etymologies. So, if you have any questions about the root of a word or the connection of words, now’s your chance to ask an expert! “Words of a Feather probes the shared histories of word pairs such as ‘adversary’ & ‘advertisement’ and ‘cosmos’ & ‘cosmetics.’ It transforms the science of etymology into a fun and powerful vocabulary-building game. “It also goes beyond the peculiarities of linguistics to provide practical advice on a variety of subjects. For example, the ‘thank’ & ‘think’ entry gives a mini-lesson on how to make kids smarter while polishing their manners. The ‘anger’ & ‘angina’ mini-essay might actually save a few lives – or at least bring o Read more:Guest
Never Give Up 2007-07-12 08:12:00 Ballantine Pays $3.75 Million for a Literary Novelist's Vampire TrilogyGarth Stein's novel The Art of Racing in the Rain has sold at auction for $1.2 million to HarperCollins**UPDATE - speaking of not giving up, Alison Kent's cut-off date to join Seventy Days Of Sweat is Friday, July 13, at midnight.
RIP, Kathleen Woodiwiss 2007-07-11 09:15:00 Like I said yesterday, life is fragile.Romance novelist Kathleen
Woodiwiss dies of cancerKathleen Woodiwiss revolutionized the romance novel.Woodiwiss, creator of the modern historical romance novel with feisty heroines, ornate period settings, and erotically charged adventures, died of cancer Friday in Princeton, Minn.Woodiwiss, who had 36 million books in print, was 68.
LOLCat funny 2007-07-20 13:10:00 Courtesy of I Can Has Cheezburger?Don't forget to drop by Monday for guest blogger Murray Suid on the connection between words!Have a great weekend, folks!
Guest blogger, Murray Suid on curiosity and words 2007-07-23 06:59:00 Thanks, Nienke, for your thoughtful announcement of my visit. You made me feel welcome at your remarkable website. I’m the kind of writer who likes a distraction. Could be the smell of coffee in the other room, or a “dump your microwave oven” urban myth that plops onto my desktop. No surprise, therefore, that as I began typing this piece about words origins, I allowed my attention to be drawn to your Tip of the Day: “Always take the attitude of a learner in your writing and be open to new insights from any source.” I hope it won’t seem that I’m malingering if I comment on this sage advice before I get down to business. In the 1990s, I enrolled in UCLA’s screenwriting program. At age 51 I thought I knew everything about cranking out scripts. I just wanted to meet producers so I could sell my work. But in my first class I discovered how much I had to learn about story structure. That humbling experience confirms the wisdom of your tip about being curious. Now about w Read more:Guest
, Murray
Speaking of words... 2007-07-25 09:52:00 What these words really mean: 1. ARBITRATOR: A cook that leaves Arby's to work at McDonalds 2. AVOIDABLE: What a bullfighter tried to do 3. BERNADETTE: The act of torching a mortgage 4. BURGLARIZE: What a crook sees with 5. CONTROL: A short, ugly inmate 6. COUNTERFEITERS: Workers who put together kitchen cabinets 7. ECLIPSE: What an English barber does for a living 8. EYEDROPPER: A clumsy ophthalmologist 9. HEROES: What a guy in a boat does 10. LEFTBANK: What the robber did when his bag was full of money 11. MISTY: How golfers create divots 12. PARADOX: Two physicians 13. PARASITES: What you see from the top of the Eiffel Tower 14. PHARMACIST: A helper on the farm 15. POLARIZE: What penguins see with 16. PRIMATE: Removing your spouse from in front of the TV 17. RELIEF: What trees do in the spring 18. RUBB Read more:Speaking
A few more words from Murray Suid 2007-07-27 07:51:00 Nienke, I truly enjoyed guest blogging on THE WRITING LIFE the other day. Afterward, I found myself wishing that I could thank all those inventors who have given us this new medium for sharing our ideas and our lives. To my way of thinking, the net is close to a miracle. Technology has long interested me. In fact, my current book project deals with engineering marvels. I’m having such fun learning about processes such as Backward Planning (huh?) and Failure Analysis. (I have lots of personal examples to draw upon.) Back to the blog that I posted here: I want to thank the participants for their thought-provoking questions and comments. I came away enriched. In the blog I explained that WORDS OF A FEATHER got published thanks to an agent who was looking for a funny word book. I should have mentioned the agent’s name—Carol Roth—and her website www.authorsbest.com. Carol specializes in nonfiction. Who knows? Perhaps she can be of use to some of the talented writers who freq Read more:Murray
You must want to fly so much... 2007-08-03 09:42:00 “How does one become a butterfly?You must want to fly so muchthat you are willing to give upbeing a caterpillar.”~Trina Paulus “Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.”~Nathaniel Hawthorne “Words – so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them.”~Nathaniel Hawthorne“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan, 'press on' has solved, and always will solve, the problems of the human race.”~Calvin Coolidge That's it, that's all. Have a great weekend and happy writing.
Writing links 2007-08-13 08:37:00 Finishing Your Novel - by Timothy HallinanExcerpts from Novel Writing: 16 Steps to Success by Evan Marshall John Baker has a great series on the phases of creating text. Read more:links
Free books and a contest! 2007-08-17 10:55:00 S. William Shaw is having a free ebook give-away of his titles: The Santa Mysteries and Sherman Oak and the Magic Potato. He’s also having a contest. Anyone linking to his give-away/contest entry can have their name thrown into a hat for a drawing to win a paperback copy of one of his books.So what are you waiting for? FREE eBOOKs HERE.
Isolated and schizophrenic... 2007-08-16 10:22:00 You're The Poisonwood Bible!by Barbara KingsolverDeeply rooted in a religious background, you have since become bothisolated and schizophrenic. You were naively sure that your actions would help people,but of course they were resistant to your message and ultimately disaster ensued. Sinceyou can see so many sides of the same issue, you are both wise beyond your years andtied to worthless perspectives. If you were a type of waffle, it would beBelgian.Take the Book Quizat the Blue Pyramid.Thanks to Michelle Rowen for the link.
Cat amp offers advice 2007-08-16 07:45:00 Hobbled by amputation, Henry inspires othersThrough his rescuer, a disabled cat dispenses advice to humans in pain.
Happy Holidays! 2007-12-28 12:37:00 Just thought I'd pop in and wish everyone who still might happen by this blog a happy, healthy, and properous new year! Read more:Happy
, Holidays
, Happy Holidays
On haitus 2007-09-08 11:25:00 Changed jobs. Now I'm the office manager of my husband's heating and hydronics business. He's working me to the bone. ;) I'll still be visiting my usual haunts...Please enjoy life, keep well, and keep writing!
Word Meanings 2007-08-21 10:09:00 The Washington Post published a contest in which readers are asked to supply alternate meanings for various words. Here are the winners:1. Abdicate (v.), to give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.2. Balderdash (n.), a rapidly receding hairline.3. Bustard (n.), a rude bus driver.4. Circumvent (n.), an opening in the front of boxer shorts worn by Jewish men.5. Coffee (n.), the person upon whom one coughs.6. Dopeler effect (n.), The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.7. Esplanade (v.), to attempt an explanation while drunk.8. Flabbergasted (adj.), appalled over how much weight you have gained.9. Flatulence (n.) emergency vehicle that picks you up after you are runover by a steamroller.10. Foreploy (n.), Any misrepresentation about yourself for th Read more:Meanings
Advice for writers... 2007-08-20 13:04:00 "Writing is like skiing - you will fall when you hesitate.""Do not reduce your story to outlines and sketches, notes and 3x5 cards. You will make your story finite this way and it will suffer because it cannot grow beyond your outline.""Let some stuff that you think is interesting drop away."These quotes are from Advice for Writers by David L. Robbins."You Are Enough""Work With What You're Given""Writing Begets Writing"These quotes are from The Three Cosmic Rules of Writing by Dennis Palumbo.
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