We got tagged with a ROAR for Powerful Words award by My Inner Edge. The rules are:
1. List three writing tips.
2. Pass the award on to three more bloggers.
Since there are two of us, we’ll both share our tips and link like crazy. There are too many people whose tips we want to hear.
Kathy’s tips:
- The first pass at writing anything, turn off the internal critic. I wrote most of my book (Aphrodite in Jeans) with headphones on blaring hip hop music. I just kind of used the music like a cable car uses a cable… hooked into it, enjoyed the ride, and let my fingers do what they wanted on the keys. Much of the book I don’t remember writing — actually, those are the best parts!
- When you’re done with the first draft, switch hats and get as obsessive-compulsive as you can with the editing. No word is too precious to be thrown away if it doesn’t serve its rightful purpose. I find that ruthless editing is a real rush. The first “real” article I published was accepted only after the editors said, laughingly, “well, we’ll take it if it’s 90% shorter.” (It was 30,000 words and their max was 3,000 — I didn’t really follow the rules on that one, which of course made it the first one I ever successfully published.) I sat down and just tore the thing apart. They ended up arguing over what to put back in and it ended up at 4,200 or so. But the reduction was a blast… like shining a rough stone and watching the sparkles come out.
- Writing is communication. With other people. It’s not about you experiencing the thrill of getting some good words on paper. That was a big tipping point for me, when I realized my goal was to connect with real live people, not just to string pretty words together into a necklace I find especially pleasing. Writing is a means to an end — a way to evoke pleasure and tears, to create and recreate memories, to weave subtle meaning into the world. It’s as powerful as sex and as subtle. You can write to please yourself, sure. But when you make it about connection with the other haunted, hungry, searching, happy, wonderful human beings on the planet… then you’re on to something.
Jill’s tips:
- I imagine I’m writing to a specific person. It’s always been the same person, ever since high school. If there is a word or phrase I would not use in a letter to this person, I do not include it in what I’m writing.
- When I’m feeling stuck, I let myself write whatever comes out for at least ten minutes, even if it feels wrong or doesn’t make sense. Then I go back and edit it. That gives me something to start with.
- When writing on the internet, I always try to remember that I am adding to my permanent online identity. I believe in transparency, but I also try to be deliberate. I think anonymity is hard to maintain on the internet over time, so I use my real name on my blogs and when I comment on other people’s blogs to keep myself aware of what I’m doing.
ROAR awards! Bloggers whose writing tips we’d love to hear:
- Marilyn at Moojo Cafe and The Land of Moo — it’s awards season at the Land of Moo
- Lori-Lyn at The Dream Life — Lori-Lyn’s Writing tips
- Mir at Woulda Coulda Shoulda
- Samara at Simplicity in the Suburbs
- Izzy Rose at Stepmother’s Milk — Izzy Rose’s tips: ROAR! Award
- Jen and Carol at No One’s the Bitch — Jen’s tips: Steeping, Fishing, Trimming or, Three Writing Tips
- Hollywood at Hollywood Flakes — Hollywood’s tips: ROAR Awards: My Rules For Writing
- Christina at {my topography}
- Lori at The Real World
- Blackbird at say la vee
- Michelle at TangledWings — Some Tips from Michelle
- Sam at Sunday School Rebel — Sam’s tips: writing, for this dummy
- Patti at 37Days
- Bill at Dying Man’s Daily Journal — Bill’s tips: Writing/Center of my being
- LoriAnn at LoriAnn’s Cafe
- cdp at tortious
- Dan Gurney at Mr. Kindergarten — Dan Gurney shared his tips in the comments below (Thank you so much!)
- Mindy at The Mommy Blog
- And an extra shout-out to Kathy from Jill — a special ROAR award for Kathy’s other blog, Aphrodite in Jeans
How do you decide what to write about? How do you choose your words? Do you have any guiding principles or basic rules you work from? Anyone who wants to tag themselves in the comments, please do. It’s a ROAR party here at The DHX.
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Update: Lizardek found the source of this meme. Check out her tips, too, and her pink lion.
This is so great! And not because you put me on your links list.
I’m really looking forward to hearing everyone’s tips. Thank you! I’ll include mine in my Saturday post. Great tips–both of you!
My Saturday post was pretty lengthy already. Promise to post about this in Sunday.
Some great writers here! I look forward to seeing if they respond!
Thanks, ladies! I feel honored to be included, especially considering how little I manage to write these days - thanks for the kick in the booty! And both of your writing tips are golden -
Thanks for including me. I am enjoying visiting all the sites- some great stuff!
IR
Thanks so much for including us! Like Marilyn, I’m panting after recently posting my hiney off, but I look forward to getting to this tomorrow and also reading through other tips.
Love your site!!! Keep up the good work. : )
And this is why I would be a positively lousy writing teacher, because my tips range all the way from “just do it” to “just do it.”
I appreciate the tag, though… wish I had more wisdom to pass along.
I’ll take “just do it” as a tip! Thanks!
Thank you for tagging me. I am glad you enjoy my blog. Your blog led me to Bill at Dying Man’s Daily Journal, and I’m enjoying it.
If I could offer 3 writing tips they would be:
1. Remind yourself every day that you are of a nature to die. You’re not the only one of a nature to die; all are of a nature to die. (This is actually advise the Buddha gave.) Doing this helps you make better use of your time and consider more carefully how you might invest your energy that day. Your writing improves because it’s less likely to wrestle with unworthy issues.
2. Get the emotions right. Be relentlessly accurate in the emotional realm and your writing will have impact.
3. You’ll attract more bees with honey than with vinegar. The web seems to be a place where people have felt license to be rude. So it’s fertile ground for decency, optimism, consideration, broad-mindedness, forgiveness, and other positive character traits. Don’t underestimate the power and attractiveness of a positive outlook.
Thank you so much, Dan!