1) Choose one of the following themes or idea starters (or you might want to create your own):
- A Different Christmas - Love in the Snow
- A New Millenium Family - Thanksgiving Dinner
- Weddings in (your) Country - Wish List
- Fireworks at Night - Teenage Suicide
- New Year Traditions - Holiday Songs
Note: You may combine two or more themes/ideas as you develop your writing project.
2) Begin your project with the word “Remember”.
3) Include the item - “pen” - in your piece.
4) On a separate area, briefly share what your finished piece means to you.
This is the continuation of this previous post about favourite writing books:
* On Writing Well by William Zinsser (Harper & Row, 1980)
Writers Say: “Zinsser is himself a good writer, providing a role model as well as telling writers in words how they ought to proceed. He also gives examples of how other writers solved certain problems.”
* A new self-teaching course in practical English and effective speech by Estelle B. Hunter (The Better Speech Institute of America, Chicago USA 1935)
Writers Say: “I’ve read hundreds of books and articles on writing and this one tops them all. I like these books because they are written in an easy to understand style, and seem to answer all the questions a writer might have. They include problem grammar, imagery in writing, plot building, characterization, etc.”
* Sally Stuart’s Guide to Getting Published by Sally Stuart (Harold Shaw, 1999)
Writers Say: “It’s excellent! She is extremely honest and loves helping writers. The book itself is comprehensive, covers all aspects of writing and is very practical. For instance, one part covers ‘Recognizing salable themes’. My favorite chapter which is the one I really need at this time is titled: ‘On Time Management/Self Discipline’.”
* Fiction Writer’s Workshop by Josip Novakovich (Story Press, 1995)
Writers Say: “No matter how you use it, this book is full of wonderful examples (often using the classics) and very specific help on how to correct problems you have with writing.”
Pluses:
- can be used as a reference book to look up something that is giving you some trouble
- use as a workbook/lesson plan
- can just read through and enjoy
While no amount of words can change the situation when tragedies strike, writing about how we feel can help comfort and heal our aching hearts. Here, then, are some writing prompts that you might want to use as you try to cope with the horrible tragedy.
Complete the Thoughts…
1) The tragedy made me feel… because…
2) I found out about the tragedy while…
3) I pray…
4) If only…
5) Maybe one day…
6) Terrorism/The natural tragedy is…
7) Everyday, I…
Sometimes I wish…
9) The worst tragedy is…
10) Bad things happen…
Asking and Answering Questions
1) If you could list five questions about the tragedy, what would these questions be? Write them down.
2) If you could talk to one person about this incident, who would it be? What would you tell him/her?
3) How do you cope with pain?
4) If you could help one person at this time of our tragedy, who would it be? Why and what would you do?
5) What do you think people around the world should do in the face of these troubled times? List down three to five suggestions.
“Good writing is about letting go. It’s about losing your self-consciousness. It leads you to your truest self. And to enormous possibility. If you aren’t going to tell the Truth about your life, do something - anything - other than write.”
- Nancy Kelton, author of Writing From Personal Experience
A) On your way to a writers’ workshop, you see another person on the street and you immediately know that he/she is also a writer. Describe what you see.
B) During a writers’ workshop, the facilitator asks you “Why do you write?” What will you tell him/her?
After posting this, I ended up thinking more about book reviews. And now, I’m wondering: Are you up to the challenge of writing about your opinions of a book you just read or something you read sometime ago but you remember very well?
Well, even if you’re not planning to write a full book review, you might like to give it a go. Here’s something you can try:
———- start of review ————
I am:
[supply your name]
My email and/or web site is/are:
[supply email and/or web site, if you want to share it/them with readers]
I have recently read:
[complete book title and author]
It is about:
[supply the main topic/theme of your book in one to two
sentence/s only]
I think it is:
[write what you thought about the book, both good and bad points]
I would give it a ____ rating.
[rate it from (1) star * to (4) stars ****]
* is the lowest and **** the highest. You can give a * and a 1/2 star]
———– end of review —————–
Here’s a response to this:
“If you want to write, read,” says Gary Krebs, executive editor of Macmillan’s Alpha Books imprint. What does he mean? All serious students of writing must also be serious readers. You can’t expect to flourish in a field that you do not also enjoy and aren’t very familiar with. Read everything you can get your hands on. Read books, magazines, newspapers, and online articles. Study what other writers are doing. The hours you invest in reading will pay you back when you sit down to write.
– excerpt from THE IDIOT’S GUIDE TO GETTING PUBLISHED
by Sheree Bykofsky and Jennifer Basye Sander, p. 27
