Rob Bignell's Blog, page 304

Writing Prompt: Draw upon personal turmoil

Suffering from writer’s block or need to add some spunk to your writing? The problem may be that you need to change up your routine. To that end, try this tip: Think of a time you’ve faced personal turmoil in your life. Write a page about the emotions you experienced during that difficult time.

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like Grand Rapids, Michigan, or a small town like Frying Pan Landing, North Carolina, I can provide that second eye.

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Avoid writing schizophrenic story

Does your story belong in therapy? Perhaps one portion of it appears to be in conflict with another portion, maybe over tone or theme.

The problem might be that we as authors haven’t shaped the story enough during its formative stages to ensure the plot, characters and message can adequately address conflicts, motivations and ideas.

Consider allowing more discomfort and unhappy circumstances to appear in your story; this may create the right situations so your story can more adequately present and work through plot conflicts, character motivations, and thematic ideas.

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like Rochester, New York, or a small town like Beech Bottom, West Virginia, I can provide that second eye.

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Five Great Quotations about Books

“Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault. Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. For these there is hope. They are the elect to whom beautiful things mean only Beauty. There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all.” - Oscar Wilde

“I firmly believe every book was meant to be written.” - Marchette Chute

“The books we think we ought to read are poky, dull, and dry/The books that we would like to read we are ashamed to buy/The books that people talk about we never can recall/And the books that people give us, oh, they're the worst of all.” - Carolyn Wells

“What an astonishing thing a book is. It's a flat object made from a tree with flexible parts on which are imprinted lots of funny dark squiggles. But one glance at it and you're inside the mind of another person, maybe somebody dead for thousands of years. Across the millennia, an author is speaking clearly and silently inside your head, directly to you. Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people who never knew each other, citizens of distant epochs. Books break the shackles of time. A book is proof that humans are capable of working magic.” - Carl Sagan

“Where is human nature so weak as in the bookstore?” - Henry Ward Beecher

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from an urban area like Akron-Canton, Ohio, or a rural community like Toadlena, New Mexico, I can provide that second eye.

 

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I refuse to give up on my writing because I haven’t explored every possible way to revise it.

Since writers are close to their work – the universe for the story that is in a writer’s head always is larger than the universe for the story that is on paper – they often may not recognize that a passage needs to be revised. Because of this, a troubled paragraph or chapter may go unrecognized by the writer…and if it is recognized, the writer may have no idea how to revise it.

Don’t give up on a passage and decide to let it stand simply because you’re unclear how to help it work better, though. That simply cheats your reader and your story. You wouldn’t give up on your child simply because you’re uncertain how to help her, after all, so why treat your story with any less dignity?

If you’re thinking of quitting on a passage – or even giving up on the entire writing project – you’re simply responding with emotion, specifically frustration and maybe even a little fear or anger. Such an intense reaction arises from self-doubt about your ability to get the story right.

Indeed, a lot of writing is trial and error. Sometimes what at the outset seems like a middling idea actually turns out to be the best cure. Sometimes what initially appears to be a fantastic idea turns out to be the entirely wrong prescription.

The beauty of writing is that there always are a number of ways to solve any given problem. Suppose the result of your main character’s effort to resolve a problem doesn’t deliver the necessary gravitas to help your protagonist grow. Simply have your character take an entirely tact toward resolving the issue, specifically one that leads to the result you desire. There are thousands of different approaches your main character might take. Or you might instead tweak the result. Or you might modify how the character grows through the story.

You may need to outline or pen several drafts of a scene to make it work. Whatever you do, keep at it. The satisfaction you feel upon succeeding will be the worth the effort.

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like Birmingham, Alabama, or a small town like Buttzville, New Jersey, I can provide that second eye.

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Editing client publishes debut YA novel

An editing client of mine has published his first young adult novel, “Zombie Hall Pass.” Written for upper elementary and middle school students, Warren Schader’s novel begins with a green mist pouring out of the gym and turning people into zombies. John Hardy – the middle school nerd – joins forces with his close friend Big Mike and the popular girl Melissa, as the unlikely trio use knowledge from video games and comics to solve the mystery of the outbreak. Along the way, they meet unique characters, such as Bobby the photo room “survivor” and the scraggily-haired janitor Mr. Wiggins. And what does Agent Wazowskiburg of B.R.A.T.S. have to do with anything? The novel is available online.

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like Honolulu, Hawaii, or a small town like Beaver, Oklahoma, I can provide that second eye.

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Writing inspiration: Model a story

Modeling the stories (or chapters) of a favorite author forces you to think about how a story is structured and the characters developed, making writing of your own stories easier later on. Select a favorite short story or chapter of only 5-10 pages and follow its format sentence-by-sentence as writing your own.

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like New Orleans, Louisiana, or a small town like Searchlight, Nevada, I can provide that second eye.

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Ought to be illegal: Copyright v. copywrite

If only some writers would quit violating the definitions of copyright and copywrite!

Copyright refers to the exclusive legal right to use artistic material. Its forms can serve as a noun (I own the copyright to my novel.), an adjective (copyrighted material), or verb (You should copyright your manuscript.).

Copywrite isn’t a word. Copywriter and copywriting are, however, and they refer to someone who pens text for a living. They typically are used as nouns (The English major’s first job out of college was as a copywriter or The English major’s first job out of college was in copywriting).

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like Richmond, Virginia, or a small town like Red Cloud, Nebraska, I can provide that second eye.

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What misfortunes most bother you?

Suffering from writer’s block or need to add some spunk to your writing? The problem may be that you need to change up your routine. To that end, try this tip: What sufferings or misfortunes of others most concern you? Spend a few minutes listing them, then focus on one, telling how you first came to learn of it and what worries you the most about it. This list can be a good starting point for themes that you might develop a story around.

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like Louisville, Kentucky, or a small town like Lodge Pole, Montana, I can provide that second eye.

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Editing client releases book on ‘Leading Change’

An editing client of mine has published his first book, “Leading Change From Within: A Road Map to Help Middle Managers Affect Lasting Change.” Brian Strobel, a professional coach and manager of quality/organizational excellence, examines in “Leading Change” how managers can redirect their company or institution to change and so be successful. To that end, the book focuses on developing middle managers into more effective leaders. “Leading Change” is available online.

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like Oklahoma City, or a small town like Peculiar, Missouri, I can provide that second eye.

 

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Five Great Quotations about Autobiography

“I don't think anyone should write their autobiography until after they're dead.” - Samuel Goldwyn

“If my clone writes my biography, is it really an autobiography?” - Jarod Kintz

“Autobiography begins with a sense of being alone. It is an orphan form.” - John Berger

“A poet's autobiography is his poetry. Anything else is just a footnote.” - Yevgeny Yevtushenko

“Autobiography is usually honest but it is never truthful.” - Robert A. Heinlein

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like Memphis, Tennessee, or a small town like Eastabutchie, Mississippi, I can provide that second eye.

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