Joseph Carrabis
Write. When you're not writing, read. When you're reading, read to learn what works and what doesn't (and not just what you like and don't like). Practice taking stories/paragraphs/chapters/poems you really like and writing them from memory. Don't copy words, copy mood, tone, timing, pacing, atmosphere, character, voice, ...
If you're an author, read poetry and listen to song lyrics to learn rhythm and imagery. If you write fiction, read history, biography, diaries and journals. Listen to how people speak. Go to a mall or park or museum or just walk through your town and watch how people express themselves, then capture it in words. If you live in a city spend time in a small country town and document how people are different. If you live in a small country town go to a city and ditto.
If you're a non-fiction writer, read philosophy and political studies. Watch how events shape people and vice versa. Document what gets people to act, why and when. Listen to people's discussions to get their speech patterns and natural rhythms, their language uses and inflections, and then create dialogue based on what you've learned.
And in all things, practice, practice, practice.
If you're an author, read poetry and listen to song lyrics to learn rhythm and imagery. If you write fiction, read history, biography, diaries and journals. Listen to how people speak. Go to a mall or park or museum or just walk through your town and watch how people express themselves, then capture it in words. If you live in a city spend time in a small country town and document how people are different. If you live in a small country town go to a city and ditto.
If you're a non-fiction writer, read philosophy and political studies. Watch how events shape people and vice versa. Document what gets people to act, why and when. Listen to people's discussions to get their speech patterns and natural rhythms, their language uses and inflections, and then create dialogue based on what you've learned.
And in all things, practice, practice, practice.
More Answered Questions
Ladyfilosopher
asked
Joseph Carrabis:
What a delightful profile narrative and exploration. Yes, we wear many hats (and coats) in our lives. So many that rarely would any single person know the entire person(s) that we are. May I ask the analyst in you, accompanied by the wild animal whisperer, what you think of Eisler's Biocultural Partnership-Dominance continuum lens. (pp 93-5 in The Real Wealth of Nations, or early chap. in Nurturing Our Humanity)?
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