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Tag Archives: Writing
Writing for Men – Leadership
This conversation has started a little bit slower than I had anticipated, but I do think we have a good start. I would like to clarify that in this discussion, when I say “man,” I mean no dilineation between “real” or otherwise. I consider all men to be real, therefore the object of this discussion truly is aimed those characteristics of men. To further clarify, this discussion is coming from the perspective of God’s model of man and how we …
Men Writing for Men – Regaining Manhood
The purpose of Men Writing for Men is not to disparage the great many women author who pen tremendous stories. Rather, this conversation is to encourage men to rekindle the masculine spirit that has become hidden amongst a culture of exaggerated sensitivity and feminine censorship. Women can indeed write great tales of adventure, mystery and suspense, but men need to read the brazen words that can only be fully communicated by other men. It has been asked more times than …
Men Writing for Men
Men do still read, don’t they? Of course they do! Men, it is time to face the fact that much of our writing is not reaching our male audience. The women have figured out their audience and they even manage to pull in a great number of male readers. It is time that male authors, particularly Christian male authors, kicked it up a notch and encourage other men to read and to write. It isn’t that men do not like …
The reason I write
I am a subscriber to Terry Whalin’s blog, The Writing Life, and Terry’s post on Sunday, January 15, 2011, gave me great pause. The question that he posed in the title of that particular post was, “Why do you write?” As someone who can never remember a time when I did not enjoy writing, this question stopped me in my mental tracks. I am not usually a person without an answer, even if it takes me some time to fully …
Why write historical fiction
When you ask people what they least favorite subjects were in school, chances are that history is going rank high on that list. Perhaps this is the reason that one of my most often asked questions is, “Why do you write historical fiction?” Follow up comments usually include comments about all the dates and names and how in the world could anyone make all that “stuff” interesting. It is upon that last point that drives my passion for writing historical …
The writing life does not have to be a sentence to solitary confinement
There are typically two prevailing mental images that come to a person’s mind when they hear that you are a writer. The first is of disheveled figure, locked away in a dimly lit room, trudging away at a keyboard. The second is of someone dressed in some form of relaxed attire, sipping upon a cup of coffee with their feet propped up on the balcony of some exotic resort, a keyboard upon their lap and a contented smile upon their …
2012 Goals for Writers
I am sure it comes as no surprise that my last post for 2011 involves the setting of goals for 2012. I believe that setting goals is of paramount importance for most writers, especially those whose writing is not the sole source of income for their family. Although there are some writers who are able to achieve a satisfactory amount of writing without goals, most of us need them and for various reasons. Perhaps the most important role that goals …
Writing during the holiday season
I don’t know about other writers, but the Christmas and holiday season is typically one of my most productive times for writing. Although it may seem to be an unusual time for the writing process to flourish, there are a number of reasons this time provides for my creativity. One of the most important factors that writers look for in performing their craft is time of peace and quiet that can be set aside to become one with a manuscript. …
What software do you use when writing?
I’m always interested to see the different tools and techniques various writers use today. The advent of the computer age has created a myriad of possibilities within the writing craft, but there remain some die-hards who continue to peck away at an old fashioned typewriter. What do you use to write your stories or articles? I have a few different tools at my disposal, but I would probably say that the vast majority of my writing is done in Microsoft …
Are you looking for inspiration or mitigation?
Is your computer (or notepad) sitting idle? What emotion fills you when you see it gathering little more than dust on the corner of your desk? I know of no writer who has never experienced periods of creative drought and forgo the daily exercise of writing. There is no shame in it, but the question begs to be asked, “Are you truly waiting for inspiration or is what you are doing simply an act of delay and mitigation?” It is …
Try your hand at journalism
Blogging, whether for fun or for profit, is a great way to let loose with your creative energy. If you build your content and site properly, you can undoubtedly increase exposure to the community of your choice. Have you considered journalism as another route towards name recognition and content authority? Last year I chose to do just that and it has been a learning and rewarding experience. During a conversation about platforms and publicity, a friend of mine introduced me …
Weather woes of a different kind
I have kept up my writing pace during January, or at least I was. When I get a little behind during the week it is typically very easy to get caught up during the weekend. Not so this time! When the thermometer was already above 60 degrees at 10am Saturday morning, I knew it was going to be a bad writing day. Sure enough, the sun peaked through the clouds and my feet went to walking! We spent the better …
First day of writing vacation
I woke this morning with high hopes for a very productive first day on my writing vacation. By 9am I was sitting at my laptop, ready to go. I set myself up a fresh cup of coffee and an hour later had cranked out 1200 words! It was going to be a very productive day! I continued to write and about 30 minutes later my lovely wife called me and we chatted for a good long while. When we finished, …
Wisdom of a Wayfaring Wordsmith Part 4
I want to take a few minutes this week to take a slight detour from the sequence of writing posts to discuss a couple of time-related scenarios that I believe all writers encounter. Inconsiderate Inspiration I am almost certain that all writers, like myself, are prone to let our imaginations wander from time-to-time in the course of our daily work. It seems nearly inevitable that while we are focused on completing some other unrelated task that inspiration strikes. The real …
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Tagged beginning writers, tips, tricks, Wisdom of a Wayfaring Wordsmith, Writing
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Wisdom of a Wayfaring Wordsmith Part 3
I can’t tell you how many times I sat for hours developing storyboards, outlines, templates, you name it. One day, during a conversation with a fellow writer, I was given this seemingly silly piece of advice: “Why don’t you just write?” That was a good question!
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Tagged beginning writers, editing, internal editor, self editing, Writing
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Wisdom of a Wayfaring Wordsmith – Part 2
In the first issue of the Wanderings of a Wayfaring Wordsmith, we discussed the two major stumbling blocks most writers face. The first of these questions was, “What do I want to write?” Even for most non-writers, the answer to this question would seem rather self-explanatory. For the writer though, this question beckons nearly every time we sit down to practice our craft. For the most part, the reason the question is asked is because most writers have so many …
Wisdom of a Wayfaring Wordsmith – Part 1
There is no one single formula that will solve every writer’s passions and expose their talents. Writing is, for the most part, a creative art. Too much scientific approach becomes apparent on the page and the reader will drift off to sleep. (That by the way is not a good thing, unless you are writing a book to cure insomnia).
Genesis Contest Results
The top 5 finalists for each category were announced on 5/14/2009. As you can see from the following list, my entry did not make the finals. Yes. it is a little frustrating, but I did receive a great amount of positive and constructive feedback on my manuscript. Now to wait another year for the 2010 Genesis! ——————————- CONTEMPORARY FICTION: (total entries: 44) Sharon Ball David W. Fry Jennifer Griffith Ane Mulligan Patty Slack CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE: (total entries: 75) Cathy Bryant …
Friday Fiction – May 8, 2009
I had planned to write a fresh, new entry for today, but time escaped me. Instead, today’s Friday fiction entry is my Beginner’s Level 2nd Place winner (03/08/08)! For more terrific Friday Fiction, hop on over to today’s FF host: The Surrendered Scribe Whisper Creek Crisp chirps of waking cardinals welcomed the silver light of dawn. At the edge of Whisper Creek, a red male sipped from the brook, undaunted by the strangers camped about his mountain meadow. With thirst …