When a Sideways student needed to practice designing The Sentence, she created this topic and invited others to join her in teasing out The Sentence of famous stories.
This is a valuable exercise–and a lot of fun, too. Join in the game to sharpen your story focus.
A Sideways student says:
I have started work on the course and I have to say I’m completely surprised about the first lesson and how it relates to my life and making it better, not just writing. This first lesson seems more about helping fix the problems of the writer first, not just the writing.
Many felt the same way.
Join in discussing the Four Thinking Barriers, how you approached them, and how this has made a difference in your life.
Writers love words as fresh meat loves salt. What’s to love? Meaning, etymology, usage, pronunciation, rhythm, rhyme and harmony.
At least.
Powerful things, words. Lively discussion this. It started quite some time ago, but it’s evergreen, so take a look and offer your take on commonly abused English words.
Should be a Better Streetfighter Than You Are. It takes more than a cape and some Boff! Phoom! Pow!
Many of the best books demand that their lead characters be accomplished and lethal with or without weapons. Writers make things up–we can’t help ourselves–but it never hurts to have solid advice from knowledgeable sources. Here’s a discussion of the possible development of warrior culture along with real fighting techniques.
Join the conversation. Bring something and take something away.
and I dig in the dirt and sniff wood shavings, but it’s okay because I’m a writer.
Some details require the writer to go the extra mile, maybe in his character’s shoes, maybe in his character’s occupation, maybe in his character’s strangest behavior ever.
What special weirdness have you explored in the name of verisimilitude? How far would you go for your craft?
Join the discussion.
Seven months after she called down lightning, this Sideways grad broke the tape at the finish line.
First came the lightning, the muse bursting through. Then came the logic, the left brain kicking in. Then it was memory and magic. And then–and then–the first draft was finished!
More work and magic lies ahead, but for now, a pat on the back, a round of applause, a richly deserved respite, and the respect of her peers. Join the celebration.
Those three or four all-important, possibly all-capped words, that can snag a reader from across the bookstore. That exquisite phrase that can compel an agent or editor to pick up your manuscript before it’s even out of the mailbag.
That maddening, frustrating, never-let-you-feel-truly-satisfied thing known as the book’s Title.
Writers write. Writers read. Writers have a strange and beautiful love affair with books.
The look of a book, its cover art, the dignity of its hardback, the typeface, the width of the margins. The feel of a book, the cool smoothness of a paperback, the rough texture of a cloth-bound book, the wear-split plastic protector of a library edition paperback.
The sound of a new book’s spine as it is opened for the first time. The gentle fan of pages lovingly riffled.
The intoxicating, dusty smell of an ancient text.
The fun of trying to pick your way around hundreds of volumes that have overflowed their bookshelf banks. The thrill of packing a gazillion books for a cross-country move. . .
Would we conquer this addiction if we could? Don’t bet on it.
Does this sound familiar?
She planned to write. She set aside time to write. She did everything but write.
What’s wrong, and how can it be fixed?