Writing – Page 7 – Nullius in Verba

Stand-by

I am aware that it has been nearly a week since anything’s been posted. I promise a new Harry Splutter will emerge soon. At the moment, I’m working on what James N Frey (no not James Frey, James N Frey) calls a stepsheet for my novel. It’s 95% complete. Now I’m going to work upContinue reading “Stand-by”

Writing Like Jazz

Writing is like jazz. Each word, like each note, must be unexpected and yet feel inevitable, always following the theme. If it doesn’t echo the theme, then no matter how pure and clear, it sounds wrong.

Production

I took part in a writing retreat yesterday where I wrote with others in 45 minute bursts followed by 15 minute breaks. A bell announces the beginning and end of each session. It helped to have others in the room though no conversation is allowed during the writing sessions. Socializing happens at the break. IContinue reading “Production”

Hey Taxi!

Harry’s taking the morning off. So here’s another of my writing yoga. I’ve cleaned up the spelling errors and a bit of the punctuation. Blindbaby Lemon Butterbean pulled his rusting Checker cab onto the curb. Two tires bounced off and he brought the tub to a halt when his dog Butterball barked, which meant stop.Continue reading “Hey Taxi!”

Pitch It

Lexi asked me to say more about the “Pitch.” For those of you who don’t know, a “pitch” is a soccer (or for Lexi, a football) field. It is 90-120 meters by…. It is also what an ale brewer does with the wort…. A “pitch” is the selling of a writer and his (or her)Continue reading “Pitch It”

Willamette Writers Conference

This last weekend I attended the 38th Annual Willamette (rhymes with damn it) Writers Conference held at the Sheraton near Portland International Airport (Is Idaho another country?). I went to the 37th conference last year. The WWC (Willamette Writers Conference not the World Wrestling Commission) runs as if it were a Swiss watch. I haveContinue reading “Willamette Writers Conference”

A Tale of Two Carls

My friend Carl celebrated his 30th anniversary in ministry Sunday. Carl’s been at St. Luke’s Lutheran (ELCA) for about 15 years; he’s one of the most grounded and compassionate people I know. I met Carl, wife Triss, and daughter Holly when Carl answered the call for pastoring at Trinity Lutheran in Porterville, CA where IContinue reading “A Tale of Two Carls”

Alphasmart in the car

Editing my masterpiece

I trimmed 800 words from that 2100 word chapter. Literally, evaporated my carefully tended, sensitively considered, blah, blah, blah. Hot darn, 3 ½ pages sliced off like Van Gogh’s ear! And just about as painful. I hope it’s better (the story, not the ear). I know it’s shorter. And lastly, I know it’s the weekend,Continue reading “Editing my masterpiece”

How hard could it be?

How tough can it be to write a few pages? Easy peasy. In fact, I’ve already written it once: Chapter 8 of Timber beast. Two words describe it: preachy surplusage. Elmore Leonard says “[t]ry to leave out the part that readers tend to skip.” So, as I turn Timber Beast into The God of Trees,Continue reading “How hard could it be?”