Tag Archives: postaweek2012

Write Tight – From Flabby to Trim

Posted on by
67

Last week I promised to share some of the material I covered at the Writers’ Institute. “Tight writing” was one of the subjects I addressed when Christine DeSmet and I presented “Why Critiquing is Necessary.”

Before critiquing my manuscript was 110,000 words
After critiquing my manuscript was 73,000 words

Trim the Fat
If it can be said with fewer words, eliminate the unnecessary and make every word count.

“That,” “just,” and “very” can almost always be cut from your work eliminated.

Examples:
Flabby: She smiled slightly at the photographer.
Trim: She grinned at the photographer.

Flabby: With a pagoda-style roof, it had a distinctly asian look to it.
Trim: With a pagoda-style roof, it had a distinctly asian appearance.

Flabby: She was a very pretty woman.
Trim: She was beautiful.

Show, Don’t Tell
In the previous example, I broke the first rule of writing—show don’t tell. “She was beautiful” is classic telling. Here’s how to show she was beautiful:

“Framed with a mass of auburn curls, her oval face was complimented by mesmerizing bottle-green eyes and red lips that curved into a captivating smile.”

And while this sentence is longer than “She was beautiful,” clarity trumps brevity every time.

Eliminate Redundancy
Eliminate words that aren’t needed unnecessary words:

Her doctor asked her the question again, “Where does it hurt?”

The words “ask” and “question” are redundant. Can you ask anything other than a question? Here’s how it looks when redundancy is removed:

Her doctor repeated the question, “Where does it hurt?”

“Huge skyscraper”—it has to be pretty darn big to scrape the sky.

“Advance planning”—all planning is done in advance.

Avoid Repetition
Avoid using the same words repeatedly. Substitute another word with the same meaning:

“In the white winters you can sled or cross-country ski to Lake Tahoe’s many resorts. In the hot, bright summers there’s hiking through giant forests and climbing the Sierra Buttes. In the autumn the deciduous trees glow with vivid fall color, and in the spring, masses of wildflowers create a psychedelic dreamscape.”

Here’s the same paragraph, replacing the last three instances of “in the.”

“In the white winters you can sled or cross-country ski to Lake Tahoe’s many resorts. During the hot, bright summers there’s hiking through giant forests and climbing the Sierra Buttes. Come autumn the deciduous trees glow with vivid fall color, and when spring arrives, masses of wildflowers create a psychedelic dreamscape.”

Do you write tight from the get-go, or do you have to go back and trim the fat?

Listen with your heart,

Laurie Buchanan

“Whatever you are not changing, you are choosing.”
— Laurie Buchanan

Please visit HolEssence and our Facebook page

© 2012 Laurie Buchanan– All Rights Reserved

Write to the Top!

Posted on by
54

Packed with agent pitches, workshops, speakers, critique feedback, panels, networking opportunities, and an abundance of add-ons, the sold out 23rd annual Writers’ Institute at UW-Madison was educational, inspirational, and just plain fun!

Between concurrent sessions and speaking myself, I had windows of opportunity to attend a few sessions. Here are two nuggets of gold from each session I attended:

The Writer’s Life – John Vorhaus
“Practice makes perfect progress.”
“As a writer, our job is to close the gap between where the work is, and where it needs to be.”

Agent Panel – John Bolger, Joelle Delbourgo, Linda Konner, Laurie McClean, Andy Ross, and Gordon Warnock
“Literary agents manage people’s expectations—you have to be realistic.”

Ask a literary agent who has expressed interest in you:
Who are your favorite clients?
What are the last three books you sold?
What impressed you about my writing?
How invested are you going to be in my literary growth?

The Play is the Thing – Brendan Sullivan
We respond to ideas in two ways:
“Yes, but” is negative and down pulling
“Yes, and” is positive and uplifting

“The most creative people on the planet are children between the ages of 3-7. They ask ‘Why?’ all the time. Get back to asking why.”

Anatomy of a Book Trailer – Susan Reetz
Similar to a movie preview, a book trailer is a 30-second to 3-minute video teaser for a book. It’s designed to generate buzz and interest. It can also be used to promote your work to agents and publishers.

A book trailer is a marketing tool you promote on your website, YouTube, Vimeo, Goodreads, Facebook, Google+, Twitter, LinkedIn—everywhere!

The Writer’s Magical Publicity Tour – Brian Christian and Jim Pappandrea
Once you’re book is published—Congratulations!—you’re now on the marketing team of your publisher.

“My antidote to nerves is preparation. Know your topic.” – Jim Pappandrea
“Think about nerves as energy, harness it and put it to good use.” – Brian Christian

Secrets of Famous Prolific Writers – Angela Voras-Hills
“You will never find the time to write. You have to make the time to write.”
“A schedule helps you [and your friends and family] take your writing seriously.”

Creative Bypasses & Detours for Better Driving – Brendan Sullivan
“Inspiration is a matter of observation.”
“There’s more than one right answer, but there’s only one best answer. To find it you have to look at them all.”

Publishing in the Post-Paper World – John Vorhaus
“The publishing world as we’ve known it is changing. We can no longer count on publishers to distribute, market, and promote our work. These responsibilities now fall squarely in the writer’s lap.”

“We are digital immigrants. Our children are digital natives.”

Whether you’re an aspiring or seasoned writer, I hope you’ll consider attending next year’s Writers’ Institute at UW-Madison. You can join their mailing list here.

Not just for writers—when was the last time you showed your creative work to someone else?

Listen with your heart,

Laurie Buchanan

“Whatever you are not changing, you are choosing.”
— Laurie Buchanan

Please visit HolEssence and our Facebook page

© 2012 Laurie Buchanan– All Rights Reserved

Write as Rain

Posted on by
77

I’m totally stoked for the Writers’ Institute at UW-Madison this coming weekend. The past few years I’ve been there as a student, this year I’m thrilled to be one of the instructors.

There’s a wide brushstroke of workshops to choose from. For some that means learning how to incorporate the first rule of writing—show, don’t tell. For others it means wielding the sharp-edged blade of write tight—trimming the fat. And then there are those who will:

  • master the do’s and don’ts of a query letter
  • take the opportunity to pitch their project to a literary agent
  • familiarize themselves with constructing a writer’s platform
  • learn how to leverage social media
  • have their work in progress critiqued
  • discover the in’s and out’s of a book proposal
  • start blogging, or become even more proficient at growing their current blog

Rain or shine, it’s going to be fantastic! In fact, it’s going to be write as rain.

What’s your favorite writing weather?

Listen with your heart,

Laurie Buchanan

“Whatever you are not changing, you are choosing.”
— Laurie Buchanan

Please visit HolEssence and our Facebook page

© 2012 Laurie Buchanan– All Rights Reserved

Emotional First Aid Kit

Posted on by
73

I carry a well-equipped first aid kit with us whenever we bicycle. It’s come in handy on a number of occasions—not only for us, but for other bikers on the trail as well.

We have a much larger first aid kit at home. It’s in a big fishing tackle box near the front door so that when—not if—the neighborhood kids knock and say, “Mrs. B., so-and-so’s hurt, come right away!” I can grab it on the fly.

The exterior/physical scrapes, cuts, bruises, burns, slivers, or blisters—general road rash— that we all experience from time to time are relatively easy to take care of: a band-aid here, a splint there, a few stitches here, some Calamine lotion, Neosporin, or Bactine there…

It’s the internal wounds—emotional, mental, and spiritual—that are much harder to address. Left unattended, they can fester and spread, wreaking havoc on our inner ecology.

What’s inside your emotional first aid kit; how do you tend to your internal wounds?

© TuesdaysWithLaurie.com

I Live with a Potty Mouth

Posted on by
50

It’s been said that foul language is the mark of a limited vocabulary and a poor imagination. A person who can’t hold a decent conversation without the use of expletives is oftentimes referred to as a potty mouth.

Well this takes that concept to a whole new level…

And you thought it was going to be a photograph of rough-and-tumble Willa. But no, it’s the prima donna herself, Miss Lexi—sheesh!

Certainly not perfect, I can remember having my mouth washed out with soap on a few childhood occasions. And I can still hear my mother’s wise advice: Make your words sweet and tender today, for tomorrow you may have to eat them.

Have you ever had your mouth washed out?

 

© TuesdaysWithLaurie.com

Spring – Kind of like the Witness Protection Program

Posted on by
67

One of my favorite parts of spring is seeing all the new life. Buds on trees, green grass poking out of the ground, flowers starting to sprout…

Somewhat like the Witness Protection Program, spring heralds a new beginning—a clean slate. My teenaged clients would call it a “do over.”

A week ago I sent an email to my friend Sandi in Georgia and told her that two doors down the swelling dogwood buds on my neighbor’s tree looked like a cotton ball explosion!

Unbelievably, two short days later, I wrote her that the buds were in full bloom. This process—bud to bloom—normally takes a lot more time, but we’ve been experiencing temperatures that are 20-30 degrees above normal. In fact, they’ve been record-breaking for this time of year.

In the Witness Protection Program a person is relocated to a different geographic location and provided with a brand spanking new identity, including social security number, house, car, and job.

If you could step into a brand new career—no questions asked—what would it be?

Listen with your heart,

Laurie Buchanan

“Whatever you are not changing, you are choosing.”
— Laurie Buchanan

Please visit HolEssence and our Facebook page

© 2012 Laurie Buchanan– All Rights Reserved

Fly Me to the Moon

Posted on by
59

Remember last week when Len and I drove to Wisconsin? During our adventure, we stopped at every little airport along the way. As a small aircraft pilot, I swear that man can detect a windsock within a 50-mile radius!

At Dacy Airport in Harvard, Illinois we parked next to the grass runway (yes grass, not blacktop or cement) and watched a biplane practice touch-and-goes. It was pretty darned cool! Especially since he was taking off directly into a very strong wind.

While appreciating the pilot’s skill and finesse, we were listening to Rod Stewart’s “Great American Songbook” collection when all of a sudden he sang, “Fly Me to the Moon.” Quite apropos for the moment!

Fly me to the moon
Let me play among the stars
Let me see what spring is like
On Jupiter and Mars

If you could blink yourself to any geographic location on this planet, where would you go?

Listen with your heart,

Laurie Buchanan

“Whatever you are not changing, you are choosing.”
— Laurie Buchanan

Please visit HolEssence and our Facebook page

© 2012 Laurie Buchanan– All Rights Reserved

Kiss Me Quick!

Posted on by
62

This past Sunday we took the girls—Lexi and Willa—and went for a drive up into Wisconsin. And while you’d be hard pressed to find much snow on the ground in Illinois, they still have more than a smattering up there.

Every now and then we’d come across a dip in the road—sometimes hidden, sometimes not—and I’d shout, “Kiss me quick!” as that’s what my mother always did on family drives when we’d hit a dip big enough to cause butterflies in our stomach.


Over the years we’ve additionally added “Kiss me quick!” shouts when we see a windmill…

…or a cattle guard.

With a cattle guard, however, there’s the additional lifting of the feet while crossing over it—driver included—and touching the car ceiling with both hands—driver included.

Ah yes, those wonderful Sunday afternoon drives.

What’s your favorite family drive memory?

Listen with your heart,

Laurie Buchanan

“Whatever you are not changing, you are choosing.”
— Laurie Buchanan

Please visit HolEssence and our Facebook page

© 2012 Laurie Buchanan – All Rights Reserved

Paper Dolls and Oreo Cookies

Posted on by
65

As a little girl I wasn’t much of a doll person. I had a beloved stuffed bear named Cuddles and a Chatty Cathy doll who underwent some very unfortunate surgery, but that’s another story...

My best friend, Sally, had paper dolls that fascinated me. We could change the outfits and accessories on the same figures dozens of times—whatever suited our whims—and we did, for hours at a time.

I find myself switching outfits—sometimes several times a day—to suit the occasion: from early-morning tai chi, to pajamas at night, and everything in-between:

But no matter how many times I change my clothes, from glorious to grubby, the essence of me remains the same.

Like an Oreo cookie, it’s what’s on the inside that really matters! By the way, today (March 6, 2012) is the 100th anniversary of Oreo cookies!

 

Are you delighted with your essence?

Listen with your heart,

Laurie Buchanan

“Whatever you are not changing, you are choosing.”
— Laurie Buchanan

Please visit HolEssence and our Facebook page.

 

© 2012 Laurie Buchanan– All Rights Reserved

Short Story/Flash Fiction Challenge

Posted on by
120

I think I’ve lived up to the challenge Rachel at Writer’s Platform—Building Campaigners gave. The rules are:

Write a short story or flash fiction story in 200 words or less, excluding the title. It can be in any format, including a poem. Begin the story with the words, “Shadows crept across the wall.” These five words will be included in the word count. If you want to give yourself an added challenge (optional), do one or more of these:

  • End the story with the words: “everything faded.” (also included in the word count)
  • Include the word “orange” in the story
  • Write in the same genre you normally write
  • Make your story 200 words exactly!

And you all thought I was kidding when I told you I had aspirations of being a magician, an international spy, or a mad scientist. Here’s the story as told by my 10-year-old self:

Shadows crept across the wall of the garage, dance-like, as the orange flames licked up the curtained window. “Oh crap, I’m in so much trouble!” I shouted grabbing the fabric, to yank it from the rod and stomp the flames out on the cement floor.

“It would have been so much smarter to stick with a stink bomb,” I scolded myself. “There’s never been a hitch with a putrified egg stored in a Nestle Quick box; at least nothing more than an assaulted sense of smell when the hydrogen sulfide stink invades the air.”

Ignoring the “parental supervision” suggestion, I decided to make this year’s science fair volcano on my own. I’d worked with vinegar and baking soda in the past, but this year I wanted a ribbon—a blue ribbon.

Having made a test-run volcano from paper mache, I decided to use yeast combined with hydrogen peroxide for a larger explosion. Pleased, but not completely satisfied, I added the element of fire. “Yowza!” I thought as I smelled my past-tense eyebrows!

While stomping the flames in my new Keds, I heard the wail of sirens coming up the street, and then overcome with smoke, everything faded.

———————————————————————————————

What was your favorite science fair project?

© TuesdaysWithLaurie.com