I’ve been given a ROAR! powerful words award by Jill and Kathy over at the DHX, a blog written by a super-savvy mom and stepmom team.
How it works:
1. List three writing tips.
2. Pass the award on to three more bloggers.
I’m happy to pass on three things that work for me including my best advice: READ READ READ. Great writing can be the best inspiration and the strongest teacher.
1) I try to write like I talk, but better. I’m actually not a great talker. I mumble and slur and don’t always project. I curse too much and stammer around. But, I constantly have a conversation going on in my head where I sound intelligent, insightful and deliver fabulous punchlines. This is the voice I try to get down on paper and in order to do this, I have to be very honest about who I am and then I have to get very quiet and let it flow.
2) I’m nosy. I eavesdrop on people’s conversations and I study people’s mannerisms, emotions and dynamics. I keep my eye out for interesting scenes and my ear tuned to great dialogue. When I hear something that makes me laugh or moves me in some way, I write it down. Like the other day, I was in the grocery and this young stressed-out checker was offering everyone in her line “calm drops”- chamomile candies intended to settle the nerves. I thought it was funny and wrote it down. Perfect strangers will give you great material and I have no problem using it.
Perfect strangers will give you great material and I have no problem using it.
3) I write a bunch of junk and then I clean it up later. When I’m writing a TV promo script…which is usually 15 or 30 seconds…I often write enough copy for a three minute spot. I just get it all down and then I start scratching the useless parts and save the words that pop and sparkle. I set aside those words and phrases that have potential and then I add more. Building, shaping and creating. I go like this until I have something that is tight and intentional. I spend as much time editing as I do writing. I do the same with the blog. I’m happiest with a post when I’ve combed through it a few times. And then a few more.
If you haven’t checked out the following bloggers, please do. My ROAR powerful word award goes to…
Bitsy at ValueWit
Alice at Finslippy
Mindy at Mindy does Minneapolis
Image courtesy of Photobucket
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[...] Izzy Rose at Stepmother’s Milk — Izzy Rose’s tips: ROAR! Award [...]
These are really helpful! Thank you so much.
I appreciate your blog so much. Thank you for being so intuitive and on top of it! Your writing makes me laugh and your forum, which I recently added to is great. Thank you for your advice and for giving other women a chance to “spill”
Stepmama…thankyou for your contribution! I look forward to your regular rants and will soon add you to my blogroll
Thank you! I really appreciate that. I love reading your thoughts and the comments of other women. Thank you. Enjoy Texas! We visit there often. It’s where my stepchildren are…East Texas.