As I finish my tenth and last draft of my novel, I've come across this Checklist for Authors. I don't know how it came to me, but I do know it's a product of WritersWrite, a site that is all about writing and writing advice. Check it out. I know I will the next time I write a book. And, you know, in going through this list again, I think I've covered most everything on the checklist already - especially Number 21: Have I rewritten my novel at least five times? I guess I'm in good shape to stop at ten. … [Read more...]
Where was this when I needed it?
Filed Under: novel, revision, writing Tagged With: active voice, adjectives, adverbs, checklist for authors, dialogue, metaphor, novel, passive voice, protagonist, revision, rewrite, target market, writerswrite
A well worthwhile workshop on metaphor
Now that the Women’s March is over, it was time to get back to my writing life. And I didn’t waste a minute to do that. I went to a metaphor workshop yesterday morning – the very next day after the march. And it was well worth it. It helped me look at the metaphors we use every day, and it gave me exercises to use for finding metaphors in my writing – especially my poems. Here I’d like to share a few quotes about metaphors and a poem that we read during the workshop. Sorry, the three short poems I wrote while trying my hand in metaphor are nowhere near ready for public eyes. Quotes: “One of the deepest pleasures of metaphor is that it says both things at once. It runs two tracks simultaneously.” ~Lia Purpura “Similes are stronger than adjectives and metaphors are stronger than similes.” ~Kaveh Akbar “The greatest thing by far is to be a master of metaphor. It is the one thing that cannot be learnt from others; and it is also a sign of genius.” … [Read more...]
Filed Under: Poem, poetry Tagged With: Alice Walker, Aristotle, Eulogy, Gilbert K. Chesterton, Kaveh Akbar, Kelly Grace Thomas, Lia Purpura, metaphor, poem, poetry, Poetry Salon, Robert Frost, Sherman Alexie, Stephen King, The Magic and Mining of Metaphor
Poetry lessons learned at Esalen, Big Sur, Part 1
I just spent five days at The Life of Poetry workshop with Ellen Bass and Roxan McDonald at Esalen, in Big Sur California. The workshop structure is to hear a craft talk in the morning and then have about three hours of writing time, before we meet in the afternoons in smaller groups to share and discuss our new poems. Throughout the week I wrote four poems* in keeping with the four craft talks Ellen presented. I'll discuss the first two craft talks today, and continue on with the other two later in the week - so as not to bore you too much. Metaphor: Defined as similarity between things that are otherwise very different. Use of fresh vital images to jar us, to heighten the emotion and achieve intimacy. Through quality of the metaphors, the poet can grab the reader. Try to find metaphors in your junk drawer, your garage, your closet, your throw rug (look at the fibers in the rug rather than whole). Here is an example of a poem with great metaphors: My Father's Tie … [Read more...]
Filed Under: life story, poetry Tagged With: Big Sur, Ellen Bass, Esalen, imitation, Joan Larkin, Life of Poetry workshop, metaphor, My Father's Tie Rack, poetry, Raymond Carver, Roxan McDonald, What I can do
