Writing Research

Hello and welcome back to a very very VERY late post. I am sooooooo late I have no excuses. Except for the fact that I forgot about it because I was... *sheepishly smiles* writing. Yes, writing. I've been working on some big projects for writing, and they have taken precedence. My greatest apologies, but now on to this post's topic!

As you can probably see from the title, we are discussing research today! Yay! *throws confetti* okay, so you probably are thinking, what's so exciting about it? Well.... 

Nothing. For myself, I find I have mixed feelings about research for my writing. Sometimes I'm pumped to learn more about a topic, and other times I wonder if I can just use the limited knowledge I have and get away with that.

So it's basically a love-hate relationship I've got going on with research. But nonetheless, research is very important to writing. Our characters experience things we could only dream of, and therefore we often don't know some things about the topic. 

For example, if you are like me, your characters get into a lot of trouble in which they are mentally and physically scarred. And because of that, often times I have to go to my trusty medical guide (WebMD is a great website with ACCURATE medical information) to research a particular ailment or treatment. I don't always want to do this, but if I didn't' then I might make a grave writing mistake.

Another example of such a mistake might be that my character gets poisoned, and instead of researching the effects of this particular poison (or any poison for that matter) I write as I imagine it. Now, you might be able to get away with it, but more likely than not you will lose credibility in your story, and it will appear a lot less realistic. Therefore, because you didn't take the few minutes' time to research that topic, you've written a lot on stuff you don't really understand. 

Okay, so putting those examples aside, I hope you are starting to see my point.

So whatever the topic may be, if you aren't well versed in it already, it would be wise to research as much as you can on it, especially if it is a big topic that will take a huge part of whatever you are writing. 

And the biggest reason is: your readers. They are merciless. And I am being completely honest.

Okay, not merciless in that if you make a mistake they'll hunt you down (that would be scary...), but they notice most all mistakes that you think you've hidden well. They notice a LOT of things. Trust me on that. 

Alright, well that is pretty much all I have on this topic. Basically, my whole point is that research is essential to the writing process. It is important for viability, being realistic, and being accurate. It shapes your writing and moves you from a novice to a professional, no matter what your age. Know what you write about. 

Aaaaannnd these cartoons have nothing to do with this topic, but I thought they were too funny not to share. Enjoy :) 

Aaaaaannnnnnnddddddd.............

Alright, that's it for this post! Enjoy your week! And I'll see you soon (metaphorically, that is).

Adverbs Are Excuses

Okay, so you might be wondering, just what exactly do I mean by the title of this post. I'm sure it sounds a little strange, but let me explain what I mean by the title.

Adverbs = excuses.

To start off, what are adverbs? Well, here's the dictionary definition:

"A word or phrase that modifies or qualifies an adjective, verb, or other adverb or a word group, expressing a relation of place, time, circumstance, manner, cause, degree, etc. (e.g., gently, quite, then, there)."

And here it is used in several sentences:

I quickly picked up the stick.

She fell to the ground, faintly hearing his voice.

"Don't do it!" She said loudly.

Now, you might be thinking, "What's wrong with those sentences? They sound perfectly fine to me!" And they aren't necessarily wrong, but there is a better way to write them. Look at the same sentences now, rewritten:

I grabbed the stick.

She fell to the ground, hearing his voice in the distance.

"Don't do it!" She shouted.

Do you see what I mean? Which sentences sound more powerful? Yeah, the second ones. (At least, I hope you said the second set, otherwise you can just stop reading, because I'm probably not gonna be able to get through to you. JK) And in the second set of sentences, I removed the ly adverbs and replaced them with more powerful verbs.

In writing, ly adverbs usually are excuses, or "fluff" in your writing. They tend to keep the writer from really considering their diction, and serve as excuses to write emotion.

However, sometimes adverbs are necessary. And with practice, you will learn to decipher between the adverbs that should stay, and the ones that have a better alternative to them.

For example this sentence:

"I quickly picked up the stick" sounds much better when you rewrite it to this: "I grabbed the stick."

But this sentence: "She fell to the ground, faintly hearing his voice," could really be written both ways.

And that is something, like I said, that comes with practice. But for now, there's an easy way to look out for those pesky adverbs in your writing. When editing, use the search bar (if you have one) and search for LY words. Then, go through the sentences one by one, seeing if you can come up with a way to get rid of the adverb and keep the meaning the same.

Believe me, when I write, I use adverbs also. And it is so easy to use them a lot, almost like a figurative "writer's crutch." But just remember that keeping them to a minimum will improve the professional quality of your writing, and the readability.

So, that's all I have for you today! I'll see you guys next time :)

Writing Exercises

Hello and welcome back to my blog. Today I want to share with you some writing exercises and different ways to "practice" writing.

Over the years, and through many different writing classes I have taken, I have learned lots of different techniques and exercises to practice in writing. I hope to share some of the most helpful ones with you!

1) Okay, to start off with, this first exercise is a good way to meet your word count for the day. It's called word sprints. This is a pretty simple exercise and all you need is some type of timer and a way to write, either a notebook or some type of keyboard. Now pick a time. Some suggestions might be ten minutes, five minutes, or even just one minute. Then set the timer for that amount and start writing! Challenge yourself to write as much as you can in that amount of time without stopping, pausing, or correcting anything. Just write and don't think!

Okay, on to the next one!

 2) This exercise is a good way to cure writer's block for sure. Try writing out a bunch of random, crazy, and strange first lines to stories. It could be anything! Just write fast and don't think. Most likely you will find a kernel of inspiration or idea in one of the lines! Here's some examples:

• I wish I could be a cat.

• The room smelled suspiciously like marshmallows.

• It was an avalanche of books.

• Each page was worn and wrinkled.

• "Do I have to eat the whole stick?"

• People are apples and oranges.

• The list was covered in highlighting and colorful writing.

• I climbed to the top of the tree, waiting for the lightning.

• Each flicker of the flames brought her hand closer.

• The shards imbedded themselves into my hand with each swipe.

• The snowman grinned at me even as he melted.

(Don't ask me why the lines are so psychedelic... I just like color!)


Those are some examples of ones I have written for a past project in a writing class I am taking. And in the end, I ended up writing a quite enjoyable little short story from this exercise! But you never know, you might just find some ideas for characters, scenes, stories, or even books!

Alrighty... on to the next!

3) This exercise is VERY helpful in improving your writing in one aspect: DIALOGUE. Now, I won't get into all the details as to why dialogue is so important and why it is hard to write (we'll save that for another discussion) and just go on to explain this exercise! 

First, find a notebook, or a portable device that you can write on, and go somewhere. Ideas include: the grocery store, a park, a coffee shop, a restaurant, etc. Go someplace other than your house (or even your house could work as long as there are people around) and then listen. Yup, you heard me right. Listen. Listen to people around you and record what they say! (be careful not to record anything that may be personal information) this regular, perhaps boring, speech will be a good place for you to go back to when trying to think of how someone would say something. You can really learn a lot by just listening to talk about the most mundane things. I promise it will help :)

NEXT: 

And last but not least... 

4) This one kinda incorporates all the exercises above. Designate a notebook, folder, or file (on a device) to be your WRITING JOURNAL. Then, write in it! Every day write something in your writing journal, whether it be one of the exercises from above, a snippet of a story idea, or even a practice story itself! The point of this journal is just to make sure you write every day, even if what you write is nonsense. That's okay. No one will see the journal but you! I have included some writing exercise websites below that may provide some ideas to include in your writing journal or just to use for inspiration! 

Writer's Digest: http://www.writersdigest.com/prompts

Think Written: http://thinkwritten.com/365-creative-writing-prompts/

Writing Forward: https://www.writingforward.com/writing-prompts/creative-writing-prompts/25-creative-writing-prompts

Writing Exercises.co.uk: http://writingexercises.co.uk/index.php

Pinterest Writing Prompts: https://www.pinterest.com/explore/writing-prompts/

The Write Practice: http://thewritepractice.com/writing-practice/

And to finish this post up here's the truth about writing!

JK... (sorta...)