I had trouble completing my blog for today. I tried, I really tried, but it just didn't come together. First, my entire week was hellacious. (Is that a word?) During the first of the week I completed my Monday and Wednesday blogs, a film festival proposal for a national conference, and a rewrite on my screenplay.
When I wasn't sitting in front of the computer I jumped in as a last minute sub at a Valentine's Day party for 5th graders, facilitated a Tuesday night work session for screenwriters, and make it to a doctors appointment.
Wednesday I prepared a draft for today's blog, then started primping for my niece's wedding. I spent the morning searching for a dress (success at Burlington Coats at Northtown Mall), and gave myself a manicure and pedicure. By 7:00 pm, I was having highlights put in my hair - by my husband.
By 8:00 pm I was a blond. He kept complaining he couldn't pull any more hair through the holes of the plastic cap that was tied baby-bonnet-like under my chin. That's because he had already pulled ALL my hair out of the tiny holes with a metal crochet hook.
With no time for restoration, my granddaughter and I caught a 10:00 am flight to Portland yesterday morning. My plan was to spend an hour in the evening finalizing my Friday blog entry and scheduling it for posting. That didn't happen.
We had arrived early to help with last minute wedding preparations for the Saturday wedding. My sister put us right to work. First we sorted and then ironed a couple of dozen tablecloths and runners. Then I got put to work tailoring bridesmaid dresses, while my sister was putting fondant on 27 10-inch wedding cakes.
Talk about a job. I had to remove the sleeves, cut down the neckline and then put them back together. I finished by early evening, which gave us time to make a quick stop at the bachelorette party before we drove across town to another sister's house, where we were spending the night.
After dinner I sat down to work on my blog. My folks were in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on table favors for Friday afternoon's bridesmaid luncheon. My sister was making a menu for the luncheon and my granddaughter was making a banner. My brother-in-law was having a Blue Moon and watching the action. I was sitting in the middle of it all - writing my blog. I would have had better luck joining my brother-in-law.
That brings us to today. I got up this morning and scrapped the blog I had drafted and decided to write about the reason my blog wasn't done on time. It wasn't due to procrastination, it wasn't for lack of ideas, and it wasn't for lack of trying. It was because life interfered.
p.s. My family loves my hair. Several of my nieces want to ask my husband to "highlight" their hair when he arrives later today.
Writing Prompts: Life intefering or marriage advice for newlyweds.
Best Wishes to Jenna & Brett!
Friday, February 18, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Future Shock for Writers
I recently discovered a thought provoking discussion on the future of books by Jerry D. Simmons, a former sales representative for Random House and Warner Communications, whose goal is to use his 33 years of experience in the publishing field to guide unpublished authors toward success through multi-media sources including his popular website, http://www.writersreaders.com/.
In his article entitled "The Future of Print Books," which appeared on his website on November 4, 2010, Simmons outlined his outlook on books and writing as fast-paced technological advances and financial peril challenge the world we know.
He begins with the good news that books are not becoming obsolete.
In reaction to these loses, Simmons says publishers will continue to downsize through the elimination of positions, holdings, and acquisitions. The net result, he says will be negative for writers, who will lose a market for their writing as the bottom continues to fall out of the publishing market.
The worst out on the table, Simmons turns to a "cup is half-full" style at this point, suggesting this time of chaos will provide a time of opportunity for writers - especially those who continue to churn out professional manuscripts.
In his article entitled "The Future of Print Books," which appeared on his website on November 4, 2010, Simmons outlined his outlook on books and writing as fast-paced technological advances and financial peril challenge the world we know.
He begins with the good news that books are not becoming obsolete.
Forget the doomsday scenario; printed books are not going away. Their relevance in the market is going to diminish over time, but there will always be printed books.Then comes the bad news. He predicts that a financial crises will eventually force our mega-bookstores to close, resulting in the creation of a void for those of us who love books. He outlines a bleak future for both those who write, and those who publish.
In reaction to these loses, Simmons says publishers will continue to downsize through the elimination of positions, holdings, and acquisitions. The net result, he says will be negative for writers, who will lose a market for their writing as the bottom continues to fall out of the publishing market.
The worst out on the table, Simmons turns to a "cup is half-full" style at this point, suggesting this time of chaos will provide a time of opportunity for writers - especially those who continue to churn out professional manuscripts.
His final advice for writers? Keep busy and hone your skills.Well written, professionally edited manuscripts that inform, entertain, and even enlighten are going to become the new gold standard in publishing.
Sounds like we need to keep on blogging, fellow bloggers. Simmons delves into these subjects in more depth and touches on other aspects of this issue in his article which can be found at http://www.writersreaders.com/category/tips-for-writers/ Be sure to visit his website. It's worth your time.The important thing to do right now is write and market. It is very important to write articles, blogs, or anything that will allow readers to read your work. Building an audience via social media specifically, and the worldwide web in general, is the best and least expensive way to market your writing.
As the industry reinvents itself the single most important thing for writers is to create content. Then market yourself and your writing to as many websites as possible. Place yourself in a position when the call finally comes that you are ready and have a lot of material to be published.
Monday, February 14, 2011
I Love Cliches
Cliche: a phrase, word, or idea, that has lost its original effectiveness or power from overuse.
I know, I know, every writing expert admonishes writers NOT to use cliches. They are said to be the mark of a lazy writer. They are characteristic of inexperienced and/or unoriginal writers.
Well, I may not be a writing expert, but I am a reading expert and I've discovered that I'm as happy as a clam when I read a cliche every now and then. For me, they're as comfortable as an old shoe and as welcome as an old friend.
I find them to be deceptively simple, instantly recognizable phrases that are usually the most economical way to say what needs to be said. They add clarity, depth, and a little bit of charm to the words I read.
Why should writers be asked to waste time reinventing the wheel? Why spend hours searching for the perfect, witty words to say something when somebody came up with the perfect, witty way to say it eons ago?
For heaven's sake, these phrases have stood the test of time and proven they are the cream of the crop. Can you even imagine writing a phrase so perfectly constructed that it becomes common usage? I can't.
Isn't this discrimination? There are as many quotes in today's literature as there are Chins in a Chinese phonebook, but you never hear of them making critics foam at the mouth like they do when they encounter a cliche.
Writers use quotes to give depth and reinforcement to their work, just like cliches. It's like the pot calling the kettle black, and I don't get the difference. Quotes are just cliches with acknowledgements. Maybe if I start enclosing my cliches with quotation marks, they won't rub my critics the wrong way.
And that's not all. There are proverbs, sayings, witticisms, anecdotes, and euphemisms. None of them seem to drive the experts nuts like cliches do. It's discrimination, any way you look at it.
Searching online I noticed one expert article after another entitled, "Avoiding Cliches Like the Plague." What the heck? It's okay for them, but not for us? I did, however, find one particularly witty cliche-critic who did practice what he preached. His title? "Avoid Cliches Like Erectile Dysfunction." Ick!
Despite all the negative hype, there is a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel for those of us who admire the familiar brevity of a cliche. Banding together on the Internet, cliche lovers offer a scintilla of hope that cliches might one day become a tad more welcome than a skunk at a yard party.
One of those cliche-admirers, Steve Lautenschlager, began an online list of cliches, which he called "...little facets of the truth." As his list of cliches grew, he discovered that "other people were oddly, strangely, obsessively, perversely, intrigued by cliches as well."
Glad to know I'm not alone.
If you are looking for a cliche (for whatever nefarious reason) be sure to browse through these websites: www.cambiaresearch.com/clicheweb/; www.westegg.com/cliche/; www.clichesite.com/.
Oh, almost forgot! Happy Valentine's Day! It's a great day for cliches.
"I'll be pleased as punch if you'll be mine!"
"You're the cream in my coffee! Please be mine!"
"To the apple of my eye. Happy Valentine's Day!"
My favorite cliche: as happy as a clam. (Just makes me feel good.)
My least favorite cliche: no-brainer. (Because it's DUMB. Even thinking it's a no-brainer takes a brain.)
Favorite cliche quote: Not all my cliches are original. - Football Coach Chuck Knox
CHALLENGE: How many cliches in the above post? Do you have a favorite cliche? Least favorite? How about another Valentine wish using a cliche?
DEDICATION: The above post is dedicated to Jennifer Lamont Leo, who strives to understand my addiction, but who is also rumored to be planning a cliche intervention for me.
I know, I know, every writing expert admonishes writers NOT to use cliches. They are said to be the mark of a lazy writer. They are characteristic of inexperienced and/or unoriginal writers.
Well, I may not be a writing expert, but I am a reading expert and I've discovered that I'm as happy as a clam when I read a cliche every now and then. For me, they're as comfortable as an old shoe and as welcome as an old friend.
I find them to be deceptively simple, instantly recognizable phrases that are usually the most economical way to say what needs to be said. They add clarity, depth, and a little bit of charm to the words I read.
Why should writers be asked to waste time reinventing the wheel? Why spend hours searching for the perfect, witty words to say something when somebody came up with the perfect, witty way to say it eons ago?
For heaven's sake, these phrases have stood the test of time and proven they are the cream of the crop. Can you even imagine writing a phrase so perfectly constructed that it becomes common usage? I can't.
Isn't this discrimination? There are as many quotes in today's literature as there are Chins in a Chinese phonebook, but you never hear of them making critics foam at the mouth like they do when they encounter a cliche.
Writers use quotes to give depth and reinforcement to their work, just like cliches. It's like the pot calling the kettle black, and I don't get the difference. Quotes are just cliches with acknowledgements. Maybe if I start enclosing my cliches with quotation marks, they won't rub my critics the wrong way.
And that's not all. There are proverbs, sayings, witticisms, anecdotes, and euphemisms. None of them seem to drive the experts nuts like cliches do. It's discrimination, any way you look at it.
Searching online I noticed one expert article after another entitled, "Avoiding Cliches Like the Plague." What the heck? It's okay for them, but not for us? I did, however, find one particularly witty cliche-critic who did practice what he preached. His title? "Avoid Cliches Like Erectile Dysfunction." Ick!
Despite all the negative hype, there is a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel for those of us who admire the familiar brevity of a cliche. Banding together on the Internet, cliche lovers offer a scintilla of hope that cliches might one day become a tad more welcome than a skunk at a yard party.
One of those cliche-admirers, Steve Lautenschlager, began an online list of cliches, which he called "...little facets of the truth." As his list of cliches grew, he discovered that "other people were oddly, strangely, obsessively, perversely, intrigued by cliches as well."
Glad to know I'm not alone.
If you are looking for a cliche (for whatever nefarious reason) be sure to browse through these websites: www.cambiaresearch.com/clicheweb/; www.westegg.com/cliche/; www.clichesite.com/.
Oh, almost forgot! Happy Valentine's Day! It's a great day for cliches.
"I'll be pleased as punch if you'll be mine!"
"You're the cream in my coffee! Please be mine!"
"To the apple of my eye. Happy Valentine's Day!"
My favorite cliche: as happy as a clam. (Just makes me feel good.)
My least favorite cliche: no-brainer. (Because it's DUMB. Even thinking it's a no-brainer takes a brain.)
Favorite cliche quote: Not all my cliches are original. - Football Coach Chuck Knox
CHALLENGE: How many cliches in the above post? Do you have a favorite cliche? Least favorite? How about another Valentine wish using a cliche?
DEDICATION: The above post is dedicated to Jennifer Lamont Leo, who strives to understand my addiction, but who is also rumored to be planning a cliche intervention for me.
Friday, February 11, 2011
OUR REGION READS: One Big Book Club
There’s a new book club in town…or, I should say…in our region.
2011 is the beginning of Our Region Reads, a cooperative effort by area libraries to encourage residents of North Idaho to read together a shared book and to enjoy educational and cultural events related to that book. The program is supported in part by a grant from the Idaho Humanities Council with additional support from the Friends of the Library at Post Falls, Hayden and Coeur d’Alene libraries.
The first selection for Our Region Reads is The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, by New York Times bestselling author Jamie Ford, a resident of Montana. The text from the back cover of the book reads as follows:
In 1986, Henry Lee joins a crowd outside the Panama Hotel, once the gateway to Seattle's Japantown. It has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has discovered the belongings of Japanese families who were sent to internment camps during World War II. As the owner displays and unfurls a Japanese parasol, Henry, a Chinese American, remembers a young Japanese American girl from his childhood in the 1940s - Keiko Okabe, with whom he forged a bond of friendship and innocent love that transcended the prejudices of their Old World ancestors. After Keiko and her family were evacuated to the internment camps, she and Henry could only hope that their promise to each other would be kept. Now, forty years later, Henry explores the hotel's basement for the Okabe family's belongings and for a long-lost object whose value he cannot even begin to measure. His search will take him on a journey to revisit the sacrifices he has made for family, for love, for country.
If you’d like to join the read, several copies of the book are available at participating libraries. Or if you’d prefer your own copy, it is available through booksellers in hardback, paperback, and ebook formats.
Events relating to the book begin this month when history professor Robert Sims offers a presentation on the Minidoka Internment Camp. Located in south central Idaho, Camp Minidoka was also called Hunt, and held nearly 10,000 people of Japanese ancestry during the war. The camp had a great impact on Idaho during the war years and was an important part of both Idaho and United States History. In 2001, it was designated as a National Monument, and plans are being developed for the site.
Sims will speak and present a slideshow in four Idaho communities as part of the Our Region Reads project:
Additional events will take place in March featuring author Priscilla Wegars. Wegars will present Imprisoned in Paradise : Japanese Road Workers at the Kooskia Internment Camp, which is the title of one of her books.
A full schedule of events and other information about Our Region Reads is available at participating libraries and at http://www.ourregionreads.blogspot.com/.
Check it out and help make this program a success.
Also, take a look at our Events page for other upcoming happenings in our area.
2011 is the beginning of Our Region Reads, a cooperative effort by area libraries to encourage residents of North Idaho to read together a shared book and to enjoy educational and cultural events related to that book. The program is supported in part by a grant from the Idaho Humanities Council with additional support from the Friends of the Library at Post Falls, Hayden and Coeur d’Alene libraries.
The first selection for Our Region Reads is The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, by New York Times bestselling author Jamie Ford, a resident of Montana. The text from the back cover of the book reads as follows:
In 1986, Henry Lee joins a crowd outside the Panama Hotel, once the gateway to Seattle's Japantown. It has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has discovered the belongings of Japanese families who were sent to internment camps during World War II. As the owner displays and unfurls a Japanese parasol, Henry, a Chinese American, remembers a young Japanese American girl from his childhood in the 1940s - Keiko Okabe, with whom he forged a bond of friendship and innocent love that transcended the prejudices of their Old World ancestors. After Keiko and her family were evacuated to the internment camps, she and Henry could only hope that their promise to each other would be kept. Now, forty years later, Henry explores the hotel's basement for the Okabe family's belongings and for a long-lost object whose value he cannot even begin to measure. His search will take him on a journey to revisit the sacrifices he has made for family, for love, for country.
If you’d like to join the read, several copies of the book are available at participating libraries. Or if you’d prefer your own copy, it is available through booksellers in hardback, paperback, and ebook formats.
Events relating to the book begin this month when history professor Robert Sims offers a presentation on the Minidoka Internment Camp. Located in south central Idaho, Camp Minidoka was also called Hunt, and held nearly 10,000 people of Japanese ancestry during the war. The camp had a great impact on Idaho during the war years and was an important part of both Idaho and United States History. In 2001, it was designated as a National Monument, and plans are being developed for the site.
Sims will speak and present a slideshow in four Idaho communities as part of the Our Region Reads project:
- Feb. 24, 3 p.m., Golden Spikes Community Center, 8580 W. Yosemite, Rathdrum
- Feb. 25, 3 p.m., Spirit Lake Library, 32575 N. Fifth Ave., Spirit Lake
- Feb. 25, 6 p.m., Athol Library, 30399 Third St., Athol
- Feb. 26, 2 p.m., Hayden Library, 8385 N. Government Way, Hayden
Additional events will take place in March featuring author Priscilla Wegars. Wegars will present Imprisoned in Paradise : Japanese Road Workers at the Kooskia Internment Camp, which is the title of one of her books.
A full schedule of events and other information about Our Region Reads is available at participating libraries and at http://www.ourregionreads.blogspot.com/.
Check it out and help make this program a success.
Also, take a look at our Events page for other upcoming happenings in our area.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
FREE: Goodies for Writers
I searched the Internet recently to see what free resources I could find that might be helpful to writers. Some of what I found—free online courses and ebooks—are listed below. You may already be familiar with some but, like me, you may discover something new!
OCW (OpenCourseWare)
OCW offers free digital publications of high-quality, university-level educational materials. The materials are organized as courses and sometimes include course planning materials, evaluation tools, and thematic content. The materials can include syllabi, reading lists, lecture notes and other material that have been used in classrooms and are now made available to the public.
This link will take you directly to the search page to find course materials: http://www.ocwconsortium.org/courses/search
Education-portal
This site highlights 10 universities offering free online writing courses. Some courses listed on this site are offered through OCW, referred to above. The site also contains writing-related videos.
http://education-portal.com/articles/10_Universities_Offering_Free_Writing_Courses_Online.html
OWL Purdue Online Writing Lab
Check out the OWL Purdue Online Writing Lab and scan through its writing tips and resource materials.
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/1/
Noah Lukeman
New York literary agent Noah Lukeman offers his free ebook, How to Write a Great Query Letter: Insider Tips and Techniques for Success, on his website.
http://www.lukeman.com/greatquery/
J. A. Konrath
Go to author J. A. Konrath's website to download his free ebook, The Newbie’s Guide to Publishing, which is packed with information about the publishing industry.
http://www.jakonrath.com/writers.htm
Smashwords
Smashwords is an ebook publisher. On the Smashwords website you can find a number of free writing-related ebooks. Just click on a title that interests you and download it as a PDF file to read on your computer.
http://www.smashwords.com/
Other Sites
Here are a few additional places to check for free ebooks for writers:
http://writersandauthors.blogspot.com/2010/09/over-30-places-to-download-free-ebooks.html
http://www.freelancewriting.com/ebooks-for-writers.php
http://www.fictionfactor.com/writersfreebies.html
FREE ONLINE COURSES
OCW (OpenCourseWare)
OCW offers free digital publications of high-quality, university-level educational materials. The materials are organized as courses and sometimes include course planning materials, evaluation tools, and thematic content. The materials can include syllabi, reading lists, lecture notes and other material that have been used in classrooms and are now made available to the public.
This link will take you directly to the search page to find course materials: http://www.ocwconsortium.org/courses/search
Education-portal
This site highlights 10 universities offering free online writing courses. Some courses listed on this site are offered through OCW, referred to above. The site also contains writing-related videos.
http://education-portal.com/articles/10_Universities_Offering_Free_Writing_Courses_Online.html
OWL Purdue Online Writing Lab
Check out the OWL Purdue Online Writing Lab and scan through its writing tips and resource materials.
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/1/
FREE EBOOKS
Noah Lukeman
New York literary agent Noah Lukeman offers his free ebook, How to Write a Great Query Letter: Insider Tips and Techniques for Success, on his website.
http://www.lukeman.com/greatquery/
J. A. Konrath
Go to author J. A. Konrath's website to download his free ebook, The Newbie’s Guide to Publishing, which is packed with information about the publishing industry.
http://www.jakonrath.com/writers.htm
Smashwords
Smashwords is an ebook publisher. On the Smashwords website you can find a number of free writing-related ebooks. Just click on a title that interests you and download it as a PDF file to read on your computer.
http://www.smashwords.com/
Other Sites
Here are a few additional places to check for free ebooks for writers:
http://writersandauthors.blogspot.com/2010/09/over-30-places-to-download-free-ebooks.html
http://www.freelancewriting.com/ebooks-for-writers.php
http://www.fictionfactor.com/writersfreebies.html
Happy Learning!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Oops.
Correction: There was a typo in the blog address for today's guest blogger, Kathy Cooney Dobbs. You can find her blog at: http://2lanehighway.blogspot.com/
Thanks!
Thanks!
Monday, February 7, 2011
What's Your Story?
Today we are happy to share a post by guest blogger, Kathy Cooney Dobbs. A North Idaho freelance writer and poet, Kathy gives us some thoughts about telling one's story, the influence and importance of past writing techniques, and a look at some resources for writers.
_________________
My eighth grade teacher, Sister Mary Agnesine used to say, “Everybody has a story to tell, one that’s special and unique to them.” I agree with Sister, everybody has a story they’d like to share with others. It may inspire or thrill, make one laugh or cry; give insight about a friend, family member, a person of history, or a particular time and place. Whoever writes a story, writes the story in their own style and genre—fiction, non-fiction, poetry, memoir. The story may be a published manuscript, or unpublished; it may come to life in a newspaper article, magazine feature or internet blog. It can be told via letter writing, or in a journal. The important thing is to tell the story.
I’d like to say something more about the value of letter writing as I believe it’s a form of writing often overlooked in the 21st century, primarily due to modern technology—texting, tweeting and online chat rooms. Letters can give a detailed picture of one’s life and environment. If only a snapshot of a moment in time, letters document emotion, description and dialogue, and can even answer those journalistic questions of who, why, what, when and where.
In my basement is a box of letters from family and friends that I first began saving in the late 1950’s and have continued to do so through the years. When I reread the letters now, it’s as though I’m reading a biopic about those who are part of my life, allowing me to relive those old feelings of joy and pain, the happy times and sad times, the important and not so important activities of daily life. Sometimes it gives me new perspective about the person writing the letter, and the time it was written. I think of the famous letters of presidents and pioneers, and what we continue to learn from them, and about them, and the history of their day. Without letters as a way of storytelling, I fear future generations will lose much in learning about what came before them, and why.
For those of us who aren’t ‘Best Selling’ authors, there are hundreds, perhaps thousands of books today about improving writing skills, and hints on how to get published. I know, as I have more than a few lining the shelf in my study. Three favorites are, Pen on Fire by Barbara DeMarco Barrett, The Daily Writer by Fred White and Poemcrazy: freeing your life with words by Susan G. Wooldridge. I recommend these three authors, especially for those interested in writing memoir and poetry. Each gives good examples of narrative writing, and practice guides to help improve creative thought.
Another source I find myself returning to time and time again—one you won’t find in any book store, but one very instructive about how to write—is Voyages in English. Copyright 1958, published by Loyola Press, and coauthored by Reverend Paul E. Campbell and Sister Mary Donatus MacNickle, it is proving to be a wonderful refresher course in the basic principles of how to write well.
In Chapter two, “Studying the Paragraph” it states, “A paragraph, whether it is long or short, develops one main idea. Every sentence in the paragraph must relate to that one main idea or topic. A good paragraph can be divided into three parts: (1) a beginning sentence, (2) middle sentences, and (3) an ending sentence. The beginning sentence begins the paragraph, attracts attention, and gives a hint of what is to follow. It may also express the central thought of the paragraph. The middle sentences develop the thought introduced in the beginning sentence. The ending sentence gives the last detail, sums up the paragraph, or makes a personal comment.”
Another chapter, “Polishing a Paragraph” is a reminder that sentences can be improved by changing plain words to words that appeal to the senses or words that express exact meanings. Sometimes a writer can add variety to paragraphs and make them more interesting by occasionally inverting the word order. For example: The songs of a thousand birds came from every bush and tree (Natural Order). From every bush and tree came the songs of a thousand birds (Inverted Order).
While this may seem elementary to many, I’ve attended writing seminars in recent years where an entire afternoon was spent on parts of the paragraph, proving how to write a paragraph is still an important lesson writer’s need to learn.
Other chapters are “Writing Letters”, “Phrases, Clauses, Sentences”, and “Participles, Gerunds, Infinitives”. I must say the word ‘gerund’ makes me laugh, and think of some underground critter rather than a verb form ending in ‘ing’. About gerunds, an internet writers guide suggests using too many gerunds makes one’s writing seem passive. I try to keep that in mind, and not ‘ing’ too many of my words.
“Model Diagrams”, the final chapter, will only be of interest to those of us of a certain age who might recall homework exercises, or standing at the blackboard to diagram simple and complex sentences—the idea of the diagram being to show in graphic manner the relationship that exists among the various words that make up a sentence.
To be honest, I’m not sure I could properly diagram a sentence today, but I do know my first lessons in writing, taught by the good Sisters of Notre Dame, left a lasting impression on me, a love of the written word, and the belief everyone has a story to tell.
______________________
Kathy Cooney Dobbs is a freelance writer and poet who moved to north Idaho with her husband and son in 1992 from southern California. A member of the Idaho Writer's League, Kathy studied journalism at the College of Marin in San Rafael, California. She worked for the Pico Rivera News, Herald American/Call Enterprise newspaper chain, and the Los Angeles Times. Kathy's writing has appeared in a number of periodicals, including The Inland Catholic, The Idaho Register, The Senior Advocate and Spokesman-Reveiw. Her poetry has appeared in Write-On Poetry Magazette, and the Storyteller - A Writer's Magazine. Currently Kathy is working on a compilation of her grandmother's poetry and prose. You can read Kathy's blog, 2 lane highway at http://2landhighway.blogspot.com/.
_________________
My eighth grade teacher, Sister Mary Agnesine used to say, “Everybody has a story to tell, one that’s special and unique to them.” I agree with Sister, everybody has a story they’d like to share with others. It may inspire or thrill, make one laugh or cry; give insight about a friend, family member, a person of history, or a particular time and place. Whoever writes a story, writes the story in their own style and genre—fiction, non-fiction, poetry, memoir. The story may be a published manuscript, or unpublished; it may come to life in a newspaper article, magazine feature or internet blog. It can be told via letter writing, or in a journal. The important thing is to tell the story.
I’d like to say something more about the value of letter writing as I believe it’s a form of writing often overlooked in the 21st century, primarily due to modern technology—texting, tweeting and online chat rooms. Letters can give a detailed picture of one’s life and environment. If only a snapshot of a moment in time, letters document emotion, description and dialogue, and can even answer those journalistic questions of who, why, what, when and where.
In my basement is a box of letters from family and friends that I first began saving in the late 1950’s and have continued to do so through the years. When I reread the letters now, it’s as though I’m reading a biopic about those who are part of my life, allowing me to relive those old feelings of joy and pain, the happy times and sad times, the important and not so important activities of daily life. Sometimes it gives me new perspective about the person writing the letter, and the time it was written. I think of the famous letters of presidents and pioneers, and what we continue to learn from them, and about them, and the history of their day. Without letters as a way of storytelling, I fear future generations will lose much in learning about what came before them, and why.
For those of us who aren’t ‘Best Selling’ authors, there are hundreds, perhaps thousands of books today about improving writing skills, and hints on how to get published. I know, as I have more than a few lining the shelf in my study. Three favorites are, Pen on Fire by Barbara DeMarco Barrett, The Daily Writer by Fred White and Poemcrazy: freeing your life with words by Susan G. Wooldridge. I recommend these three authors, especially for those interested in writing memoir and poetry. Each gives good examples of narrative writing, and practice guides to help improve creative thought.
Another source I find myself returning to time and time again—one you won’t find in any book store, but one very instructive about how to write—is Voyages in English. Copyright 1958, published by Loyola Press, and coauthored by Reverend Paul E. Campbell and Sister Mary Donatus MacNickle, it is proving to be a wonderful refresher course in the basic principles of how to write well.
In Chapter two, “Studying the Paragraph” it states, “A paragraph, whether it is long or short, develops one main idea. Every sentence in the paragraph must relate to that one main idea or topic. A good paragraph can be divided into three parts: (1) a beginning sentence, (2) middle sentences, and (3) an ending sentence. The beginning sentence begins the paragraph, attracts attention, and gives a hint of what is to follow. It may also express the central thought of the paragraph. The middle sentences develop the thought introduced in the beginning sentence. The ending sentence gives the last detail, sums up the paragraph, or makes a personal comment.”
Another chapter, “Polishing a Paragraph” is a reminder that sentences can be improved by changing plain words to words that appeal to the senses or words that express exact meanings. Sometimes a writer can add variety to paragraphs and make them more interesting by occasionally inverting the word order. For example: The songs of a thousand birds came from every bush and tree (Natural Order). From every bush and tree came the songs of a thousand birds (Inverted Order).
While this may seem elementary to many, I’ve attended writing seminars in recent years where an entire afternoon was spent on parts of the paragraph, proving how to write a paragraph is still an important lesson writer’s need to learn.
Other chapters are “Writing Letters”, “Phrases, Clauses, Sentences”, and “Participles, Gerunds, Infinitives”. I must say the word ‘gerund’ makes me laugh, and think of some underground critter rather than a verb form ending in ‘ing’. About gerunds, an internet writers guide suggests using too many gerunds makes one’s writing seem passive. I try to keep that in mind, and not ‘ing’ too many of my words.
“Model Diagrams”, the final chapter, will only be of interest to those of us of a certain age who might recall homework exercises, or standing at the blackboard to diagram simple and complex sentences—the idea of the diagram being to show in graphic manner the relationship that exists among the various words that make up a sentence.
To be honest, I’m not sure I could properly diagram a sentence today, but I do know my first lessons in writing, taught by the good Sisters of Notre Dame, left a lasting impression on me, a love of the written word, and the belief everyone has a story to tell.
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Kathy Cooney Dobbs is a freelance writer and poet who moved to north Idaho with her husband and son in 1992 from southern California. A member of the Idaho Writer's League, Kathy studied journalism at the College of Marin in San Rafael, California. She worked for the Pico Rivera News, Herald American/Call Enterprise newspaper chain, and the Los Angeles Times. Kathy's writing has appeared in a number of periodicals, including The Inland Catholic, The Idaho Register, The Senior Advocate and Spokesman-Reveiw. Her poetry has appeared in Write-On Poetry Magazette, and the Storyteller - A Writer's Magazine. Currently Kathy is working on a compilation of her grandmother's poetry and prose. You can read Kathy's blog, 2 lane highway at http://2landhighway.blogspot.com/.
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