How Reading Can Make You a Better Writer

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Once again, Hillsdale College is offering another Great Books course, Great Books 102. 

And it's free!

Here is an opportunity for great writers to learn from great authors. This 11 week, non-credit course covers the Renaissance to Modern fiction. You will read great works from authors such as Shakespeare, Austen, and Twain. It is a great source for writers who are deliberately practicing their craft.

Studies reveal there is a benefit to reading literary fiction. The reader connects with the complexities of characters and their situations.  Inferences are made since more is left to the imagination, resulting in strengthening cognitive skills and empathy.

But you don't have to only read literary fiction. This author suggests reading anything and everything:

Writers need to read. A lot. Magazines. Books. Periodicals. And so on. They need to grasp the art of language, to appreciate the finer points of words. As they read, they should jot down ideas and capture thoughts as they come.

Here are 5 ways reading helps you become a better writer:

1. Broadens vocabulary - Reading books exposes us to an abundance of wonderful words that will hook your reader. Using just the right word will make your writing shine!


2. Inspires - Reading can trigger a memory or idea for your own writing.


3. Increased knowledge  - Reading brings us to other times, places, and experiences. Learn to love learning. It provides greater understanding of the world around you.


4. Motivates - Reading may get you back on track with your own writing. Have you ever read a book and thought, "I could have written that!" Reading can stir your own passion and get you moving.


5. Exposure to various writing styles - What books do you like? How does the author hook you? Are the characters interesting? How so? Study and take notes. Then let your own style take shape.

By all means, enjoy reading. Don't get lost in over analyzing. Just read! Very naturally, you will be learning and growing as a writer.

***

After raising and homeschooling her 8 children and teaching art classes for 10 years, Kathy has found time to pursue freelance writing. She enjoys writing magazine articles and more recently had her story, "One of a Kind", published in The Kids' Ark. You can find her passion to bring encouragement and hope to people of all ages at 

When It Hurts - http://kathleenmoulton.com

Writers: Do you wake up smiling? Feeling no pain?

Contributed by Marlene Hibbard

If you can’t say yes to the title questions, I have some reminders of ways to help eliminate aches and pains that can be associated with sitting at your computer for long periods of time.

Ergonomics vs. Pain 

2 Major Mistakes and Solutions for Musculoskeletal Disorder

MSD stands for many things but for our purposes it’s musculoskeletal disorder. And it’s all too common, especially for writers. We sit at the computer for hours. I’m as guilty as you when it comes to disciplining myself to sit properly. Do you carry the laptop to the TV table where there isn’t even knee space causing serious muscle strain?

Even my beautiful new desk chair tempts me to lean to one side with its tempting arm rests. I can’t reach both of them with my arms so I lean on one. Next morning, I feel the strain in the opposite side of my back.

Mistake #1

Positioning and Posture Carelessness

Habitually leaning to one side or bending over the computer places the lower back at risk of injury. Ask yourself if you practice good posture? Or is it head knowledge only? To know the right thing and not practice it brings suffering.  

What to Do Instead

An adjustable chair is essential for good health. Raised or lower it for positioning arms and feet properly. Notice the arms in this picture are not exactly horizontal. Arm rests can usually be removed.

Sit up straight with your back against the back of the chair and a lumbar support if necessary. Feet should be flat on the floor. 

Practice makes perfect. Your back will thank you and you’ll save money for therapists and chiropractors. You’ll wake up smiley without pain.

Mistake #2 

Begging for Eye Strain or Disrupted Sleep?

The manuscript seemed perfect until you left it for a day, took another look before sending it to the publisher, and decided to revamp. You’ll be up until dawn. Deadline. Tomorrow. Your eyes are already strained just thinking about it.

Two of the mistakes regarding eye strain that bring this about are mentioned here.

You’ve read studies spelling out that late night screen viewing disrupts sleep. It could be the blue lights from your computer screen.

What to Do Instead

You can change the light/darkness of your screen. Also, do a search on YouTube.com for eye strain. Some users have claimed that a program called F.lux can help eye strain by dimming your monitor depending on the time of day. Your screen will display an orange-ish color in the evening mimicking nature. I haven’t tried it but I think I might. You decide and let me know in the comments.

Another issue with this is eye strain from not having the screen at proper distance. If you are using the laptop keyboard you probably have your arms too high, causing upper limb strain.

What to Do Instead

Most of these things cause you to wake up in pain but simply paying attention to your posture will solve your problems.

With the extra keyboard and mouse lower than your laptop, you may want to raise the screen. You could place a book or cardboard box under it. Whatever it takes to make you wake up smiling, right?

Please leave a comment to let us know any strategies you use to help alleviate strained muscles or eyes from writing.

I’m Marlene Hibbard, coming to you from the mountains of Virginia and the author of Hideous Health Habits. Visit www.hideoushealthhabits.com for more health tips.

~~~~~


MORE ON WRITING

The Work of Editing
Your Character’s Smirking . . . or is He? Synonym Pitfalls
10 Bad Writing Habits to Break

26 Reasons a Writer Should Blog - Part 7 Final

So we've done it! We're at the end of the alphabet. Typically, the last three points are the most difficult to come up with.

Since April, we've worked through the letters of the alphabet, each month choosing one significant word from the next two or three letters in the alphabet that clarify reasons why a writer should blog.
Now to come up with reasons beginning with X, Y and Z

24. X is for the X-Factor of Writing

During my first lesson in Algebra at school, I learned a crucial fact, that "X" is an unknown quantity. People often talk about the X-factor of various topics, in other words an unknown factor that influences the outcome. A dictionary definition of the term describes the X-Factor as “a variable in a given situation that could have the most significant impact on the outcome”. 

The variable is therefore something which can influence the situation. What does this have to do with writing, or blogging in particular? 

I have been writing for publication for about fifteen years. That is my situation. During that time I have learned there are things I do well, and there are areas where I suck. Blogging has the potential to act as my variable. It has brought about some key changes in my writing.

I have seen a significant impact on my writing output. I have two websites, each of which has its own blog. In Write to Inspire, my posts are geared to inspire and encourage writers and readers, and in Rise and Soar, my goal is to inspire and encourage those doing battle with cancer. I aim at producing at least one post a week on each of these.

I also contribute monthly to this blog, Writers on the Move, and once or twice a month to International Christian Fellowship of Writers. That's not counting my many writing commitments. So I have to keep writing. As a result, I'm also writing faster. My ability to do research has grown wings, and my creativity is expanding. 

So for me, it's not a question of finding the X-factor in blogging. Blogging is the X-factor in my writing life. How about you?

25. Y is for YouTube. I had only used a YouTube video clip once on my blog before I tackled the A to Z Blogging Challenge in April. However, when I wrote on N is for N’kosi Sekelel e’Africa, a post about the magnificent South African national anthem, it wasn’t enough to tell my readers the history. Nor was it enough to copy out the words for them. They needed to hear it for themselves!

I searched YouTube and found a stirring rendering of the anthem, complete with the words superimposed on a background of our flag. It was so easy to post this into my blog. 

Don’t know how? 

On YouTube, find the clip you want to use, then click on share. Choose the option, Embed. This will give you a line of code. Copy that to your clipboard. 

Now open your blog. Go to ‘source’ or ‘html’ to find the code for your post. Paste the video clip’s code into the correct spot. It’s as easy as that.

(If you’re new to html code, try pasting it right at the end of the post. Then come out of the code and drag the video image to where you want it.


26.  Z is for Zest. The dictionary describes zest as “Vigorous and enthusiastic enjoyment”. If you are a writer, you cannot only write when you’re in the mood. 

No business man would only go to the office when he felt like it. No nurse can only care for the sick when she feels dedicated. If you’re serious about writing, you need to write when it’s time to write. Not just when you’re gripped by the Scribe Bug.

However with blogging it is good to strike while the iron is hot, to use a cliché. When you’re in the mood, or in the zone as the youngsters would say, sit down and blog. For example, I outlined the majority of the 26 posts for this series with great zest in a few hours one morning. I skipped over any letters that didn’t immediately grab me and came back to them some days later. 

As long as you have something scheduled to go live on your blog on the day you plan, you don’t have to write them literally on the day. (See S is for Scheduling.)

 I hope you have found this series of 26 Reasons Why a Writer Should Blog helpful and informative. It has also included many tips on how to make blogging easier and more effective for you. Please leave a note to indicate what you have found helpful, and don't forget to leave a link to your own blog so we can pay you a visit!

Until next month . . . 

THE FULL SERIES: 

26 Reasons for a Writer to Blog - Part I: A - C
26 Reasons for a Writer to Blog - Part II: D-G
26 Reasons for a Writer to Blog - Part III: H-K
26 Reasons for a Writer to Blog - Part IV: L-O
26 Reasons for a Writer to Blog - Part V: P-S
26 Reasons for a Writer to Blog - Part VI:T-W

26 Reasons for a Writer to Blog - Part VII: X-Z

SHIRLEY CORDER lives on the coast in South Africa with her husband, Rob. Her book, Strength Renewed: Meditations for your Journey through Breast Cancer, has brought encouragement and inspiration to a multitude of friends and contacts across the world.

Visit Shirley through ShirleyCorder.com where she encourages writers, or at RiseAndSoar.com where she encourages those in the cancer valley. You can also meet with her on Twitter or Facebook.

Sign up to receive a short devotional message from Shirley in your inbox once a week. 

The Work of Editing

So you have probably all seen the images showing how much time is spent actually writing. Sad but true, that even when we, as writers are working at our best capacity, we still find ways to be distracted. 

I work in an office that is almost exclusively used for my writing, yet, still I find myself moving containers, getting my tea where it is handy, straightening books, etc. Moving, organizing, and preparing are as much a part of the writing process as actually putting my fingers on the keyboard. 

Of course, I must do a bit of thinking - although sometimes this is done well before I make my way to the studio to work. It is done in a bathtub, hammock or even in bed. Sometimes while walking, doing dishes or making beds. 

Finally, I get words onto the screen.

All too soon, the creative process is over and its time to edit. And that part of the process is exhausting - both in time and intensity of work.

Recently, I was asked to edit an autobiography. The original had been published in Guatemala and now the author was prepared to publish in the U.S. She had searched for an editor, someone who would edit lightly so as to leave her voice. I apparently made the cut and was trusted with the work. 

Editing a piece of writing that is being translated is in itself interesting. Verbs are generally inconsistent due to tense issues. Present and past tense met and merged throughout the document and had to be fixed. As she had requested, I was mindful in my editing to her voice as a native Guatemalan. One thing I found immediately, editing lightly allowed me to be less ruthless than I am generally with my own work, especially with word choice and in particular regarding verbs.  

Another challenge was homonyms. These were varied and kept me on my toes. I was also made mindful of cultural differences in how individuals referenced each other. 

As I worked to finished the initial portion of the project, I gave much thought to the amount of time, but also to the final product. Editing is a must, but with this project there was no need to agonize for word choice.

I came to realize that the editing process is really made up of several different evaluations.

1. General grammar:

    Checking for correct spelling, capitalization, and sentence structure.

2. Format:

    Line spacing, font and size type

3. Story or plot line:

    Does the story flow? Does it keep the reader's attention?

4. Word choice

    Strengthening verbs or other descriptions, reviewing metaphors and similes. 

Editing is in itself an effort of love, a love of the process. 

__________________________________________

D. Jean Quarles is a writer of Women's Fiction and a co-author of a Young Adult Science Fiction Series. Her latest book, House of Glass, Book 2 of The Exodus Serieswas written with coauthor, Austine Etcheverry.

D. Jean loves to tell stories of personal growth – where success has nothing to do with money or fame, but of living life to the fullest. She is also the author of the novels: Rocky's Mountains, Fire in the Hole, and Perception.The Mermaid, an award winning short story was published in the anthology, Tales from a Sweltering City.

She is a wife, mother, grandmother and business coach. In her free time . . . ha! ha! ha! Anyway, you can find more about D. Jean Quarles, her writing and her books at her website at www.djeanquarles.com

You can also follower her at www.djeanquarles.blogspot.com or on Facebook.

Fuel Your Creativity with a Short Trip

by Suzanne Lieurance, the Working Writer's Coach

Recently, I'd been charging ahead with so many writing projects that I sort of ran out of steam and knew I needed to fuel my creativity by stepping away from the writing for a day or two.

So my husband and I planned a quick trip - not much more than a day trip really, although we did spend the night.

We didn't go far or to some fancy place.

Just to Mammoth Spring, Arkansas.

We knew there was an inexpensive little motel there right on the Spring River and we could enjoy the view from our room. This was our view:

There is also a park right there with a sidewalk that goes around it, so it was a nice place to walk, and we had the perfect weather for doing just that.

We watched the ducks and geese and I felt myself relax and the stress leave my body as we enjoyed the sights, sounds, and smells of nature.

Here's the park:

On the way home we also stopped to take photos of anything that seemed interesting. Here's one of the huge raven in Ravenden, Arkansas:

This is the mill outside of Hardy, Arkansas:

If you're a writer who needs to refuel your creativity, I suggest you take a short trip, like I did. Here are some tips for making the most of it.

• Make sure the weather will be good for your trip. That way you can easily stop whenever you see something of interest so you can take a photo. You'll also be able to spend time outdoors once you get to your destination.

• Get a motel room (or a room at an inn) with a view. There's just something about a view that lets your mind drift and new ideas start to flow.

• Plan to spend time outdoors where you can commune with nature and get a little exercise and fresh air as you walk in the sunshine. You'll feel yourself start to relax as you forget about all the things waiting for you at home.

• Take lots of photos. You can use these photos later as writing prompts or even blog posts (as I've done here).

• Don't overdo it. The purpose of the trip is to relax and unwind, so don't schedule too many activities.

Do you have any other tips for making the most of a short trip? If so, please share them here as a comment.

Happy trails!

Suzanne Lieurance is a fulltime freelance writer, writing coach, certified life coach, and the author of over 30 published books. For more tips, resources, and other helpful information about writing and the business of writing, get your free subscription to The Morning Nudge at www.morningnudge.com.

5 Writing Mistakes to Avoid in Your NaNoWriMo Participation

NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is here again. Every year in November thousands of writers participate. They each buckle down and write a novel within the month of November. That's a pretty impressive task.

Well, last year during NaNoWriMo, Grammarly.com did something unique. They worked with nearly 500 writers from 54 countries to crowdsource a novel. They analyzed the resulting 40,000 or so words and uncovered some writing mistakes that happened time and again, then summarized the top five in a handy infographic:



Attribution for this infographic goes to: https://www.grammarly.com/grammar-check

Want more Free tips on editing your work? Check out Editing Books Like a Pro:

How to Find Time to Write this Season

The holidays are upon us and I know what you’re thinking: “How on earth am I going to get any writing done between now and the end of the year?”

There’s shopping, holiday parties (hosting and attending) and events, and various distractions that seem to only happen in November and December. Here’s a secret. We have lots of pockets of time throughout the day when we could be writing. Use them.

 Here are five places to find time to write during the busy holiday season.

1. While Waiting. Whether you are waiting to meet someone, for an appointment. Or in line, take out a notebook or start writing down your thoughts on your mobile device. 
2. In Transit. Voice to text technology has gotten so much better (anyone reading remember when you had to train your voice recognition software?). Verbalize your ideas while en route, just make sure you don’t get over-enthusiastic or distracted. 
3. During Exercise. Why not also use record your thoughts while working out? Your mind is clear, so you’ll probably come up with some fantastic ideas. 
4. Get Up Early. Set your alarm to go off 15 to 30 minutes early, and get in some writing before you start your day. Yes, you can also stay up late.
5. Swap Time. We all need downtime, but just swap just one television episode or 15 minutes of social media time for writing time every other day. When you see your progress, it will be worth it. 

And here are five things to write when only you have a short period of time:

1. Journal.. Are you happy? Overwhelmed? Frustrated? Amused by something you just saw? Write it down. Gather your emotions and observations, and write them down as fuel for future projects. 
2. Ideas. Similar to journaling, keep a dedicated notebook or computer document for all ideas to use in future writing projects. They don’t even have to be complete thoughts, a list of ideas will serve the same purpose. This is the perfect distraction while waiting in long lines at checkout. 
3. Blog Post Draft. Perhaps you will not have a complete, ready to go blog post in 15 minutes, but you can certainly write a draft. And then rewrite it on your next 15 minute block of time.
4. A Pitch. Write a query for a book, article, story, screenplay. 
5. Your Work in Progress. A few minutes here and there on your work in progress will add up. Granted, more time is better. But even if you add words to your non-fiction book, novel, or screenplay for a few minutes a day, it will stay on top of mind and continue to progress.
6. Bonus: Edit. Anything. 

Don’t let the busy holiday season keep you  from writing. Use those pockets of time to move forward and keep you happily distracted from the craziness of the season.

* * *

Debra Eckerling is a writer, editor and project catalyst, as well as founder of Guided Goals and Write On Online, a live and online writers’ support group. 

She is the host of the Guided Goals Podcast and author of Purple Pencil Adventures: Writing Prompts for Kids of All Ages. 

She is an editor at Social Media Examiner and a speaker/moderator on the subjects of writing, networking, goal-setting, and social media.