WriterByNature.com

February 26, 2008 5:45 am

Style, like DNA or fingerprints, is what identifies a writer.

Here are some techniques you can use to create the appropriate style for your written work: (more…)

February 5, 2008 6:29 am

A reader contacted me recently and asked:

Do I walk into, or in to the building? Do I go into the bedroom to get dressed, or do I go in to the bedroom to get dressed. I believe ‘into’ in both cases. Right, or wrong? I sometimes have problem with this. Is there a rule?

I had to meditate on this for a while. But there is a clear distinction between into and in to.

Use the word into, when you mean enter or transform.
Use the phrase in to, when you mean anything else.

The best example I found when searching for an illustration of the difference comes from writer George Roupe. Consider the following two sentences:

Turn the assignment in to the teacher.
Turn the assignment into the teacher. (more…)

January 8, 2008 11:23 pm

There is a connection between the brain and the hand.

The longer I live, the more I’m convinced that I need to actually write on paper in order to recall information I have learned but not yet internalized.

I use my eyes and hands differently when I keyboard. I need to actually grip a pen or pencil and push it across paper in order to remember. (more…)

May 1, 2007 11:58 pm

I’m always on the lookout for writing exercises, crossword puzzles, hidden picture puzzles or any system that will jump start my writing.

Here are a few ideas for filling the page without the pressure of producing a final draft:

1. Write a one-sentence description of ten friends or family members.
2. Write your obituary in 500 words or less.
3. Describe your favorite place to relax in 300 words.
4. Select an essay that you wrote and rewrite it in third person.
5. Choose a chapter written by you or another author and in third person and rewrite it in first person.
6. Sit in a cafe or public place and transcribe a conversation between two people. Now create characters based on the conversation.
7. Freewrite for ten minutes, then stop and read what you wrote. Write down the central theme or issue and begin another 10-minute freewrite. Stop and read that freewrite, find the central theme and begin another 10-minute freewrite.
8. List ten activities that you love. Now write down the last time you did each activity.
9. Take a walk and list every smell or every sound you notice. Use that to write from a dog’s point of view or a cat’s point of view.
10. Find a passage from a favorite book and rewrite it in another genre. If the passage is science fiction, try writing it as a romance or a comedy.

April 25, 2007 1:02 am

Three days of balmy weather has gone to my brain.

Here are a few thoughts to stimulate nature writing: (more…)

April 17, 2007 11:57 pm

This turned up on a listserv or maybe an email.

I wish the sender had identified the source. I’d like to thank the author.

This is an excellent example of using Show, Don’t Tell to share grammar rules. (more…)

April 10, 2007 11:58 pm

I keep Writing Down the Bones within ready reach. Natalie Goldberg’s book includes a number of useful tools when I need a nudge.

The Action of a Sentence is an exercise I use to make writing fun again. Here are the rules: (more…)

April 3, 2007 11:54 pm

Who/Whom falls into my pesky words category.

I spent years reaching for my style manuals whenever confronted with these words. Until I learned a couple of neat tricks. (more…)

April 2, 2007 3:03 am

An oxymoron is a figure of speech created when two words with opposite meanings are written or spoken as a phrase, like jumbo shrimp.

I always think of an oxymoron as a literary example of when opposites attract. Here’s a list of nature-based oxymorons: (more…)

March 21, 2007 2:01 am

I typically write and research alone, but without the feedback and support of other writers, I’ll miss out on valuable information and take longer to reach my writing goals.

Here are some tips for choosing the writer’s group that fits your needs and goals. (more…)