Tag: Writing Tips
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Tools of the Trade: Spiral-bound notebooks still a favorite
By G. Robert Frazier Quick show of hands: Which tool do you writers like more, the spiral-bound notebook (along with a good old-fashioned pen) or a computer and keypad? For quick notes, character sketches, and random scenes that come to me in the middle of the night, I have to…
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Book Review: The Accident makes mistake of being too wordy
I like short, snappy sentences and paragraphs. And lots of white space. Stories read faster. Your eye swiftly races through the action, reading from left to right, from top to bottom, the pages turning. James Patterson novels are a perfect example. Most of his books feature paragraphs of two or…
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Everyone’s an expert on writing, or so they think
How-to articles on the writing craft are a dime a dozen. They’re all over the internet, in my email’s inbox daily, on my Facebook feed, and in the dozens of Writer’s Digest magazines and writing books in my personal library. And everyone is an expert, or so they claim. Today,…
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Writers: You don’t have to do this … but you probably should
It’s a simple enough line of dialogue: “You don’t have to do this.” But it’s also one of the most common and, perhaps, overused lines of dialogue in today’s movies and TV shows as well. Listen for it, and you will hear it uttered more often than not. The line…
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When the pieces fall into place…
I’m getting a late start today (I slept late). But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Last night was a wildly productive night. I used up one ballpoint pen and another is nearly spent of all its ink. I have page after page of hastily scrawled notes relating to my…
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Twisted questions can peel back deepest layer of characters
The Daily Post here on WordPress posted this writing prompt today: A Pulitzer-winning reporter is writing an in-depth piece – about you. What are the three questions you really hope she doesn’t ask you? Whenever I’ve gone on a job interview, the typical “where do you want to be five years from now”…
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Lessons from a script reader
Over the past several months I have served as a volunteer reader for scripts entered in the inaugural Nashville Film Festival screenwriting competition. I am working on a spec feature script and a tv pilot, so the experience of reading and reviewing scripts in the competition afforded an excellent opportunity…
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Today’s adventure in writing begins …
I thought I might chronicle my day today to see just how I spend my time. I’m hoping to finish editing a short story today so that I can submit it to L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future Contest. So, here goes: Monday, March 31: 9:50 a.m. Woke up…
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An important tool of the writing trade…
I spend a lot of time sitting on my ass. It’s true. I’m a writer. It’s important to have the right surroundings when writing, and that includes what you are sitting on. My new chair from Staples is just the thing for hours of creativity at the computer. I…
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Wild thoughts in the dead of night
Sometimes, thoughts just come to me. Doesn’t matter where I am or what I’m supposed to be doing. So, I keep notepads all over the house. There’s one by my easy chair in front of the TV. There’s one in my truck. I even have a waterproof notepad secured to…
Story By G. Robert Frazier 