Karinwritesdangerously

« There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are. «  W. Somerset Maugham

Ah, the adverb! Why among all the parts of speech is it so criticized? Why have writers from Nathaniel Hawthorne to Stephen King urged us to take an ax to the adverbs sprinkled across our pages? I don’t have the answer to this mystery.

Fortunately, I’ve found an zealous advocate for the adverb, a teacher and writer who takes a generous approach to adverbs, which I’m happy to share with you:

An adverb is far more than just a word ending in -ly: Along with nouns, verbs, and adjectives, it is one of the four content parts of speech used to construct sentences.

Each part performs a key function: Nouns name things, verbs specify action, and adverbs and adjectives add to, limit, or clarify nouns and verbs. 

Adverbs are a valuable tool in every writer’s kit-bag and excising them from your writing will impoverish it. Adverbs play several important roles in a sentence — they make more specific and add information to verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. 

Adverbs are versatile: The role an adverb plays in a sentence can show up in our writing as one word: sadly. Or as a phrase: “I’ll call you in the morning.” Or as a dependent clause: “We’ll eat whenever he gets here.” 

Bravo! Let’s dump the “dump adverbs” idea and focus instead on using them with precision and gusto as we all write on!

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Writers tend to be a wandering bunch of souls — we often seem to find inspiration and relaxation in places that have drinks instead of desks, cocktail hours instead of club chairs.

A fun round-up of some of the places that famous writers enjoyed hanging out in to inspire you to get out and mix it up a bit:

The Hotel Monteleone: New Orleans — Among the writers who stayed, wrote, and drank there are: Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, Tennessee Williams, Ann Rice, Eudora Welty, and John Grisham. 

The White Horse Tavern: NYC, opened in 1880 — I actually had a drink here! So did Dylan Thomas, James Baldwin, Norman Mailer, Hunter Thompson, and Jack Kerouac.*

The Eagle and Child: Oxford, opened in 17th century — this storied pub once hosted the Inklings — whose members included C.S. Lewis and J.R. Tolkien. Wow, this is one pub I’d like to hoist a glass in!

Les Deux Magots: Paris, opened in 1812 (the year that Napoleon invaded Russia). This spot attracted James Joyce, Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, Bertolt Brecht, and Ernest Hemingway.

Old Town Bar: NYC, opened in 1892 — A mahogany-and-marble throwback, this conversation-friendly spot hosted Frank McCourt, Seamus Heaney, and Billy Collins — one of my favorite poets.

Literary Café: St. Petersburg: opened in 1816 — Love that name! A popular meeting spot for some of the greats, including Dostoevsky and Pushkin, who had a last drink at this café before his fatal duel. 

Who’s the most mobile of these literati? Our boy Ernest. He is known for imbibing in New York, Paris, Havana, and Madrid — to mention a few hot spots! Write on!

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In the spirit of Columbus Day, words of wisdom about discovery and adventure:

“It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.” Sir Edmund Hillary

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new landscapes but in having new eyes.” Marcel Proust

“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters in the end.” Ursula K. Le Guin

“We are all inventors, each sailing out on a voyage of discovery, guided each by a private chart of which there is no duplicate. The world is all gates, all opportunities.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Writing, like life itself, is a voyage of discovery….I had to learn to think, feel, and see in a totally new fashion, in an uneducated way, in my own way, which is the hardest thing in the world.” Henry Miller

“It is not necessary that you leave the house. Remain at your table and listen. Do not even listen, only wait. Do not even wait, be wholly still and alone. The world will present itself to you for its unmasking, it can do no other, in ecstasy it will writhe at your feet.” Franz Kafka

“The true adventurer goes forth aimless and uncalculating to meet and greet unknown fate.” O’Henry

“If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try.” Seth Godin

And now, inspired and emboldened, let’s all write on!

Delicious autumn!
My very soul is wedded to it,
and I were a bird I would fly
about the earth seeking the
successive autumns.

George Eliot

Autumn

The morns are meeker than they were,
The nuts are getting brown;
The berry’s cheek is plumper,
The rose is out of town.

The maple wears a gayer scarf,
The field a scarlet gown.
Lest I should be old-fashioned,
I’ll put a trinket on.

Emily Dickinson

In the Library

The library always smells like this:
an ancient stew of vinegar and wood.
It’s autumn again,
and I can do anything.

Dorothea Grossman

“Yet somehow I did get my act together and, although I can’t explain how or why, slowly and imperceptibly a sort of magic began to happen. Change took a little time and I must admit, at first I struggled to stay on board. My grief would surface and tears would blind me as I tried to write, yet the words kept flowing and it didn’t matter that I repeated myself as I filled those waiting, listening empty pages.”
Maggie Jeffery, on her journaling practice — CreateWriteNow.com

“Those waiting, listening empty pages” — what a lovely phrase and how apt! Many great writers, from Virginia Woolf to John Steinbeck, kept journals to play with ideas, keep track of their writing progress, and puzzle out thorny plot or character issues. 

While many writers use journaling fuel specific writing projects, today more and more people are embracing this powerful writing tool as a form of self-discovery and self-care. Whether they are coping with grief, confronting major life changes, struggling to manage stress, or reconnecting with long-hidden emotions, both adults and children are finding that putting their thoughts and feelings on paper can be both restorative and illuminating. Growing research supports this. Regularly expressing thoughts in writing allows people to:

Identify unproductive behavioral patterns and areas where they are “stuck” so that they can take action to address them.

Focus scattered thoughts so they can begin to discover what they really value and want — and how to accomplish their goals.

Release fears, resentments, regrets, and old wounds so they can begin to move forward and shape a more positive, fulfilling life.

Find strength and renewed sense of purpose in the face of grief and overpowering loss. 

For many aspiring authors and journaling enthusiasts, using the “Morning Pages” approach described in Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way has helped tap their creativity and brush away mental cobwebs. Online resources also provide specific tools and prompts to give those new to journaling a helping hand. Check out the wonderful site CreateWritenow.com for inspiration as we all write on!

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“Never, never, never give up.”
Winston Churchill

Some time soon all of us are going face some tough challenge in our writing life. We’re going to be feeling frustrated, fearful, and faint-hearted. We’re going to feel like throwing in the towel or taking the easy way out or holding back instead of stepping on the gas.

But here’s something else I know: To get to the next level and achieve our goals, we’re going to need to push ourselves past the self-imposed limitations that are holding us back. 

Can we do this? Sure we can. But will we do it? That’s our choice: We can fight through the pain or we can stay in our comfort zones. If we fight, the possibilities are endless. If we stay in our comfort zones, we’ll keep getting what we’ve always gotten. 

No pain, no gain: That pretty much sums up the situation. None of this is easy: Discomfort is…well, uncomfortable. The only way I’ve found to handle it is to accept it and then just dive in. When I do this I find that the pain and the discomfort fade away. 

So, where’s your pain point right now? Are you facing a major revision and feeling overwhelmed? Are you stalled and confused about a piece of writing you’ve been struggling with? Are you feeling like you need to tackle a sensitive issue but afraid that it’s too dangerous, too close to home? Or, like me, are you hitting the submission stage?

Wherever we find ourselves, let’s remember what my friend and mentor Dr. Rob Gilbert says on his Success Hotline (973.743.4690):”The pain of discipline weighs ounces; the pain of regret weighs tons.” Let’s fight through the challenge we face and all write on!

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Remember

Remember me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land;
When you can no more hold me by the hand,
Nor I half turn to go, yet turning stay.
Remember me when no more, day by day,
You tell me of our future that you planned:
Only remember me; you understand
It will be late to counsel then or pray.
Yet if you should forget me for a while
And afterwards remember, do not grieve:
For if the darkness and corruption leave
A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,
Better by far you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad.

Christina Rossetti

“Persistence beats brains any day. Nothing is more important than persistence. The best idea in the world is useless unless someone pursues it.” Ed Smith

When you hit a rough patch in your writing life, how do you handle it? Right now, I’m going through one myself. I’m moving from revision mode to submission mode and finding the transition a bit rocky.

One way I weather this shift is simple but powerful: I stick to my daily start-up strategy—a simple set of rituals that primes me for the day. For example, I always begin my day by reading passages in a handful of inspiring books. One is a devotional with daily quotes I like to savor and reflect on. Then I have a little exercise routine that gets my adrenalin pumping. These start-up activities don’t take long, but they give me a mental and emotional boost and help me launch into my day.

Here’s why having a simple start-up strategy can help you as well:

It anchors you: Consistency can be calming—especially when you are moving out of your comfort zone and into a new phase of writing.

It offers a safe haven: Whatever else is happening in your writing life, you can find solace and pleasure in soothing rituals you can rely on.

They inspire gratitude: A set of rituals remind us to take pleasure in the day ahead and to be grateful to be pursuing work we love.

They help us stay focused: The simple act of completing daily activities can start the day off well and arm us for whatever comes our way.

How about you? Are there any daily routines or rituals that you find soothing and uplifting? I’d love to hear about them. Write on!

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Helpful writing advice from a an Oprah selected author:

Pick a better verb: Most people use twenty verbs to describe everything from a run in their stocking to the explosion of an atomic bomb. You know the ones: Was, did, had, made, went, looked… One-size-fits-all looks like crap on anyone. Sew yourself a custom made suit. Pick a better verb. Challenge all those verbs to really lift some weight for you.

Kill the Cliché: Anything you’ve ever heard or read before is a cliché. They can be combinations of words: Cold sweat. Fire-engine red, or phrases: on the same page, level playing field, or metaphors: big as a house. Sometimes things themselves are cliches: fuzzy dice, pink flamingo lawn ornaments, long blonde hair.Just keep asking yourself, “Honestly, have I ever seen this before?” Even if Shakespeare wrote it, or Virginia Woolf, it’s a cliché. You’re a writer and you have to invent it from scratch, all by yourself. That’s why writing is a lot of work, and demands unflinching honesty.

Variety is the key: Most people write the same sentence over and over again. The same number of words–say, 8-10, or 10-12. The same sentence structure. Try to become stretchy–if you generally write 8 words, throw a 20 word sentence in there, and a few three-word shorties. If you’re generally a 20 word writer, make sure you throw in some threes, fivers and sevens, just to keep the reader from going crosseyed.

Explore sentences using dependent clauses: A dependent clause (sentence fragment set off by commas) helps you explore your story by moving you deeper into the sentence. It allows you to stop and think harder about what you’ve already written. Often the story you’re looking for is inside the sentence. The dependent clause helps you uncover it.

Learn to write dialogue: 
This involves more than I can discuss here, but do it. Read the writers of great prose dialogue–people like Robert Stone and Joan Didion. Compression, saying as little as possible, making everything carry much more than is actually said. Conflict. Dialogue as part of an ongoing world, not just voices in a dark room. Never say the obvious. Skip the meet and greet.

Wonderful advice to ponder and play with as we all write on!

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Miracles
by Walt Whitman

Why, who makes much of a miracle?
As to me I know of nothing else but miracles,
Whether I walk the streets of Manhattan,
Or dart my sight over the roofs of houses toward the sky,
Or wade with naked feet along the beach just in the
edge of the water,
Or stand under trees in the woods,
Or talk by day with anyone I love, or sleep in bed at night
with anyone I love,
Or sit at table at dinner with the rest,
Or look at strangers opposite me riding in the car,
Or watch honey-bees busy around the hive of a summer forenoon,
Or animals feeding in the fields,
Or birds, or the wonderfulness of insects in the air,
Or the wonderfulness of the sundown, or of stars shining
so quiet and bright,
Or the exquisite delicate thin curve of the new moon in spring;
These with the rest, one and all, are to me miracles,
The whole referring, yet each distinct in its place.

To me every hour of the light and dark is a miracle,
Every cubic inch of space is a miracle,
Every square yard of the surface of the earth is spread
with the same,
Every foot of the interior swarms with the same.
To me the sea is a continual miracle,
The fishes that swim — the rocks — the motion of the waves —
the ships with men in them.
What stranger miracles are there?

May we all see with the eyes of wonder, every day, every moment.

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