Writing – Page 15 – WRITE TIME AND AGAIN

Action is action, or is it? I consider creative writing to be equal to painting on a canvas. Just like a paint brush glides across a canvas, so too does a writing utensil move across a sheet of paper and fingers type words across a blank screen. In each case a picture is created. The difference lies in how we see it; words vs. a literal picture, but words create images in our mind that we see as we read them. How easily we see these pictures depends on how well we use the words that create them. Also, both ways create feeling, but they do it in different ways.

There are two ways to create pictures with words. One way uses adjectives (or descriptive words), which I’ll talk about in future post. The other way uses action words (otherwise known as verbs). In so doing, there are different ways to describe one particular action, but you want to do it in a way that allows the mind’s eye to see it and focus on it better yet create feeling at the same time. Note the sentences below.

Sentence 1: John walked slowly to his car after a long day at work.
Sentence 2: John trudged across the parking lot after a long day at work.

The first sentence is weaker because, even though we see the action, it doesn’t give off any feeling. Not only that, but using an adverb, such as slowly, weakens the action. We can’t feel how tired John is as he’s walking across the parking lot. However, sentence 2 is stronger and more direct because we are better able to not only see the action clearer, but we feel how tired John is as well. I’m pretty sure most of you can identify with this after a long day at work yourselves.

This isn’t something you are going to up and do right off the bat as you’re writing your scenes, chapters, short stories, etc., because you don’t want to stop the flow of creativity. So this is what I recommend: write first, inspect second, fix/change third. Everyone is different, so work it in a way that makes sense to you.

If you need assistance finding stronger action words, there are a wide variety of resources out there to look at. Below are a few of them.

Here are some helpful links
http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/
http://www.creativejuicesbooks.com/action-verbs.html
https://www.apu.edu/live_data/files/288/strong_verbs.pdf
https://self-publishingschool.com/strong-verbs-list/

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Introduction

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog. I’m a new author but I’m not new to the field of writing. As an English teacher I had the pleasure of teaching young adults the writing process and putting together creative works of their own. The self-discovery they experienced was so much fun to witness. During this time I was creating a little something of my own. Writing a novel, short story, and even poetry is a journey, and, like my students, I made some self-discoveries of my own. Seeing as though I was working on my first novel, there was much I needed to learn, so I learned at the same time that I was writing my novel. Yes, this was a long road, but it’s the process one goes through that counts because by the end of it all you’ve grown not only as a writer but also as an individual.

My goal with this blog is to share with you the writing journey I took and teach/share with you what worked and what didn’t. I also want to share ideas, which in the world of writing are numerous. Whether you have writer’s block and need techniques to get over that hump, plotting out a story, or creating characters, the ideas are endless.

Before I get into everything writing, let me tell you a little about myself. As mentioned above, I was/am a teacher. Although I don’t teach anymore, I still consider myself a teacher. I taught secondary education for 8 glorious years. I learned as much from them as they did from me. It was fun, but I wanted to expand my skills as a teacher in other ways, so I became a teaching parent in a group home for boys. Working in this atmosphere was different but very rewarding because now it was all about teaching these teens about life skills. During this time I continued to write my novel as well.

I did quite a bit of traveling too and lived in many different places. As part of being a military wife, I lived in Germany. What an experience that was. There was culture shock at first, but there was so much to see and do that the culture shock didn’t last long. I even picked up some of the language. Later in college I learned it more fluently. Other places I lived were Arizona, Kansas, Georgia, Texas, and Michigan (I’m originally from here). Currently, I live in Oregon. I’ve traveled to Gettysburg; Washington DC., Arlington Cemetery, sailed on the USS Bonhomme Richard LHD-6 as naval reservist., and much more. Throughout these travels I still worked on my novel.

I’m currently married with a wonderful husband and 5 children. They are my life and have been very supportive of my career as a teacher and as a writer. Throughout raising my kids I still worked on my novel. My point here is that my life and what I know now and learned along the way has shaped me as a writer. Write everything down. Keep a journal or binder or both and refer back to them. Use this material because it can only serve to enrich your writing.

Again, welcome to my blog and thank you for stopping by. Please take a moment to subscribe below. Happy writing and learning.