Creative Writing – Page 12 – WRITE TIME AND AGAIN

Endurance

Posted on December 8, 2021 by L. M. Montes

Any of you out there who are long distance runners know that, when it comes to running, it takes endurance. You run until you reach your goal and you don’t stop. I’m not a long distance runner, but I have run distances up to 3 miles. Yes, there were times I wanted to stop. What I did was play mind games with myself by saying I’ll stop at the next corner. Then I would keep going at the next corner and say ‘ok, the next telephone pole I’ll stop’. Again, I’d keep going. I would do this all the way to the end. Eventually, I wouldn’t need to play these little games with myself because my body would get used to it.

The same thing goes for writing a novel. There are times you want to stop before you reach your goal of whatever word count you promised yourself you would write that day. So, you play a mind game. Let’s say you fixed yourself a goal of writing 1000 words everyday starting Monday. Monday comes and you are 500 words into your writing and you want to stop. You tell yourself, ‘ok, I can write 100 more words and I’ll stop.’ You accomplish this, except now when you reach the 600 word mark, you can’t stop because you’re on a roll. You keep going. All at once you look at your word count number and you have 1200 words. YAY!!! You went over your goal. Does this happen every time? No. If you find you just can not think of anything past the 500 word mark, then stop and come back to it later that day. Who said you have to write 1000 words in one sitting? As long as you reach your goal by the end of that day.

There will be down time when you need time to think about your story and what should come next. I call this ‘Planning Time’. So…plan away. I consider my walks as part of my planning time because it gives me time to relax and think about my story. Much can come from one’s brain when they relax. Another thing that will help keep up your writing endurance is by talking about your story with someone else. My daughter helps me with that. Let me tell you…it helps in a BIG way.

Writing your novel doesn’t have to be a chore, so make it fun. Run those fingers across the keyboard or your pencil across the paper. Let your brain run in several different directions as it thinks of new ideas for your story. Endure. You can do it.

Point of View

Point of View: Which to Choose

Posted on December 7, 2021 by L. M. Montes

On October 16, 2021 I wrote an article that talked about the various points of view in which a story teller can use to tell a story. I talked about the following points of view.

First Person POV
Third Person POV
- Third Person Omniscient
- Third Person Limited
- Third Person Objective

(Please refer to that article for details regarding each one) The purpose of this short article is to talk about which one should you choose. Very simply put, it’s up to you the writer. Which one will tell your story better? Well, to know this, you have to write your story in each of the points of view. That is, if you’re undecided upon which one to pick. After you’ve written your story in each point of view, read each one aloud. Doing this will give you a feel for which one suits your story more.

Poetry

Time by L. M. Montes

Posted on December 6, 2021December 6, 2021 by L. M. Montes

O’er the waves we sail,
To slow time’s pace but do fail,
Futile to prevail.

Tragedy so strikes,
Time it slows no speed it likes,
Through the heart it spikes.

by L. M. Montes

Poetry

O’er the Sea by L. M. Montes

Posted on December 2, 2021 by L. M. Montes

Photo by Melanie Wupperman on Pexels.com

Salt water air the seagulls breath,
Sand glides toward the waters sheath,
White feathered wings tickle evening skies,
With rolling waves as they sail by.

by L. M. Montes

Poetry

The Bay by L. M. Montes

Posted on December 1, 2021March 8, 2023 by L. M. Montes

Across the bay I gaze,
Mountains with hats of snow do laze,
Boats a-sailing waiver and weave
Upon the sapphire waves then leave.

by L. M. Montes

Poetry

Vanished by L. M. Montes

Posted on November 19, 2021April 28, 2022 by L. M. Montes

A memory,
A thought,
In the foreground of your mind,
It sits awhile and lingers
In the glow before your eye.

Moments tease,
Others please,
In the foreground of your mind,
They sit awhile and linger
But your memories said goodbye.

You’re older,
You languish,
In the background of your mind,
You sit awhile and linger
To await a past that died.

Poetry

Sorrow by L. M. Montes

Posted on November 10, 2021March 31, 2022 by L. M. Montes

The deepest sorrow ever felt,
was when true love had
come and knelt,
then kissed my hand and blew away,
and clutched my heart but would not stay.

Writing

Writing Prompts

Posted on October 21, 2021October 21, 2021 by L. M. Montes

Hi Everybody. Good Morning, Good Afternoon, or Good Evening depending on the part of the world you are in. I hope your day is going well, and I wish you many blessings and peace. Please find listed below a list of writing prompts. Whether you are writing a short story or a book, or if you are looking for something to write in your journal, this list should help you.

“Did you see this? Where did it come from?” asked Paul.
I took my usual walk in the woods. The quiet and hush of the forest cleared my mind. But…..
Jade grabbed her keys and stormed out the door.
“For get it. I said you…..”
We clinked our glasses together and stared into the other’s eyes while we sipped our Chardonnay. But little did Jack know…..
Suzy hugged her teddy bear and huddled close to her mother.
“Grab the hotdogs out of the refrigerator, would you? The grill is almost ready and…..”
“Ok, hold that pose. Hold it. Hold it. Ok now. Walk over…..”
The rowboat rocked and swayed, as the waves juggled it side to side.
Walking through the mown grass, I plucked petals from the yellow rose.
“Your arms are comfortable. I wish to never move,” cooed Katie.
“It’s ok. You’re safe now,” whispered John.
His chance of winning was slim, but he had to try.
“What do you want from me?” asked Millie.
“I think just found…”
“It’s your choice,” she shrugged.

Poetry

Coffee and a Book by L. M. Montes

Posted on October 21, 2021April 28, 2022 by L. M. Montes

You woke one morning to rain-drop spatter
A chill in the air did nip,
Out the window wind whipped,
The day now does not matter.

To the kitchen sluggish feet shuffle
Timed coffee now is pouring,
Aroma floats and tickles the nose,
You grab a book and a truffle.

The office and work the rain it took
Home soothed you so much better,
So get your blanket and bundle up
To coffee and a book.

By L. M. Montes

Dialogue

Dialogue: The Don’ts

Posted on October 20, 2021October 20, 2021 by L. M. Montes

Photo by Alexandr Podvalny on Pexels.com

In the real world we talk everyday, and what we say and talk about at the time could be part of a directed conversation about a topic or you may move from topic to topic. But, generally, what your are saying has nothing to do with moving a story forward, as in a book. Therefore, the dialogue/conversations in a the story you are writing should move the story forward. However, it needs to be done in such a way that it sounds real and everyday. So, how do you do this? Yes, this is a lot to think about, but remember you can go back later and fix it. I’ve said this before, get the words on the page first. Here are some things to keep in mind when writing dialogue.

Remember your dialogue tags. You don’t need a dialogue tag after every line of dialogue. Every now and then put one in to remind the reader of who is speaking.
Small talk is a killer. In real life we make small talk all the time for different reasons. Maybe we’re nervous and don’t know what to talk about, so we end up saying little tidbits of information to try and break the ice. In real life though, we aren’t trying to advance a story/plot. So, leave the small talk out of your dialogue, unless of course it advances your story/plot.
Keep it natural. Make sure your dialogue sounds natural. One good way to tell if it sounds natural or not is to read it out loud.
No same sounding characters. This closely relates to voice. I touched on this in a previous blog post (Voice from September 21, 2021) Make sure your characters sound different when they are speaking. Word choice, dialect, and how they say something all plays a part in this. Maybe one of your characters has a signature word they like to say. Use that.
Using names in dialogue. Normally, one wouldn’t use someone else’s name when speaking to someone else unless one is trying to get the attention of the other or make a point. However, if it DOES work, then use it. But be careful.
Using exposition can bore. When a character explains the story in dialogue it ends up being a form of telling. What happens when you ‘tell’ a story vs. ‘show’? You risk losing the reader. Obviously, you don’t want this. So, stay away from this.
Don’t use ‘said’ all the time. Please refer to my blog post Words to Write By on October 18, 2021.
Be accurate and consistent with punctuation. Some writers like to use double quotation marks (“), and some writers like to use single quotation marks (‘). Pick one and stick with it. Just don’t forget to use them. I knew a writer who, when I asked her what she felt her weakness was as it relates to story writing, said it was remembering to put the quotation marks in.
Conversation that is unimportant doesn’t belong. If a conversation between your characters doesn’t cause some kind of friction, tension, or if it doesn’t advance the story/plot at all, leave it out.
Silence is a good thing. Too much conversation can be detrimental to the story so be careful. Silence can add a lot to a conversation sometimes.

I know this is much to think about, but don’t sweat it too much. If you need someone to check your dialogue, have a writing buddy read it and give you feedback. Also there are some good books out there about dialogue. Here are some suggestions below (You can find any of them on Amazon):

How to Write Dazzling Dialogue: The Fastest Way to Improve Any Manuscript by James Scott Bell
The Writers Guide to Realistic Dialogue by S. A. Soule
Writing Vivid Dialogue: Professional Techniques for Fiction Authors by Rayne Hall