Yes, do! It's hugely effective to look at a draft from various angles. Something opens up for me every time I do this. I instantly "see" another, deeper way into the story. Thanks for reading and commenting, Andrei!
LOVE #4 especially. Yea! I think this about almost all my writing. I guess that’s why I’m writing on Substack 😂. My rule of thumb, as a ‘serious’ published writer, is: If it’s safe, politically correct or within traditional boundaries it’s probably boring and I don’t want it! I want transgressive writing. I want danger. I want vulnerability and risk on the page. Safety? That’s for MFA students. Gimme literature.
Just published an essay about this on my stack a la George Orwell and the regression of language in contemporary times.
I feel like microfilming these tips and having them in an ampule ... all the time
Aw, thanks for reading, Romana. I'm glad you found them useful!
Thank you! This list is very helpful. I love the one about first person and taking out the I. No pun intended.🤣
Thanks so much for stopping by, Brenda! Glad you enjoyed the post. :-)
Marvellous ideas. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for reading, Angela!
All our students LOVE MadLibs - what a wonderful suggestion! Thank you.
It's a fun exercise and it has helped me more than once to just keep moving forward! Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
Very informative, Kathy. I really want to try the ones about taking apart and squeezing together paragraphs. They sound fun!
Yes, do! It's hugely effective to look at a draft from various angles. Something opens up for me every time I do this. I instantly "see" another, deeper way into the story. Thanks for reading and commenting, Andrei!
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I’m going to try these. Thanks, Kathy!
Oh great! Let me know how it goes, Nicholas. Thanks for stopping by!
I love these ideas! I’m going to save this article and come back to it when I find myself in this predicament. Thank you so much!
Appreciate the read, Justin! Thanks so much!
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Kathy, I was about to give up on a dried up blog post (with bits of gold). You've inspired me to give it a go again with these playful exercises.
Oh yay, I'm so glad to hear it, Marlena! Thanks for reading!
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I love this so very much. Thank you, Kathy!
Thank you, Angie!
What a great list, Kathy! Thank you!
Thanks for reading, Mary!
these hints are delicious. Send me that story with the peacock!
Thanks for reading, Bev! Some famous writer did the peacock thing, I think. ;-)
Wonderful article!
Thanks for reading, Jennifer!
LOVE #4 especially. Yea! I think this about almost all my writing. I guess that’s why I’m writing on Substack 😂. My rule of thumb, as a ‘serious’ published writer, is: If it’s safe, politically correct or within traditional boundaries it’s probably boring and I don’t want it! I want transgressive writing. I want danger. I want vulnerability and risk on the page. Safety? That’s for MFA students. Gimme literature.
Just published an essay about this on my stack a la George Orwell and the regression of language in contemporary times.
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Michael Mohr
‘Sincere American Writing’
https://michaelmohr.substack.com/
Thanks so much for reading and commenting, Garrett! I'm pretty much on board with anything Joy Williams has to say, but yes, especially re: animals.
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Ha, I appreciate your stopping by, DuVay! Thanks to Midwest Magpie for the recommendation, too!
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