Leave of Absence

Well, it pains me to say it...


...but I'm typing this from the public library.


Yes, we just moved into a new house, and our phone and internet hookup has been delayed for a while.


So, I'm going to take a leave of absence, so to speak, from blogging until I have more time.  Hopefully it won't be too long!  


Thanks for tuning in, and...

May your quills always be inspired,

J Cole

Things to Watch Out for pt. 2

Today, we're looking at part two of things to watch out for while writing creatively.

Number Two: Varying the Sentence Structure 

This can be a tricky one to really get comfortable with.  I know that in my own experience, it's something that only comes with practice.  So what am I talking about, exactly?

Well, I'm talking about not writing monotonously.  

How does that happen?  

Well, it's easy to do, really.  When I get into the 'groove', that is, when I get into the writing frame of mind, I end up writing without pause.  Spilling ideas on the paper like a child trying to pour a glass of milk, I finally reach a stopping point.  At that time, I go back and read over what I've just written, only to find that it's a bunch of the same sentences!  


What I mean is that they all have the same sentence structure.  It'll be a bunch of 'He did something adverbially with a certain emotion' sentences, like I took different words and stuck them in a mold--a template--and stamped them onto the paper in a neat little row!  How creative is that?  


The important thing, I suppose, is that I got the idea on the paper.  And it is the important thing.  This is, after all, the rough draft.  Polish can always come later.  But something to keep in mind while you're writing is that varying the sentence structure can make for a much better, more imaginative, read.  


One of the best ways to do such a thing is with participial phrases.  For example:


Swinging hilariously from a vine, Rowan flew by the other scientists in a blur.  

He spoke with authority, drawing upon memories from his childhood.


The sentences in green print, which are normal, perfectly fine, complete sentences, would be okay all by their lonesome, I suppose.  But if you have a bunch of this kind of sentence all right next to each other, it becomes very monotonous--kinda like Kevin Costner narrating Dances with Wolves.  

Yeah.  Nobody wants that.  


But if you break it up with participial phrases, which can either go before or after a main clause like those above, then suddenly the reading becomes a little easier and a whole lot more varied.  Little phrases like these are great ways to provide background information, thoughts, bodily reactions, etc. as well.  

One day, I'll perhaps include two things to watch out for in these 'Things to Watch Out for' blogs, but for now, I must end my musings.  You know what that means...

..::WORD OF THE DAY::.. 

Cuesta - [KWES-tuh]

- noun

1.) a long, low ridge with a relatively steep face or escarpment on one side and a long, gentle slope on the other

Example: The travelers crested the hill overlooking the city below, which was shaded now by the face of a grand cuesta formed by hundreds of years of mining.

*um, good luck using that one...*

May your quills always be inspired,

J Cole

Sketching, pt. 1

Today, I'd like to talk a little about sketching ... literarily, that is.  

 (yes, literarily is a word...look it up)

I think it's something that is easy to neglect, but can be a very important tool for any author.  So, what do I mean by sketching?  


Well, lets think about what sketching means in visual art.  The dictionary defines it as "a simply or hastily executed drawing or painting, especially a preliminary one, giving the essential features without the details."  An artist might scrawl a sketch in order to 1.) put a fleeting idea onto paper before he forgets it, 2.) try out a fresh idea for a new, untried concept, 3.) simply draw/paint for the sake of drawing/painting, or 4.) establish the framework for a finished piece to be drawn on top.  


A writer may use a sketch for the exact same reasons!  Because, as I have said before, creative writing is most definitively an art form.  The fourth point up there could be equated to a rough first draft of any work, and I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you know what a rough draft is.  Therefore, we'll take a look at literary sketching from the first three points-of-view.


1.) Those good 'ol fleeting ideas... 

It happens to all of us: something sparks an incredible idea, one that could topple the very foundations of all creative writing--one that could very well affect the fabric of the universe, rending a hole in the space-time continuum and flooding the world in a CREATIVE DELUGE OF PURE AWESOME!!!  


And then the phone rings.  By the time you've impatiently listened to the telemarketer's spiel and said "goodbye" (in terms none too kind), the final click of the phone dashes your world-rending idea to smithereens.  You forget.


I've spoken before about keeping a notebook with you in your pocket/purse/etc. to write down little ideas you get when you're on the go or doing something.  Sometimes, however (that is, once in a blue moon), you'll get an idea at an opportune time.  


Opportune time = I + T + M - P(i) where I=idea, T=a little free time, M=means of writing, P=pestering things and i=infinity.  


Which is to say, an opportune time is when you get an idea while simultaneously having a little time and a way to put it on paper/computer screen...without any distractions.


Of course, this doesn't happen very often (hence the uncreative 'blue moon' reference), but when it does, it can mean it's time to sketch!  


"How do I sketch in words?" you might ask.  Well, I'm glad you did!  

Basically, literary sketching is done without paying too much attention to all the rules.  It's "simply or hastily" put together, remember?  The point is to explore this idea that went through your head, down your nose, skipped off your heart and took the express out your fingers and into the world!  Therefore, rules don't apply as much here.  The point is to get the thought out of your mind!  Your mind is like a teeming jungle continent.  Do you know how easy it is to lose something in a continent?  Pretty easy, I'd say (not that I have a ton of experience in that particular field), not to mention the jungle part.  That's just because I was thinking of James Cameron's Avatar (great movie, by the way).  

Anyway...


Don't worry about cohesiveness, flow or polish.  The idea might be a certain plot line, character or perspective (what am I saying?  It could be anything! ).  Focus on this fresh idea, and mold it.  Play with it.  Explore it.  You're the pioneer, here, and remember that mind of yours?  Yeah, it's a jungle out there.  Bring your machete.  


This turned out to be pretty long, so I'll continue later about the other two sketching perspectives.  For now, I leave you with...

..::WORD OF THE DAY::.. 

Logorrhea - [log-uh-REE-uh]

- noun

1.) pathologically incoherent, repetitious speech

2.) incessant or compulsive talkativeness; wearisome volubility

Example: The governor, bashing the ears of his citizens with his gross logorrhea, nevertheless gained ample support from the elite.  

May your quills always be inspired,

J Cole

Image: Pixomar / FreeDigitalPhotos.net