By Indie Authors for Indie Authors.
As writers, we tend to spend long periods of time staring at our own handwriting. But is there something meaningful behind the way we jot down words? According to graphology, the study of handwriting, our unique scribblings can provide windows into our personalities, emotions, and mindsets. It is contested whether or not analyzing one’s handwriting is a completely accurate science, but it can make for an intriguing, introspective activity nonetheless.
Writing your very first story is an incredible rush of adrenaline for the mind. You’re so exuberant and full of energy, you twist and you turn in your mind, trying to keep up with yourself. It’s like holding onto the leash around your dog’s neck and standing on a skateboard. But we should be grateful that our minds have that ability to be suddenly pumped full of such passion and fire. Creative writing is one of the most beautiful things that humanity has ever done. It’s the window into our soul, our fears, hopes, and dreams. So why should we not pass on this talent and gift to the next generation?
Teaching them the value of an objective and narrative in a story relays back to the issues we face in the real world. Identifying problems, causes and solutions begin with the creation of a protagonist and antagonist in our stories. What’s the issue and what can be done to solve it? What kinds of adept complex questions are we asking the reader? There’s so much we can give by asking our kids to write their first book while we’re at their side.
Burrowed deep in our psyche are the things that frighten us most, the things that give us pure ecstasy and make us human. Getting children to write their very first book, try to get them to access this in their minds. The piercing light of any great story are questions that haunt us all, but due to the nature of the author, they’re told from a different perspective. Formulating thoughts takes tremendous patience if we’re really honest. There are so many layers to our thinking that we simplify our thoughts to function in this rapid fast-paced life we lead.
Cutting the story and therefore inadvertently the book, children should be taught the importance of writing composition. The introduction is crucial for the reader as they need to be sucked in almost without volition. Immediately striking in must be the conflict, because the reader needs to care about what’s going on. The resounding hope of a resolution and together figures that can attain it must be identified in opposition to the conflict. And finally, the ending or the conclusion of the plot that leaves the reader with either a memorable finale or questions still being asked.
(Credit PIXNIO)
Children will be embarrassed when they write their first book because they’re conscious of the fact that it might not make sense to other people. This is especially true when you’re critiquing their work for basic errors such as spelling mistakes and the narrative not staying on track.
Give them encouragement when they get frustrated and lack self-confidence. If they have a change of heart and want to change their story, enable them to do so. In the early days, don’t try too hard to steer them in one direction. Allow them to fluctuate and wrestle with their imagination. Your job is to give them structure and keep them focussed so they make progress with each page their write.
It’s a wonderful thing to see a child lost in their own imagination. Their stories will tell you a lot about their personality. The whirlwind adventure they take themselves on will never be forgotten. Even when they’re older, looking back they’ll be conscious of the precious gift you gave them or creative writing.
Find more writing and publishing tips at Nothing Any Good.
It’s been a minute since we’ve had Author Tweets of the Week. (You would think that it would be a weekly feature given the name wouldn’t you?!?) Let’s kick things off on the right foot. A little inspiration for your weekend.
Start NOW! A year from now you may wish you started today.
— Scott Levy (@FuelOnline) May 7, 2018
Today is the day to start, friends! Sit down today and write. Don’t wait. You don’t have to do it all at once. You don’t need to write everything you’ve ever wanted to write today. Just sit down and spend 30 minutes today. Get in the habit now!
https://twitter.com/byMorganWright/status/993839547858464769
Once you’ve started writing, keep going. Persist!
https://twitter.com/nkpalgal/status/993572844511547394
If you’re looking for a little inspiration to jumpstart your writing, @nkpalgal is exactly right. Music is incredibly powerful. Check out my guest post at Sally Ember’s blog on how music can inspire you to creativity.
I met this bird at lunch, somebody had pooped on her head. She was still putting herself out there and she got so much lunch
Think of this bird next time you're thinking about throwing in the towel pic.twitter.com/XqdNMaP97b
— Emma Coats (@lawnrocket) May 3, 2018
Love this moment from @lawnrocket! Be like this bird, friends! Keep writing, even through adversity.
This!! pic.twitter.com/QHCvnagSzs
— Scott Levy (@FuelOnline) February 7, 2018
This is funny, and there’s a side of me that says, “Right on! Way to go. Talk to each other!” But if I’m being honest, if I go into a coffee shop and they don’t have WiFi, nine times out of ten I turn right back around and walk to another coffee shop (usually right across the street).
If something is wrong, fix it if you can. But train yourself not to worry. Worry never fixes anything.
ERNEST HEMINGWAY#amwriting #fiction— Jon Winokur (@AdviceToWriters) May 7, 2018
Great advice from one of the most famous American writers. Fix what you can, don’t worry about what you cannot.
I vehemently believe that the greatest ally you can have as a writer is someone who loves your work, believes in you completely, and has no qualms about telling you that the thing you just wrote is not up to your standards.
If you have this person, hug them and buy them stuff.
— Barlow Adams (@BarlowAdams) May 5, 2018
Find this person as a writer. Find them a keep them close. If you’re luck enough to have multiple people like this, count your blessings and protect your relationship with them.
“Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody's ever made before. Don't freeze, don't stop, don't worry that it isn't good enough, or it isn't perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.” – Neil Gaiman #amwriting Writing. pic.twitter.com/WwC0iY8bwO
— Writing & Editing (@WrtrStat) May 2, 2018
Shoot your shot, friends. That’s all you can do. If it doesn’t work out, if you miss, that’s okay. It’s all apart of the process. Put yourselves out there and make the glorious mistakes that are uniquely yours. Write your story.
Finally, rather than encouragement and inspiration to follow your writing passion to end the week, I leave with inspiration to love more.
https://twitter.com/KateStewart22/status/982731006389170176
https://twitter.com/mindfulheal/status/992302484365312001
Love a little more this weekend, friends. There’s always room to love more. Embrace compassion.
Have a wonderful weekend! Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and Facebook. Signup to my email list to receive a free copy of “40 Tips on Creative Writing“.
Find more writing and publishing tips at Nothing Any Good.
For this week’s Tweets of the Week, I’ve decided we will focus on humorous, inspirational, and poignant writing tweets from one of the best #amwriting tweeters in the business: @byMorganWright. For the first time ever, all tweets will be coming from one source. Here we go!
How all writers should handle bad reviews…#writerslife #writingtips #amwritingpic.twitter.com/dibpd7NUrP
— Morgan Wright (@byMorganWright) April 4, 2018
If you’re not getting bad reviews, you didn’t try anything interesting. Your writing is probably too blasé. Don’t sweat the bad reviews! (Oh and also, this is a great movie.)
Writing a book is like…#writerslife #amwriting pic.twitter.com/lSKkHj8rXN
— Morgan Wright (@byMorganWright) April 4, 2018
Everyone is collective nodding their heads right now.
The Struggle is Real.#writerslife #amwriting #shortstories pic.twitter.com/pGIy9336YM
— Morgan Wright (@byMorganWright) April 3, 2018
Hahaha! 😂
Haha! 😂
Whaaaaaa waaaaaahhhh! 😭😭😭😭
So true. Is this a bad time to mention that my book of short stories is available?!?
10 things every serious writer has…#writerslife #amwriting pic.twitter.com/cvUbyWuz4c
— Morgan Wright (@byMorganWright) April 3, 2018
The other day my wife complained about how many journals I have around the house, and how most of them only have my scrawled notes on a couple pages. 🤷♂️
I'm curious…
Would you go on a blind date with a book? #bookworms #amreading #books pic.twitter.com/as59kZG9vS— Morgan Wright (@byMorganWright) April 4, 2018
Fun! I love this idea. Quick story time…before my older brother was married and was in the dating world, one of the first dates he loved to do was go to a bookstore after dinner. He would agree with his date that they would both go find a book to gift to each other. He loved doing it and he felt he found out a lot about the other person from that simple experience. So there you go! If you’re looking for a date idea…
Well played.#booklovers #amreading pic.twitter.com/QUVA3Dbbhl
— Morgan Wright (@byMorganWright) April 3, 2018
At first I thought this is really funny and clever, but then I pictured myself in that bookstore. This is annoying! It would be such a pain in the ass to try and find the mystery novel you’ve been searching for!!
https://twitter.com/byMorganWright/status/981204059045711872
Now this one is funny!
All right, let’s wrap up the week with some inspiration.
https://twitter.com/byMorganWright/status/981207231327764485
This is so true. It is one of the only professions that you can become simply through the act of doing it. The moment you start writing, you are a writer.
To #write something you have to risk making a fool of yourself.
– Anne Rice #writerslife pic.twitter.com/OOAnVZfJ7O— Morgan Wright (@byMorganWright) April 3, 2018
Make fools of yourselves friends! Be ridiculous! Be weird.
You don't start out writing good stuff…#writerslife #amwriting pic.twitter.com/677QCA5R5l
— Morgan Wright (@byMorganWright) April 3, 2018
I love this. Persistence is one of the best qualities to lead you to success. Stick with it! Continue pursuing your passion.
Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and Facebook. You can sign up for my emails and to receive the three most interesting things I see each week. You’ll get a free copy of my book 40 Tips on Creative Writing by signing up as well (25% of the book). How can you compete with free?!
Have a wonderful weekend, friends! Keep writing!
Find more writing and publishing tips at Nothing Any Good.
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