Make Them Feel It

 Words have an ability to affect us.

How does that happen?

Hitting on our senses in ways we don't expect. It draws the reader in.

Using the senses in writing.

without all the nastly 'ly' words.

 

Visceral is something I hear bandied about a lot in writing helps. What does it mean to provide the reader a visceral experience?

Our goal, as writers, is to force the reader to feel things in ways they can't defend against.

These are in no particular order.

Smell:

"He motions me inside, where I’m assaulted by the fumes of wood polish."

 

Touch/Texture:

"I feel thin, not the skinny model kind of thin, the kind of thin that’s like a string of chewing gum, about to snap."
 

Sound: 

"I don’t have to yell.  Whispering in this crowd offers a validity that can stand up to pedigree."

 

Taste:

"I’ve developed a taste for trouble. Like hot sauce, I’ve built a tolerance that I not only crave, but need to intensify."

 

See/Sight:

"We’ve lived on Rockwood Lane for sixteen years without any suggestion of ‘moving up’ or ‘moving out’. Then Mom bought red exterior paint and murdered our front door."

 

 

What I love about writing/reading is wording phrasing something in a way that makes me feel like a tourist in written world, experiencing things old and new in foreign ways,

thinking differently,

sensing things strangely.

 

Isn't that what it's all about?

One Stop For Writers: An Online Library Unlike Any Other

 

I've been giving a lot of thought to the time and love put into establishing a trusted and professional author network. This includes writers that I trust to hash out ideas with, inspire me to do better and seek resources to make my work the best it can me.

What if someone put together a place where you could go to meet every writerly need?
Some incredibly generous and talented people have done just that. And I'm sharing all the awesome with you here.

Every once in a while, something comes along that changes things for the better.

And in the world of writers, this is especially welcoming, because we all know just how much sweat, courage and persistence it takes to write a book and then release it into the world.



Today I’m pointing you toward a new website which I hope will help writers brainstorm stronger characters, craft deeper, more compelling plots, and teach us how to be more effective with our description so we draw readers in.

One Stop For Writers is a collaboration between Becca Puglisi and Angela Ackerman, authors of The Emotion Thesaurus, and Lee Powell, creator of Scrivener for Windows. This powerhouse online library is filled with one-of-a-kind descriptive thesaurus collections, tools, tutorials and much more, all geared to provide the resources you need to strengthen your prose and write more efficiently.

Want to check One Stop For Writers out?

Hop on over to Writers Helping Writers for their Launch Week festivities (October 7-14th)! If you know Angela, Lee and Becca already, you probably can guess there will be some great prizes, and probably a bit of paying-it-forward too.


I always feel a little bit of pride that my friends are so awesome--like it says something about the type of individual that I am drawn to--successful, hardworking, talented types--and I think that is contagious. So happy to be friends with you all.

My Favorite Writing Resources: Ackerman and Puglisi

It's a challenge to express emotion in an authentic and accurate way without sounding robotic.
Also, there's this drive as a writer to sound poetic and fresh with every single description...

At least for me the result is something like this.


There are helps to maybe cushion the desktop as we slam our heads against our keyboards:


Get out and experience: Then think about it in front of a mirror, or bring a little make-up mirror when you're out.

Sure, you'll look vain and self absorbed staring at your own face all the time...

Alright, this is an unrealistic suggestion if it's the only thing you use.

Yay, there's more! Here are some amazing HELPS.

The Emotion Thesaurus

http://www.amazon.com/Emotion-Thesaurus-Writers-Character-Expression/dp/1475004958/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1431210585&sr=8-1&keywords=Emotion+Thesaurus

"A book to help you write a book?"
Yes.
So much yes.

Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi are heroes among writers. I think of them as my best buddies because they've captured every range of weakness and made a Go-To-Guide just for me!
They know me so well.

Ok, I suppose everyone is welcome to their awesomeness.

Personally I work on 3x5 cards and list my character name at the top. Using

The Negative Trait Thesaurus:

 http://www.amazon.com/Negative-Trait-Thesaurus-Writers-Character/dp/0989772500/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1437681185&sr=8-1&keywords=negative+trait+thesaurus

I plot a character weakness, possible causes, and ways the weakness can be overcome or triggered in that character.


But, let's not leave the character emotionally unbalanced!

The Positive Trait Thesaurus:

http://www.amazon.com/Positive-Trait-Thesaurus-Character-Attributes/dp/0989772519/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1437681185&sr=8-2&keywords=negative+trait+thesaurus

Gives a nice rounded balance to each character, with some redeeming quality to round out their flaws. Even side characters have both aspects, though it might not be highlighted in my writing due to a non-importance for the reader to know all the background details in all the characters in a single story.


(rounded visual--in case this one was too confusing)

 BUT WAIT!

There is more to the Ackerman and Puglisi awesomeness than my favorite trio of writing resources.
Check out their place online:

http://writershelpingwriters.net/

Seriously, they know me so well. My best buddies (if they only knew me in real life).

Writing reality

I write every day.

Writing feels like this.



I LOVE it! I can't get enough.
So I'm a writer! It's awesome, right?

But....



It's more like this when I actually look at it... A bit sour and terrifying.

Which is why I like to think of myself as a reviser too.

Revision is like...



Whoa, that was awesome!
Was that magic?
No. It was editing. And everything is better for it.

Always writing. Forever revising.

High Five!

Or... Just...

Back to work.


Also--this is my first successful use of Gif's. I've tried to paste them here before and only got the code stuff on here. So woo! It worked. Way more fun than just words.

Five Reasos I Love Numbered or Bulleted Blog Posts

 

1.  Convenience.

It makes skimming for relevant information much more convenient. I mean, who has time to read entire paragraphs for the single point of interest? Not me.

2.  Pretty.

My eyes just prefer the look of things ordered.

3.  Plays to my skills.

I don’t want to totally claim and embrace the fact I lean toward lazy, but bulleted items help me grasp one or two main points that I can put energy toward improving without bogging my brain down in the overwhelming information inside each paragraph. Even this paragraph I’m writing at the very moment is getting a little overwhelming for me.

4.  Time saver.

Along the same lines as convenience. I don’t have time to sift through irreleivant information. My kids are hovering at my side, telling me to look at them (balancing shoes on their ears—it’s a little impressive). My phone is dinging that I have some sort of notification, the school just called that one of my kids has an overdue library book, and I have to fill out claim forms, work forms, and time cards. So, yes I’m ever so grateful for the blogger who takes the time to put their posts into a list that allows me to pick and choose where to spend my time while browsing their ideas and suggestions.

5.  Teaches me organized thinking.

I am not the most organized individual. I have piles of papers in every room of the house. Books I’m referencing stacked on all surfaces, and stuff (I don’t even want to figure out what it is) shoved behind, under, and inside every furniture item. Thank goodness that blog post shows me how a non-cluttered idea should be.

…Now to find a bulleted blog post about de-cluttering my home in five easy steps.

 

The Magic of Relating Experiences

I once read a blog post where a woman described being defecated on by her newborn son in such horrifically fascinating detail that I longed for the opportunity to commiserate her experience with her.
I've since changed my mind on that...

The art of relating an experience is what an author/writer aspires to do.
Doing it well is not only a skill, it's a master-craft.

Did you see Lego Movie?
Masterbuilders? Well there are MasterWriters.
Those are the people that can see the elements of an experience that can be arranged and highlighted in such fashion as to render the listener/reader incapable of turning away or closing the book.

Taking things from one mono-angle and elevating the perspective to widen your ability to appreciate the horror of butt-splosion from an unhappy infant.

We've all read the Facebook posts that say nothing more than *Boo, or some other derivation of bland complaint. Did you fall into the trap of following-up for more detail?
Did you get any more detail?
Often those who lack the vision to expound on their experiences from the start can't satisfy your curiosity (at least that's what I've decided to tell myself after totally falling for this kind of post and being left in the lurch).

How much more satisfying is being transported into a friends experience--getting a glimpse into their ability to manipulate an event based on their reinterpretation for entertainment sake? (I'm not talking exaggeration or falsification--far better. The ability to relate an event and make it so personal you know what someone is talking about even if it's never happened to you).
Last winter I was driving a particularly treacherous canyon road in the middle of a whiteout snowstorm. I was terrified. Literally scared out of my mind.
Guess what? That's not interesting.
And it didn't help me handle the situation with any additional skill or grace.

Drawing upon some story relator masters I had been devoting hours of spare time listening to/reading. I decided to *retell* myself the experience I was having.
Winter Olympics were happening during that time. It gave me a perfect opportunity to reshape the event.
NOTE: I'm still learning this craft of story relating--you will see the flaws, but this is a blog about the bumps in trying to bring myself up to the level of those I'm inspired by. Enjoy my amateurish awareness into new ways of thinking, speaking, sharing... :D

*I just won the gold medal in multi-ton vehicle canyon Luge! It was a white knuckle blind turn race with 27 competitors backed up behind me- poised to take the lead. No one could see worth crap. Making turns as we had all memorized them in the months of practice runs down and up the canyon. Practice paid off! We're alive! But, I got the gold- so HA!*

I failed to bring the reader into the moment the snowsheet cleared to reveal I was in the oncoming lane with a massive semi-truck yards way and closing. The only thing that saved me was the mind-numbingly slow speeds required under that kind of snow-terror-driving.

Practicing to re-frame my experiences, so that even I would want to have them, has a bonus effect.
My life is way more awesome than it used to be.
Almost every mundane event and experience can benefit from a change of angle. I have found I'm much more content day to day.
*If you see me staring insanely at nothing I'm being awesome. Ask me about it in ten minutes and I can relate to you how awesome the moment was.

If you want to experience True MasterWriters I'll direct you to:
Dan Carlin (this man is the best I've ever heard. Even if you have no interest in history, listening to his podcasts will heighten your expectations for retelling of events) Hardcore History
http://www.dancarlin.com/disp.php/hharchive
And anything written by Sara Baxter www.sarajbaxter.com. 
http://hahasforhoohas.com/stories/kindergarten-wisdom


There is magic in all things--If you know how to tell(show if you're writing, of course) it right.