Can't wait to get started!
Hi Zeal
I was not much of a reader in my younger days and lately I have started practicing the craft of writing; well I understand a good writer is also a good reader. I also have been introduced to some genres I didn't even know were out there and on top of it all, we have this wonderful site to discuss what we are reading. What could be better?
Looking forward to receiving Under This Unbroken Sky, and discovering what it has to offer.
Cora
Zeal wrote:
This book sounds very interesting to me. It offers a time and place that is unfamiliar to me, so I am looking forward to exploring that aspect; as well as, the plot, characters, etc. I used to think I knew what kind of book/genre was my favorite, but in the past two years I have been exposed to so many different genres and authors that I am looking at myself as more of an eclectic reader
Cora,
What type of writing do you do? Have you had anything published yet? I dabble a little in writing, but nothing serious yet.
Aimee
Coral50 wrote:
Hi Zeal
I was not much of a reader in my younger days and lately I have started practicing the craft of writing; well I understand a good writer is also a good reader. I also have been introduced to some genres I didn't even know were out there and on top of it all, we have this wonderful site to discuss what we are reading. What could be better?
Looking forward to receiving Under This Unbroken Sky, and discovering what it has to offer.
Cora
Zeal wrote:
This book sounds very interesting to me. It offers a time and place that is unfamiliar to me, so I am looking forward to exploring that aspect; as well as, the plot, characters, etc. I used to think I knew what kind of book/genre was my favorite, but in the past two years I have been exposed to so many different genres and authors that I am looking at myself as more of an eclectic reader
Hi Aimee (Zeal)? (one of the same?)
I'm a dabber, too. I started with journaling (still doing), tried technical articles in sewing magazines, and now I play with fiction. I would eventually like to write Christian Fiction. I try to practice writing from prompts daily, it helps build skills.
I wish you luck and success
Cora
Zeal wrote:Cora,
What type of writing do you do? Have you had anything published yet? I dabble a little in writing, but nothing serious yet.
Aimee
Coral50 wrote:
Hi Zeal
I was not much of a reader in my younger days and lately I have started practicing the craft of writing; well I understand a good writer is also a good reader. I also have been introduced to some genres I didn't even know were out there and on top of it all, we have this wonderful site to discuss what we are reading. What could be better?
Looking forward to receiving Under This Unbroken Sky, and discovering what it has to offer.
Cora
Zeal wrote:
This book sounds very interesting to me. It offers a time and place that is unfamiliar to me, so I am looking forward to exploring that aspect; as well as, the plot, characters, etc. I used to think I knew what kind of book/genre was my favorite, but in the past two years I have been exposed to so many different genres and authors that I am looking at myself as more of an eclectic reader
There is a ton of books out there for people who like to write. Anne Lamott is a very spiritual person. Natalie Goldberg is funny and gives great prompts. John Gardner is specific in his examples. Judith Barrington is intuitive and even though this book is about memoir writing, it applies to fiction as well. So does William Zinsser's collection of essays on "Inventing the Truth." So, some of my favorites:
Coral50,
I have been practicing the craft of writing as well. I'm a reader since I was four years-old. I loved HQ and adventure books and my parents always brought me some kind of reading. My writing practice started in my teens when I wrote poems (most of them truly romantic LOL). Then I started short stories and I got 4 literary prizes here (one of them chose the best 10 contemporary short stories' author of my state and I was one of them): 2 for poems and 2 for short stories. For years I have not written anything but drafts of short stories and pieces.
Coral50 wrote:
Hi Zeal
I was not much of a reader in my younger days and lately I have started practicing the craft of writing; well I understand a good writer is also a good reader. I also have been introduced to some genres I didn't even know were out there and on top of it all, we have this wonderful site to discuss what we are reading. What could be better?
Looking forward to receiving Under This Unbroken Sky, and discovering what it has to offer.
Cora
Zeal wrote:
This book sounds very interesting to me. It offers a time and place that is unfamiliar to me, so I am looking forward to exploring that aspect; as well as, the plot, characters, etc. I used to think I knew what kind of book/genre was my favorite, but in the past two years I have been exposed to so many different genres and authors that I am looking at myself as more of an eclectic reader
Hi Cora,
I just wrote a long, detailed praise of Judith Barrington, but somehow it went into orbit without showing up here. She is a poetic writer with a clear voice and and exemplary teaching skills. A friend of mine attended a workshop in which one of her books was used and he immediately bought the book for me. I think she approaches writing with the eye of a cinematographer, which I love. I took a screenwriting class some time ago and found it very helpful in dealing with imagery in fiction as well as in memoir.
For instance, Barrington explaines summary and scene and their places in fiction as if she were showing you a movie. That's how I've learned to develop characters; I let them parade past me early in the morning, while I am still in bed. I keep my eyes closed until they have established themselves; don't want them to disappear when I get up.
Judith Barrington - Award Winning Poet, Memoirist & Creative Writing Teacher
Coral50 wrote:Hi SunItcloud
Thank you for the suggestions. I like them all, except 2 of them I didn't know about, which are on my wish list now. I do have William Zinsser's, On Writing Well, but never heard of Inventing the Truth; and I haven't heard of Judith Barrington at all.
Cora
Another beautiful approach to fiction writing is Christopher Vogler's "The Writer's Journey." It brings together all the phases of mythic structure that are used in films like Titanic, The Lion King, Star Wars etc. It is no longer available at B&N as new book, only as used book. This makes me think of the ever-shifting expectations of readers. Maybe Vogler's style of creating a hero - making him leave home, forcing him to slay dragons, letting him be defeated a couple of times, and allowing him in the end to emerge as winner - is outdated. Nevertheless, I love it. Coffehouseforwriters.com used to teach a class using his approach.
Coral50 wrote:
Hi SunItcloud
Thank you for the suggestions. I like them all, except 2 of them I didn't know about, which are on my wish list now. I do have William Zinsser's, On Writing Well, but never heard of Inventing the Truth; and I haven't heard of Judith Barrington at all.
Cora
FYI Cora,
When I plugged the "Writer's Journey" into "Add Product" it didn't show up , but later I looked again and found out that it is still available new. It might be an updated edition. Since you have it you might look at it sometime; the hero's journey is really a very interesting concept - a very successful concept - and above all it stimulates the writer to dig deeper into characters, explore their inner workings, the results of their actions, etc. Somebody (somebody famous whom I can't remember
) said that the author must know everything about his hero, even if he/she does not divulge it all.
Last night I saw an interview with J K Rowling and she confirmed this. She had lived with her characters for so long that knowing what happened to them after they left her Harry Potter books is very important to her.
I haven't received Unbroken Sky yet either. I saw in a post that it has landed in France, which makes me think that it will come to California too. There must be an updraft over the Rocky Mountains derailing the oxcart. When the brown truck takes over we'll be next in line.
Coral50 wrote:
Hi SunItcloud
Yes, I have lost a lot to cyberspace. Wonder if someday it will show up somewhere...LOL
Thank you for the review, it has made me want to buy her book now, instead of waiting. Books going out of print is why I have sooo many books on the shelf and in stacks. I have had a few go out of print in the past before I bought them and they were either too expensive or not any good used ones around. I like to view used copies before buying.
I have The Writer's Journey, and glad I brought it since you say it is only available in used copies. It was highly recommended when I bought Dramatica software, still haven't learned the software or read the book. I bought the software to play around with my characters and story lines.
Still haven't received This Unbroken Sky, but in California we always get them last.
Cora
Cora,
Good luck to you as well! A lot of the writing I do is in my classroom with my 8th grade students. It really helps them to have a model, but also to see what a process writing really is. I make mistakes and rewrite in front of them, and it really helps them to take risks!
Aimee (Zeal...yep, one in the same
Coral50 wrote:Hi Aimee (Zeal)? (one of the same?)
I'm a dabber, too. I started with journaling (still doing), tried technical articles in sewing magazines, and now I play with fiction. I would eventually like to write Christian Fiction. I try to practice writing from prompts daily, it helps build skills.
I wish you luck and success
Cora
Zeal wrote:Cora,
What type of writing do you do? Have you had anything published yet? I dabble a little in writing, but nothing serious yet.
Aimee
Coral50 wrote:
Hi Zeal
I was not much of a reader in my younger days and lately I have started practicing the craft of writing; well I understand a good writer is also a good reader. I also have been introduced to some genres I didn't even know were out there and on top of it all, we have this wonderful site to discuss what we are reading. What could be better?
Looking forward to receiving Under This Unbroken Sky, and discovering what it has to offer.
Cora
Zeal wrote:
This book sounds very interesting to me. It offers a time and place that is unfamiliar to me, so I am looking forward to exploring that aspect; as well as, the plot, characters, etc. I used to think I knew what kind of book/genre was my favorite, but in the past two years I have been exposed to so many different genres and authors that I am looking at myself as more of an eclectic reader
