Woe Is the Writer

What!? No 'E'?

2008-04-03T00:30:00.002-04:00

In 1939 an author named Ernest Vincent wrote a 50,000 word novel called 'Gadsby'. The only thing unusual about the novel is that there is not a single letter e in the whole thing.

Importance Of Punctuation

2008-02-22T21:56:00.004-05:00

An English professor wrote the words:

"A woman without her man is nothing"

on the chalkboard and asked his students to punctuate it correctly.

All of the males in the class wrote:

"A woman, without her man, is nothing."

All the females in the class wrote:

"A woman: without her, man is nothing."

Punctuation is powerful.

Dreams In Gonzovision

2008-02-12T23:23:00.004-05:00

So I had a dream about Hunter S. Thompson last night: he came to see me (for who knows what reason). This was the aged HST, post/mid-adventure HST - a man who would have a lot to say and alot of great stories to tell. Very exciting.

I know we have a limited amount of time for this visit, but instead of me getting to sit and just listen to the man talk, all of these unknown people start coming in and out of the room, asking him dumb questions, not even letting him speak, giving meaningless interviews and taking photos.

You could tell he didn't want to be there - that he was frustrated. What a waste.

I like to think the real Hunter would have kindly interrupted with:

Shut the fuck up and let me talk!

*shrugs*

Poetry Form: Acrostic

2007-12-15T12:14:00.000-05:00

The Acrostic poem comes from the Greek word akros - "at the end," and stichos - "line."

The Acrostic poem is written by taking a word or words and writing it vertically, then, write a verse for each letter, so that each letter begins the verse.

Example:

You are armed with all the means to
end this pain, this doubt, this endless
surrender
take it from me, I've seen too many ghosts
etched out in existence
riding the waves of eternal self-pity
do not end this today - today is too late
and tomorrow comes and come and comes
yesterday was the right time.

The Paper - (1994)

2007-12-08T02:39:00.000-05:00

"Stop the presses!"

For anyone who has worked for a paper, this movie will hit home! (And if you've never worked for a paper, you will surely scratch your head in bewildered amusement!)

'The Paper,' staring Micheal Keaton, Robert Duvall, Glenn Close, Marisa Tomei, and Randy Quaid, captures all the excitement and frustration of getting the story and making the deadline. Definitely a must see!

Hunter S. Thompson - On Writing

2007-07-24T13:15:00.000-04:00

"You can be a writer, and get away with it."

Street 6

2007-07-14T02:49:00.000-04:00

http://www.kairosliterary.com/street/index.html

Just received a letter of acceptance for this publication.

From August 3rd to September 13th, 2007, starting from the downtown Hamilton entrance on King street, from Wellington to Mary (Hamilton International Village), poetry reflecting our "shared urban experience" can be perused in the windows of various local businesses.

The poetry can also be read via the publication, 'Street 6.'

I love this city.

Steel

down a one-way street
Smoke drift,
on this hot
music scene
Plunge
into hearty
flavours of the world
When work is done
in Hamilton

Who Pissed In Your Coffee?

2007-07-11T10:03:00.000-04:00

On the Page (aka what I'm working on):

Still flexing those muscles
'Perspectives' Magazine Submission - http://perspectivesmagazine.googlepages.com/
Reading 'The Right To Write' by Julia Cameron (will blog on that later)
Updating the ezine (Words Words Words)
Checking out a new venue to hold writer's meetings

Off the Page (aka recent procrastinations):

Contemplating a new poetry collection/book
Completely avoiding any research or writing involving my book

My Therapist Gave Me a Papermate

2007-05-30T17:06:00.001-04:00

On the Page (aka what I'm working on):

Flexing the creative muscles
'Street' submission - http://www.kairosliterary.com/street/index.html
'Perspectives' Magazine submission - http://perspectivesmagazine.googlepages.com/
Meeting with the Kairos Board and Advisory Committee on June 6, 2007
Reading 'The Right To Write' by Julia Cameron (will blog on that later)

Off the Page (aka recent procrastinations):

Contemplating a new poetry collection/book for the fall
Completely avoiding any research or writing involving my book!
Checking out a new venue to hold writer's meetings in
Updating the ezine (Words Words Words)

Writer's Block II

2007-05-14T19:42:00.001-04:00

Winter Woes

2007-05-10T14:18:00.000-04:00

This past winter, my pen collected dust as I spent the majority of my time as a recluse, basically devoid of any creative productivity.

I suffer from a seasonal depression that makes keeping up any social responsibilities seem impossible during the darker half of the year: so, not only did I not write for the better part of five months, but I didn't meet with any writers either.

It wasn't until this Tuesday that I realized just how dry I had become from the lack of creative support I would have gotten from meeting with my fellow writers.

As soon as I sat down to literary conversation with other like-minds, I felt plugged-in and the surge of creative juices began to flow through me, once again.

And I realized how wrong it had been for me, how unhealthy to my mental and creative health it had been, to deprive myself of this for such a long period.

In this I've learned to appreciate how truly beneficial it is to socialize with other writers on a regular basis: it truly does fuel the fire that burns in me to write - a fire I will need desperately come next winter.

On The Move

2007-03-08T02:37:00.008-05:00

A Few Updates:

As of January 2007, I am no longer Hamilton Branch Manager of The Ontario Poetry Society: After giving it a shot for a few years, I've decided the position just isn't right for me.

I wish TOPS the best of luck in all their poetic endeavors, and thanks to Bunny Iskov for giving me the opportunity.
I've been MIA for the past few months due to health issues and I am currently in a rush to get packed and moved for March 17th (which I am very excited about).

Wish me luck, and come back soon for updates and new content!

Words Words Words

2006-12-31T12:07:00.000-05:00

Do you like to read? Of course you do!

The new issue of 'Words Words Words' literary ezine is available at http://wwwezine.blogspot.com

Do you like to write? Of course you do, why else would you be visiting little old me?

The ezine is looking for submissions of articles, poetry, short fiction, book reviews, and anything else literary related.

You can find the complete contributor's guidelines here.

I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think.

Editorially,

Marylin Houle.

I'm A Terza Rima

2006-12-21T23:29:00.000-05:00

I'm terza rima, and I talk and smile.
Where others lock their rhymes and thoughts away
I let mine out, and chatter all the while.

I'm rarely on my own - a wasted day
Is any day that's spent without a friend,
With nothing much to do or hear or say.

I like to be with people, and depend
On company for being entertained;
Which seems a good solution, in the end.

What Poetry Form Are You?

On making submissions...

2006-12-19T17:41:00.000-05:00

I run a little literary ezine called Words Words Words for which I receive many submissions of poetry, stories, articles, etc.

Well I thought I had seen the worst of the worst when it comes to bad submission etiquette, but after what I received today, I can honestly say this particular one tops them all.

A forwarded message arrives in my mailbox complete with six or seven other publications tucked into the recipient box.

Rule number one: never submit to multiple publications all in one email - it is unprofessional and insulting, and your submission will probably not get accepted because the editor can see that the work will probably appear elsewhere.This also tells the editor that you're not interested in their publication, you're just interested in getting your work out to as many places as possible in hopes that someone will grab.

In this message I found a poem. No introduction, no hello-my-name-is, or any other information - just a poem.

Needless to say I didn't end up reading that poem. My publication is too busy supporting writers who actually take the time to say "hello I'd like to submit so and so for publication..." to be able to investigate someone who could care less.

Rule number two: always include an introduction or query with your submission (most editors ask for this even before you get to send your work to them), telling the editor who you are, what you have for them, and why it is worth their time.

All of this may seem petty but when it comes down to it, it can be the deciding factor in whether or not you are published.

Editors are busy people and some aren't as leniant as others. Your submission will be tossed out if the editor has to do too much work just to find out what you're submitting.

So I ended up sending this person an email explaining to them why I could not accept their submission at this time.

If they decide to take my advice and try again in the future, I think they will find better luck in getting their work accepted.

Hallelujah to the writers who take the time to query!

Editorially yours,

Marylin.

Naysayers

2006-12-17T08:24:00.000-05:00

"You can't make a living as a writer."

"Yes, you're good with that artsy stuff, but that don't pay the bills."

Well, all of the reading material in the world - books, magazines, brochures, advertisements, internet, manuals, greeting cards, instructions, etc. - is done by writers.

There is a constant need for writers in this world, and though the field is competitive, it is no different than any other occupation.

Although it is hard work to make a living as a writer, it is not only possible, it is something that the world is and always will be, in high demand of.

If people keep listening to negative naysayers there will be nothing left of quality to read in the world.

Makes you think, doesn't it?

Writer's Block

2006-12-16T06:12:00.000-05:00

How to Write Great Dialogue

2006-12-14T04:38:00.000-05:00

by Steve Manning

Dialogue isn’t so much read as it is heard by the reader. The eyes see the words on the page, the brain processes the thought, but then that little voice we all have in the back of our head becomes the character and actually says the words.

We immediately hear those words and decide whether the dialogue is legitimate. We decide whether the character, as we know him or her so far, would actually talk that way. If we don’t know the character at all, we use a very broad baseline and decide whether we’d accept a stranger on the street talking that way.

So to develop a winning technique for writing dialogue, you’ve got to listen to the way people speak. Family members, relatives, strangers, people on the telephone. What do they sound like?

You’ll notice that they almost all speak in short sentences. Two, perhaps three sentences at the most before they expect someone else to chime in.

Their paragraphs really do focus on just one thought or idea.

Our society abhors a vacuum, so a pause happens between speakers, not in the middle of one-person’s thought. That’s also why a pause can be one of the most powerful dialogue tools when it’s used in a play. The audience wants someone to say something, anything, to relieve the level of anticipation.

When people speak, they use simple language. Yes, I’ve know a few people who can speak wonderfully with an extensive vocabulary and make it sound totally natural. But that’s the exception. Make your dialogue very simplistic.

If you actually transcribed what people say as they talk, and then read it a few days later, you’d really have a tough time understanding what they were saying. The ums, the ahs, the tics, the embarrassed laughter, the stops and starts. They’d actually read like idiots.

But when we listen to those people, we filter out all that verbal debris. So when you write dialogue, don’t include it. You become the debris filter. Your dialogue doesn’t become more realistic simply because the character reads like an imbecile… unless you want your character to actually come across that way.

Unless you’re writing a play, keep dialogue to an absolute minimum. Don’t tell, show. Don’t have a character explain a situation if describing the scene that does the same thing.

Also, people don’t talk to themselves out loud, and their inner thoughts rarely take the form of dialogue. You’ll have to come up with a solution to that one for your story. An excellent example of this is the movie Castaway, with Tom Hanks.

It isn’t until we need some explanation that Wilson, a companion volleyball, makes an appearance.

Accents are fun, and Mark Twain received high praise as a writer who finally wrote the way people spoke.

But if you have a lot of dialogue, a heavy southern accent can become tiresome on the printed page. Tell the reader the character speaks with a southern accent and let them mentally fill in the drawl.

Finally, keep the “he saids,” and “she saids” to a minimum. At any point in great dialogue the reader should know who’s talking without much assistance from the author.

Steve Manning is a master writer showing thousands of people how they can write their book faster than they ever thought possible. Here's your free Special Report, http://www.WriteABookNow.com/main.html.

Research Survey

2006-12-12T20:05:00.000-05:00

For the purposes of the book I am currently writing, I ask you to respond to the following questions as best you can. Anything you send to me will be for my eyes only, I assure full confidentiality. Please email your responses to houlemarylin@yahoo.ca. Thanks for your time!

Question 1:

Many people have their own view of Jesus Christ, whether they are Christian or not. Some people's relationship with Christ is on a spiritual level, some believe he is just a historical figure, and others have different views.

I, myself, am a Pagan - yet I have my own personal ideas, beliefs, and views on Jesus.

How do you see Jesus Christ, personally?

Question 2:

(A follow up on question 1) The Gospels were written by people who knew Christ when he was alive, namely, his disciples. For that reason, we don't really get a good idea of what Jesus was like as a person: his mannerisms, habits, sense of humor, etc. - the way we would know a good friend.

Imagine you were alive at the time of Christ and knew him quite personally: what would it be like to have a conversation with him? What would he be like? What kind of things would he do/say? What kind of personality would he have? Use your imagination to picture hanging out with him and tell me what it's like to know Christ.

Question 3:

(A follow up on question 2)

With question two in mind, what do you think some of the other prominent characters in the bible were like as people? The disciples, Mary Mother of Jesus, Joseph, Mary Magdalene, etc. ?

I'm No Nine-to-Fiver

2006-12-08T22:46:00.000-05:00

Is there something wrong with not wanting a high paying, super status, blow-my-money-on-years-of-school job?

Apparently it's been planted in our brains somewhere in life that without the above, we will somehow be in the below.

Not that there's anything wrong with having a plan: I'm a big plan fan. But there are those of us out there that really don't need all the hoopla. Those of us whose time is better spent doing what we do rather than stay in the waiting room of University programs, college schedules, and the horrible "but I need a plan before it's too late" kind of thinking.

Should I continue confusing myself with delusions of finely drawn career plans or should I just do what I do, often, better, and for money?

Woe is the writer who in calling herself by name should feel somehow inferior to any other nine to fiver.

Maybe the question isn't so much in the planning as what we really should be planning for.

Gifts For Writers

2006-11-21T19:31:00.000-05:00

12 Gift Ideas for the literary people on your list

There's nothing nicer than receiving gifts from people who have put a lot of thought and care into them. It's definitely a lot better than those fruit cakes or anagrammed sweaters that are two sizes too small/large.

So what do you get for those literary people on your list? Those writers, poets, die-hard fans of anything and everything literary related? Chances are, if you're a literary person yourself, you know at least one other person who fits this description.

Well, here are some great ideas to choose from that I know I would love to unwrap!

On the first day of Christmas?

A Calendar! Check out some of the ones at Amazon: Book Lovers, A Reader's Collection, Book Lust, Forgotten English, Quotable Shakespeare, Poetry Speaks, Shakespeare's Insults, Anguished English, Shakespeare's Realm, The Writer's Desk, Irish Writers, Magnetic Poetry

On the second day of Christmas?

A Book Light is always handy

On the third day of Christmas?

A Lap Table for writing in bed or any place where a writing surface is needed

On the fourth day of Christmas?

A Literary Vacation - for those who can afford it, that is: The Literary Tuscany Tour (www.literarytuscanytours.com) and Shakespeare Remembered (www.britishtours.com) From $1,500.

On the fifth day of Christmas?

A Postage Scale for sending manuscripts and other submissions as well as envelopes and stamps.

On the sixth day of Christmas?

Word Game Books! Crossword, Word Find, etc.

On the seventh day of Christmas?

A Poster of a favorite author (www.allposters.com)

On the eighth day of Christmas?

A Gift Certificate for a cafe, bookstore, writing course/seminar, etc.

On the ninth day of Christmas?

A Magazine Subscription: Writer's Digest www.writersdigest.com, Poets & Writers www.pw.org, Writer's Journal www.writersjournal.com, SpecFicMe www.specficworld.com, Speculations www.speculations.com

On the tenth day of Christmas?

A Book (http://www.amazon.ca)

On the Eleventh day of Christmas?

Pens! (if you know their favorite brand that's a bonus)

On the twelfth day of Christmas?

Notebooks!

And a partridge in a pear tree!

Busy Bodies - http://www.cafepress.com/busybodies/250486
The Library Shop - http://www.thelibraryshop.org/writerscorner.html
Passion4Pens - http://www.passion4pens.com/
The Writer At Work - http://www.thewriteratwork.com/
Creative Papers Online - http://handmade-paper.us/
Shakespeare's Den - http://www.shakespearesden.com
Quincy Shop - http://www.quincyshop.com/
The Writer's Store - http://www.ebookcrossroads.com/writers-store.html
Cool Stuff For Writers - http://www.coolstuff4writers.com/...
Levenger - http://www.levenger.com/
The Writer's Desk at The Mary Baker Eddy Library http://shop.marybakereddy...
Gifts For Artists - http://giftsforartists.thepauper.com/writer_gifts.asp

Dream A Little Dream

2006-11-20T17:44:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I have dreams where I'm writing something really good, but when I wake up, I have no idea what it was I was writing!

Although frustrating, the dream still carries a strong message for me: the activity of writing in the dream was a very satisfying one, which indicates a need for doing the same thing in waking life.

Write - & be happy.

Forget The Big Picture

2006-11-12T16:55:00.000-05:00

“I can picture it now: I’ll get my novel published for big bucks and end up a famous author!”

“Really! How far along are you?”

“Um, I haven’t started yet.”

Have you ever had this conversation? How many times have you planned to write something and found yourself struggling to even begin the piece?

This has been me so often it’s embarrassing. But I can let you in on the secret that will end this kind of pattern: Forget the big picture!

So often when we’re eager to write something, we get so hyped about it, envisioning the finished product and how well it will do. We’re so stuck in fantasies of publication contracts and notoriety that the actual task of writing the piece becomes over-whelming. We think, “Oh my god, I’ve got to make this perfect! How do start? What if it doesn’t turn out very good?” and other thoughts that feed procrastination. We’re at a stand-still because instead of starting at step one, we’re stuck picturing the end result.

Don’t get me wrong, seeing the successful results as a motivational tool is a great idea: if we can see ourselves achieving something there’s a better chance that we will. But don’t forget to start the process of success from the beginning – don’t forget there are steps to take and the smaller the step, the easier it is to complete.

Writing a page (or even paragraph) a day is a great way to do it and a way that many writers successfully accomplish their goals. If you know that all you have to do is write one page a day, it is harder to become over-whelmed and easier to see progression.

To sum it up – follow the KISS rule: Keep It Simple Stupid and for now, forget the big picture.

Happy Writing!

Quotes On Writing

2006-09-27T14:06:00.000-04:00

Jane Austen On Writing

"Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery."

"I begin already to weigh my words and sentences more than I did, and I am looking about for a sentiment, and illustration or a metaphor in every corner of the room. Could my ideas flow as fast as the rain in the store closet it would be charming."

"I do not write for such dull elves; As have not a great deal or ingenuity themselves."

"An artist cannot do anything slovenly.">>

Nathanial Hawthorne On Writing

"Easy reading is damn hard writing."

"Words - so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them."

"Nobody, I think, ought to read poetry, or look at pictures or statues, who cannot find a great deal more in them than the poet or artist has actually expressed. Their highest merit is suggestiveness."

"The devil himself gets in my inkstand.">>

Mark Twain On Writing

http://www.maryannemohanraj.com/Writing/twain.html

"Most writers regard truth as their most valuable possession, and therefore are most economical in its use."

"You need not expect to get your book right the first time. Go to work and revamp or rewrite it. God only exhibits his thunder and lightning at intervals, and so they always command attention. These are God's adjectives. You thunder and lightning too much; the reader ceases to get under the bed, by and by."

"To get the right word in the right place is a rare achievement. To condense the diffused light of a page of thought into the luminous flash of a single sentence, is worthy to rank as a prize composition just by itself...Anybody can have ideas--the difficulty is to express them without squandering a quire of paper on an idea that ought to be reduced to one glittering paragraph."

"Let us guess that whenever we read a sentence & like it, we unconsciously store it away in our
model-chamber; & it goes, with the myriad of its fellows, to the building, brick by brick, of the
eventual edifice which we call our style."

"I notice that you use plain, simple language, short words and brief sentences. That is the way to write English - it is the modern way and the best way. Stick to it; don't let fluff and flowers and verbosity creep in. When you catch an adjective, kill it. No, I don't mean utterly, but kill most of them - then the rest will be valuable. They weaken when they are close together. They give strength when they are wide apart. An adjective habit, or a wordy, diffuse, flowery habit, once fastened upon a person, is as hard to get rid of as any other vice."

"We write frankly and fearlessly but then we "modify" before we print." >>

Autobiography

2006-09-20T14:18:00.000-04:00

I'm a poet and writer from Hamilton, Ontario, where I run a group called ‘Hamilton Writers’ for local published and unpublished writers.

I'm also chief editor of the quarterly literary ezine ‘Words Words Words’ and the author of ‘Swallowed By The Room’ – a collection of love poetry (ISBN 0-9735485-0-9).

I'm on the advisory board of Kairos Literary Society and a member of Arts Hamilton.

During my time in the womb, ink flowed through the umbilical chord and into my veins... when I was born, I was a writer.

When I learned to read at the age of three, I devoured words, and when I learned to write soon after, my direction in life was clear.

I'm a writer - there's no other way.

I've done journalism work for The Grimsby Lincoln News; been published in various print and online publications; published a poetry collection in 2004; I've dabbled in some lit courses at Mohawk College; I've been a member of The Ontario Poetry Society (where I was Hamilton Branch Manager for a while), The Hamilton Poetry Center, and The Canadian Federation of Poets. I am currently a member of Kairos Literary Society and Arts Hamilton.

I am currently working on a new poetry collection to be released spring 2008, and I'm in the process of writing a historical fiction novel.