Even if an expression is true –when it has been overused, it loses impact. Clichés lose value over time because they lack commitment to circumstance. They do not make distinctive or memorable contributions to story or character development – often they can feel like short cuts. Avoid clichés by offering specific, detailed phrasing: Instead of: … Continue reading Why not use a cliché?
Month: March 2019
do you see what you believe?
Perception is everything. illusion - noun - implies a false ascribing of reality based on what one sees or imagines. Merriam-Webster Can we choose how we perceive? A friend once said to me "I've decided that each morning when I wake up I'm going to believe that all that happens is for the best." I … Continue reading do you see what you believe?
Love Stories
"You will search for me in another person, I promise." Deidré Wallace A good love story requires the writer to have a degree of insight that the characters must struggle (and perhaps fail) to achieve. Writing Prompt: In 100 words, write a story in which the main character realizes the person they are about to marry … Continue reading Love Stories
Writing to Heal
Why do I Write? Because happiness is complicated. Advice about achieving well-being is all around us - from tidying up our closets to eliminating processed foods from our diet. But for some of us, a commitment to practicing happiness may not be enough, if deep down we don't believe happiness is possible. Our … Continue reading Writing to Heal
Writing Memoir, Truth or Fact
Memoir is our experience of what happened. It offers ways to discover and organize meaning, to understand, and reconcile –even recover from – something or someone in our past. Because memory is subjective, it can be tenuous, conditional, and error-prone. There will be events and conversations that we only vaguely recollect. This can require that we synthesize a coherent narrative from … Continue reading Writing Memoir, Truth or Fact
Write Now
We create the stories we live by, and live by the stories we create. We can’t change the past, but we can transform its influence on us with creative writing. It turns out, writing can have side effects. Happiness is complicated. Write to heal. Find out more at http://www.ellenszabo.com
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