uniquelyyourscraftjournal

Word Ghosts and Hope

26 Aug 2016 Comments Off on Word Ghosts and Hope

by uniquelyyourscraftjournal in Word Ghosts Tags: Ghost words, hope

“I rise. I rise. I rise.” Maya Angelou

“One world at a time.” Henry David Thoreau

“If you do not hope, you will not find what is beyond your hopes.”

Clement of Alexandria (3rd Century Saint)

Novel Beginings

24 Aug 2016 Comments Off on Novel Beginings

by uniquelyyourscraftjournal in Your Next Novel Tags: begining, Secret Six

Dear Fellow Journalers,

I don’t know about you, but I often have difficulty writing that first sentence. It doesn’t matter if you are writing a letter, a blog post or your novel. How many times can you re-write a sentence?

Your beginning is where the reader decides to keep reading. You want to keep the reader engaged and captivated. So here are some ideas (remember to write them down!)

1. Make the reader wonder about something. No ready answer to the nagging question.

2. Start with a problem.

3. Start in the middle of the story.

4. Introduce the main character and settings.

5. Start with background information.

Here are some examples:

“it looked dead, but I began to back away just in case.”

“Katie Donovan’s heart pounded in rhythm with the sound of hoof beats on the road behind her.”

Mama’s Bible by Mildred Colvin

“The execution of Nathan Hale on September 22, 1776, was the lowest point in a month of low points for General George Washington.” George Washington’s Secret Six by Kilmeade

‘Til next time,

~Sallie

Word Ghosts and Happiness

19 Aug 2016 Comments Off on Word Ghosts and Happiness

by uniquelyyourscraftjournal in Word Ghosts Tags: Happiness

“They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for.”

Tom Bodette

“Happiness is holding someone in your arms and knowing you hold the whole world.”

Orhan Pamok

“Happiness is something that comes into our lives through doors we can’t even remember leaving open.”

Rose Wilder Lane

Novel writing Prompts

17 Aug 2016 Comments Off on Novel writing Prompts

by uniquelyyourscraftjournal in Your Next Novel Tags: authors, change

Dear Fellow Journalers,

Even experience novel writers need prompts!

You have been given a magical pad of paper that makes everything that is written on it become a reality. What do you write and what is your reasoning behind it?
Talk about a time when a piece of writing changed you. Whether it is something you wrote or something you read. Describe how and why this piece made the world a different place.
You were digging around some old stuff and you found some of your writing from long ago in your past. You can’t even remember writing about it but it is truly amazing. Talk about what you do with it, who you show it to and what eventually happens as a result.
The writing from your computer’s hard drive was somehow sent to all of your family and friends and acquaintances. The material includes the stuff you were afraid to share with everybody. What do you do?
You are in a room with the five living writers who inspire you the most. What do you talk about?

‘Til next time,