5 Reasons to Write
Writing can be helpful in all sorts of ways. I have found it to be particularly advantageous in these five ways.
You Are Invited!
You are invited to the Deep Waters Writing Retreat: Breaking the Surface, where you will take a deep dive into your writing practice using metaphors, imagery, symbolism, and onomatopoeia, to name a few. You will move beyond an initial story or theme to create beautiful pieces of writing which will deepen your manuscript (existing or future) and make it more complex. We will take the time to explore what we can do with our writing—to take it from okay to OKAY!
Literary Devices
Did your eyes just glaze over at the words literary devices?
Mine did too; I get it. But this definition piqued my interest.
"Literary devices are ways of taking writing beyond its straightforward, literal meaning." writers.com
When I read that, I think, interesting . . . Writing beyond the most literal meaning is what deepens a story, what makes it interesting.
How Did it Go??
Have you had a chance to take some time and get a little writing done? Did you try your hand at memoir, travel, or food writing?
Which was the most fun?
Would you like to do more?
Can you see yourself as a writer or even an author someday?
If you said "Yes," that is SO EXCITING!! Stick with me—I'll show you how to do it.
If you said, "Oh no, I couldn't," I want you to think about this . . .
I think you can. I know you can because I did.
Food Writing
Writing about food is a good exercise to explore all your senses and use fun words like aromatic, buttery, or delectable.
Go out for a special lunch or dinner and truly pay attention to all aspects of your meal, from the menu to the tablecloth, and of course the meal itself. Order a special drink and consider the flavours on your tongue. Be poetic.
Travel Writing
Remember when we used to travel? Hopefully, we will be able to resume our exploration of the world beyond our front door again soon. If you don’t have a vacation planned, think back to the one you enjoyed most. I am amazed how just closing my eyes and taking the time to remember a special hotel or resort will bring back all sorts of details about it.
Write. Write everything you can remember about the trip, good and bad. What a treat to spend some time reliving it and telling the story of what happened on the trip. Was it a joy, an escape, or a nightmare? I’m sure your readers will be able to relate to some of your experiences and at the very least learn more about a part of the world they may never have a chance to go to. Share what you know with others!
Memoir
Have you ever considered writing a memoir? We often think of a memoir as something profound with the main criteria being that it is written about someone famous. However, a memoir can be written about anyone's life. Everyone has had unique experiences that others might find interesting.
Keeping a Journal or Diary
A diary is often the place where we take our scrambled thoughts, write them down, and get some control over them. It allows for analysis and organization, or a way of simply recording an interesting event.
Take some time this week to do some journaling. Write for 10-15 minutes a day, or every other day if that seems too much of a chore. Write when the spirit moves you or schedule it for bedtime or first thing in the morning.
Forms of Creative Nonfiction
Forms of Creative Nonfiction
"Forms within this genre include memoir, diary, travel writing, food writing, . . . " en.m.wikipedia.org
Let's explore each over the coming weeks, starting with the diary.
The Goal of Creative Nonfiction
Once I understood that creative nonfiction, for example, describing the Paris café that they were sitting in, could be used in a scene of a fictional piece of writing, I realized it was brilliant! What a great way to practice writing without the overwhelming thought of writing a book.
Creative Nonfiction
Wikipedia says creative nonfiction is "a genre of writing that uses literary styles and techniques to create factually accurate narratives." en.m.wikipedia.org
It can be used to expand or stretch your writing muscle.
For example, by taking the time to describe the coffee shop you are working at in detail, you will be creating a fully fleshed-out scene.
By studying a unique character in that coffee shop (hopefully without them knowing) you can develop an interesting side character.
By practicing in this way, you will pull together important elements of your overall story. That is the nature of creative nonfiction.
Topic is Key
The key to writing well is to choose a topic, story, or theme that you are interested in. If the subject matter is dull to you, writing will feel like work.
Improving as a Writer
As I gear up to get serious about my second book, I am putting some pressure on myself to improve as a writer. I want my story to be better than the last. But whenever I approach it from a more formal, structured place, it does not feel right. I think it is because I just want to write and enjoy the experience. I don’t want to worry about literary devices and using the proper writing terminology—I just want to be creative and have fun with it!
I'm sure others feel the same way.
Growing as a Writer
My favourite thing when I write is when I come up with a twist that leaves my mouth hanging open. I also love when a quirky little thought comes to mind that ties two parts of the story together and makes it more complex. So. Much. Fun.
I love these moments.
And if I spent my time worrying about grammar and story structure or character arcs at that moment, it would not be as fun. It may even stunt my creativity, making it hard to move forward.
However, I know that if I want to grow as a writer, I need to learn, practice and stretch my writing skills.
Inspiration
Have you ever had a nightmare where you woke up with your heart pounding, your breath quick and shallow, and you felt mentally or physically sick about what you just dreamt?
Writing a Story You Love
Our purpose, or goal, is to write a story set somewhere we would like to spend more time, with characters we love, doing things we wish we could do!!
