Ascribe Writers – Page 35 – Writers write about writing

Words to Whiskey

May 27, 2019May 27, 2019 Donna Judy Curtin Leave a comment

To write is a craft.

Like any craft, there is a process or sequence of steps to create a consistently identifiable, bold and long lasting product.

The craft of making whiskey hasn’t changed much over hundreds of years and writing is the same.

To make whiskey, you need only three simple ingredients; water, barley and yeast. Yet, with so few components, there are thousands upon thousands of flavours, and just as many Coopers (those who make whiskey). Although all stories share in the same basic premise–having scenery, characters and a problem, there are innumerable genres, styles and adaptations of old story lines.

As a story writer, there are things we can learn from the process of making whiskey.

What I Learned from My First Marathon

May 20, 2019May 20, 2019 Diane Ferguson Leave a comment

I wrote in my first novel marathon two weeks ago, in support of the Adult Education Centre in Owen Sound. The marathon was organized by the Owen Sound and North Grey Union Library but held at the Ginger Press bookstore. There were five of us in cozy quarters. There’s nothing like writing in a room full of books, whether at a bookstore, or a library. All those volumes goading you on, We did it, surely you can too…

I’m used to writing in short sprints, so the idea of a marathon was a little daunting. And I had other peoples’ expectations on me. Would I write enough to honour their donations? What was expected of me? I’d already stated that I need to sleep, meaning I wouldn’t be pulling an all-nighter.

This Writer Is Hitting The Pause Button

May 13, 2019May 13, 2019 Tracey Richardson Leave a comment

I like planning. I like being organized. I like being methodical, chronological, practical, predictable. It’s not in my DNA to wander the literary landscape without a map, without a plan. And yet this is exactly where I find myself after recently having completed my 13th novel (due for publication this December by Bella Books).

Write First

May 6, 2019May 6, 2019 Kelly Babcock 1 Comment

I’ve always been the kind of guy that edits as I write.

I’m not trying to make my work perfect in the first pass, but I can’t leave glaring mistakes behind if I know they’re there.

That’s the way I am, the way I’m built. I can’t help it.

And I’m okay with that

When I write, even if I have an idea, the mistakes that I might make can be more distracting for me than taking the time to correct them.

When Your Struggles Become Golden

April 29, 2019April 29, 2019 Lori Twining 10 Comments

As you get older, struggles become real and shit starts to happen to you (not just to writers, but to the entire population).

Without getting too personal—and grossing you right out—I can tell you that not every orifice in your body is made for bleeding. If it does happen (blood seeping out of a hole it’s not supposed to), that is NOT normal. Lucky for me, this started to happen to my body. You’ll see why I say lucky, instead of unlucky quite soon.

THEN:

I waited three weeks before calling the doctor’s office because seriously, I was just hoping it would stop or disappear. Silly? I know.

Trusting Your Vulnerability

April 22, 2019April 29, 2019 Bernice Connell Leave a comment

I am hesitant to include a lot of emotion in my writing. It seems too personal and leaves me feeling exposed. Maybe I don’t trust that the writing will ring true or even more worrisome, that it will be silly or cheesy.

It’s not that I have a burning need to write something devastating or overly sentimental but the act of writing really is baring one’s soul. Most of us just want readers to find something to connect with in our shared human experience. Theoretically I understand that, if well written, the emotional experience will belong to the characters.

Just go deeper.

Passion And Pen

April 15, 2019April 29, 2019 Kelly Babcock Leave a comment

I write when the spirit moves me.

Or, when the bank account looks low. That as well. And lately, that has driven my pen more than my spirit has.

I’m contractually obligated to produce between ten and eleven columns a week for various places. And they all have specific topic requirements.

That’s 2550 column or blog posts I’ve written in the last six years that had to be about one certain topic or another.

Do what you love

Surprise! How to write a plot twister (and I’m not talking about the weather)

April 8, 2019April 7, 2019 Seana Moorhead Leave a comment

I like a good surprised twist in a book. I love it when a book puts in a major twist that is both believable but that I did not see coming. It’s a tricky balance to manage well. Usually I can spot a plot twister before the wind even gets brisk; mostly because they are set out as if they are slowly spewing volcano.

The smoke is obvious, the billowing soot a give way, so I am not surprised when the volcano “suddenly” spits out the “surprise”.

I am looking for the kind of twist that makes a reader exclaim out loud while reading. A moment that compels a reader to tell the stranger sitting next to them, “do you know what just happened!” It’s the whoa – everyone is a ghost – kind of surprise.