November is National Writers Month: Final Week

Dear Writers,

We are heading into the final weeks of National Writers Month. The holidays are always a challenge for writers, though they are also a fount of material. Sights, smells, sounds, relatives - all are fodder for a story's valuable, viable verbiage. Take time to jot down ideas and specific details of scenes from your festivities, whatever they might be. You may find gems among the pages to use in future writings. Part of developing a writer life is learning to keep your observation sense tuned to 'on' at all times.

If you have ever watched the television murder/mystery show "Castle", you will see what I mean. Castle is always a writer, no matter the situation. He uses every experience on Beckett's investigative team to craft his story and at the end of each season, the writers of the show produce a hard bound book authored by Castle based on the episodes of the series.

Another fun Hollywood story about writers is "Stranger Than Fiction", in which Emma Thompson plays a writer who is 'stuck' trying to figure out how to kill her protagonist off at the end of her literary novel. She goes about her day obsessed about ways an ordinary person living an ordinary life might die. She sits on a bench in the rain pondering a large body of water, teeters on the edge of her desk imagining it a tall building, and visits an intensive care unit in search of the perfect death for her character. This movie is a great example of poking fun at writers, while at the same time showing how hard it is to write and be true to the story, rather than take the easy way out.

Both are 'great escapes' that keep you thinking of your craft and maybe even give you some encouragement to keep going with your own stories.

Why am I talking about escaping when we only have a short time left in November to write? Because, no one can write continuously and everyone needs down time to recharge.

On that note, I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving week. We will meet again at the Lafayette Library on Tuesday morning (November 27) and/or Wednesday evening (November28) to celebrate a month of our collective, conscious effort to write. Come join me and talk about your experience this month, what you have learned about yourself as a writer, what your future goals are, and how you can continue to write more.

Email me with any questions or concerns about your writing and I will respond within 24-48 hours during the month of November. Consider this your opportunity to try coaching with me.

Look for future writing opportunities with me: seminars, write shops, and individual coaching.

Good writing,

Barbara

Creativity is a universal given. Anyone can live a creative life. Whether we put obstacles in our own path or others hinder our growth, it is up to us to find a way around those limitations and move forward in a positive light.

Barbara Millman Cole, ©2007