Improv [Writing] Tip #8: Keep it here and now

May 24, 2011

(#8 in a series of tips from my improv class that struck me as applying to writing.) Improv [Writing] Tip #8: Keep it here and now. Scenes are not about people not here or in the past. Scenes are about what you and I say and feel right now. This tip for improv was especially […]

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The First Words of Mine She’s Not Going to Read

May 6, 2011

She’s read every word I’ve written since that first crayon. She’s ooo’ed and ahh’ed over everything, from stories about my toys, to hand-made Mother’s Day cards, to school papers, to a letter I wrote to Dad when he was ill, to essays about God, to every entry of my three-year blog, to countless novels and […]

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Improv [Writing] Tip #7: Keep It Real

May 3, 2011

(#7 in a series of tips from my improv class that struck me as applying to writing.) Improv [Writing] Tip #7: Keep It Real Don’t go for the joke. Flying bunny ninjas are less interesting than your dysfunctional family. Use what’s real. This is an interesting one, because hey, we’re writing fiction. How real can […]

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Polite Spam

April 28, 2011

(Warning: This is a blog post about blogging. How tiresome.) Okay, so, I’ve been blogging for about six weeks (I can tell because I’ve done six Improv/Writing Tips). I blithely turned on the comments for each blog entry, hoping for intelligent discourse and new connections. I want as many comments as possible. I vowed to […]

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Improv [Writing] Tip #6: Play to the Top of Your Intelligence

April 26, 2011

(#6 in a series of tips from my improv class that struck me as applying to writing.) Improv [Writing] Tip #6: Play to the Top of Your Intelligence If your character is stupid, be smart about how you’re stupid. If you’re smart, be a wiz kid. Playing to the top of one’s intelligence, even when […]

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Procrastinating, or Taking a Break?

April 21, 2011

(Irony alert: I’m aware that the very act of writing this blog entry could be one or the other—or both.) We writers feel it all the time—those spells where we can’t sit still, butt in chair, cranking out wordcount. Maybe we’ve been productive for hours, or days, or weeks, and we’ve got the piles of […]

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Improv [Writing] Tip #5: Be specific

April 19, 2011

(#5 in a series of tips from my improv class that struck me as applying to writing.) Improv [Writing] Tip #5: Be specific. Don’t just drink coffee. Drink a triple espresso with half&half, two sugars, and a dollop of whip cream. There’s a great exercise for large group improv called “Setting the Scene.” In it, […]

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The Cure for Writer’s Block: Research

April 14, 2011

I’m a huge fan of Robert McKee. I know screenwriters who swear by Syd Field and Blake Snyder, the beloved Save the Cat guy, but for me, McKee said it all and said it best. (And, don’t miss his instructive appearance in the hilarious 20 Dates.) McKee’s seminal work, Story (1997), has such a wealth […]

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