What does being a Writer mean to you?

What does being a Writer mean to you?

BLOG SESSION

April 22nd, 2018

Welcome back Writers!  Today's Blog Session is just for you specifically.

Grab your Journal, because what we will talk about today will be something that you will need for the writing that you will be doing in the years ahead ~ mainly because that is who you are -- a Writer.

Journal Notes

As you take a moment to think about what it is that you truly want to write about, you will no doubt come up with a subject matter that is close to your heart.  Whatever that subject matter is, please take a moment to write it down in your Journal.  You may have several areas of interest that are close to your heart -- if so, please write all of those areas down in your Journal.

The subject matters that you cherish connect with certain genres.  If you already know what those genres are, also write them down in your Journal.  If you are unsure about the genres that tie into your area of writing interest, take the time to do your research on Literary Genres.  Here is a good place for you to start when it comes to research on Genres...

LITERARY GENRES LINK:

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_writing_genres 

You'll find many other places online where you can learn more about all of the Literary Genres.  Don't forget to list the links in your Journal that you use to do your research.  You'll do doubt refer back to those links from time to time.

Doing your Research

Doing your research will help you to answer the question that this Session is about:  What does being a Writer mean to you?

Being a Writer branches off into many different areas.  You may be interested in writing Novels.  There are a host of genres that cover Novels.  Be sure to research the genre(s) that you are interested in.

You may be interested in becoming a Script Writer.  If so, Script Writing is an area that calls for specific research on the proper format to use for writing Scripts.

Another area that many writers are interested in is Memoirs.  You could be a Writer who has had a dream to write a Memoir.  A Memoir is a historical account or Biography written from personal knowledge or special sources.

If a Memoir is an area in which you are interested in, please take time to read some of the Best Selling Memoirs such as:

1)  The Diary of Anne Frank (The Diary of a Young Girl)

2)  Barbara Bush:  A Memoir

3)  A Higher Loyalty:  Truth, Lies, and Leadership by James Comey

Biographies and Autobiographies

The key way in which Biographies and Autobiographies differ is in their Author.  A Biography is written about a person by someone else, while an Autobiography is written about a person by that person.

It should be noted in your Journal that both Biographies and Autobiographies provide essential information about their subject.

Documentary

You may be interested in writing a Documentary.  A Documentary is a movie, television, or radio program that provides a factual record or report.

You may want to check out the following link if you are interested in writing a Documentary...

TOP DOCUMENTARY FILMS

Searching your soul, and doing your research will help you to answer our question posed for today ~ What does being a Writer mean to you?

We'll see you in our next Blog Session Writer!

OUR NEXT BLOG SESSION:

About Poetry

Peace, Love & Light

By René Allen

©Copyright - René Allen - 2014-2018 - All Rights Reserved

What is your current word count?

What is your current word count?

BLOG SESSION

April 11th, 2018

Good Morning Friends ~ This is another great Blog Session for all Writers, Authors, Poets, Creative Writers, Fiction Writers, Short Story Writers, Children's Book Writers, Film Writers, Scrip Writers, Journalists, Novelists, and all Friends working on writing projects this month in Camp NaNoWriMo.

If you were here for our last Blog Session then you were informed about how to find your word count in Microsoft Word (just in case you may have been wondering).

Now that many already know about word counters and how to find your wordcount on your writing programs, you will have an indication of just how close you are to the 50,000 word count (which constitutes the making of a Novel).

Today is April 11th.  By April 15th, you should be at the 25,000 word count mark.

So, just what is your word count at this point Writers, Novelists & Authors?

Don't worry if you are a little behind in your word count.  You can easily catch up!

See you back here for our next Blog Session. . .

OUR NEXT BLOG SESSION:

What does being a Writer mean to you?

Peace, Love & Light

By René Allen

©Copyright - René Allen - 2014-2018 - All Rights Reserved

Using deep thought as fuel for your writings.

Using deep thought as fuel for your writings.

BLOG SESSION

January 24th, 2018

Welcome back Writers!  Today is a good day to learn how you can use deep thought as fuel for your writings.

As we all know, many Writers can sink into thought at a level that some may find sad or depressing.  After all, writers are thinkers.  As a writer, you have to be a thinker.  It is part and parcel of the writing experience.  What is vital about your thought process is that you must learn to utilize your thoughts in your favor.  It is a definite must.  You cannot afford to let your thoughts overwhelm you to the point of stagnation.  Too much thinking can be debilitating.  It is like having an infirmity in your mind, and that is not allowed.

Fuel is necessary if you desire to have writings that have strength.  The fuel I am referring to are those deep thoughts that in many cases some writers find to be overwhelming.  The key is to take control of your thoughts.

If you find that you are dwelling on anything that is taking your spirit down into the depths, you must learn to pull up on that particular thought process and bring it under submission.  Take those thoughts and turn them into a story of sorts.  Make the feelings work toward a storyline that brings forth energy that transforms woe into a tale that no other writer can tell but you.  This is where the excitement comes in . . .

"The Tale of Woe is me"

Deep thinking Writer ~ Here's what you'll need to do:

1)  Capture your thoughts on paper;

2)  Work through your thought process;

3)  Figure out the source of your thoughts;

4)  Separate feelings and emotions from truth;

5)  Understand clearly why you are feeling what you are feeling;

6)  Determine if your emotions are out of control because of a life event;

6)  Take all individuals out of the picture and turn the light on you; and finally,

7)  Ask yourself if your thoughts are the making of an incredible writing that is calling out to you.

Writer take all of your woe characters running through your mind, get them suitcases, pack them up, and place them on a plane to another environment.  After you get them all there, find out which ones shine brightly, and can make for a Best Selling Novel!

OUR NEXT BLOG SESSION:

The Feng Shui Writer

Peace, Love & Light

By René Allen

©Copyright - René Allen - 2014-2018 - All Rights Reserved

Journals for the Writer, Author, and/or Novelist.

Journals for the Writer, Author, and/or Novelist.

BLOG SESSION

January 23rd, 2018

Welcome back Writers, Authors, Novelists, Poets, Blog Readers, Followers & Visitors ~ We are going to cover the topic that everyone will be interested in, and that is:  Journals for the Writer, Author and/or Novelist.  This also includes Poets, Journalists, Artists, and everyone interested in working on Writing Projects.

The first item that I'm going to show you is a decorative Journal . . .

Journal

This Journal is one that all the Artists of our Blog will just fall in love with because it is artsy!

Writers ~ Why do you need a Journal?  You need a Journal to get your thoughts in order.  You'll need to organize your writing project ~ be it a book, a short story, a poetry anthology, a Script, a Play, a Radio Broadcast, a book of quotes, a Research Paper, a Documentary, a Speech, a Film Project, a Musical, focused Articles, Newsletters, self-help books, or any other writing project that you have planned for this year.

Your Journal will be your roadmap to keep yourself on track.

As a Writer, you definitely need to map out the genre(s) that you will be working with.  If you are focused on writing a Children's book, then you will need to get busy making notes inside your Journal about the artwork you'll be including in your book.  All illustrations need to be laid out, and inserted in your Journal.

You'll definitely need to include background information about yourself as the Author.

If your goal is to be a Novelist, then your mission when it comes to utilizing your Journal will be to make sure that you have researched your Novel content ~ locations and period history.  Be sure to add any photos or newspaper clippings that will assist you with your writing as you work on your Novel.

NOTE:  A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction.  Some novelists are professional novelists, and thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to support themselves in this way or write as an avocation.  Most novelists struggle to get their debut novel published, but once published they often continue to be published.  Just because it is said that very few become literary celebrities, it doesn't mean that you will not become a literary celebrity ~ thus gaining prestige or a considerable income from your work.  Your mission is to keep the faith!

If your goal is to be a Novelist, you may want to dedicate yourself to a certain amount of reading time to check out Novelists that you admire and read regularly.  Ask yourself what is it about the particular Novelist that you read that you find fascinating?  And what is it about their writing style that attracts your attention?

Another area of focus for all Writers here on the Blog today is to understand why you find writing to be your "calling"?  And, if you do find writing to be your "calling", how dedicated to your "calling" are you?

For the Poets here on the Blog today . . .

There is an ART to Poetry.  Imagine having a postage stamp with your face on it . . .

Paul Laurence Dunbar

American Poet

Langston Hughes

American Poet

What style Poet are you?  Do you participate in Poetry Readings?  Have you had your poetry included in a Collection of poetry works with other Poets?  Do you take the time to record your poetry on audio tapes?

The mission for all Writers here today is to get your Journal and start using it!

OUR NEXT BLOG SESSION:

Using deep thought as fuel for your writings.

Peace, Love & Light

By René Allen

©Copyright - René Allen - 2014-2018 - All Rights Reserved

More on .... Inspiration

More on .... Inspiration

BLOG SESSION

January 17th, 2018

Good Afternoon Writers, Authors, Novelists, Poets, and all Friends joining us for today's Blog Session.  We are back here to share more inspiration with you to get you moving on  your writing projects and the novels that you have planned for completion and/or publication this year.

Each Blog Session that you find here will equip you with inspiration, writing tips, needful information, connections to helpful sources, and insight for your literary endeavors.  Hopefully, you will find each Blog Session helpful to you.  If you have any questions, thoughts, or comments, be sure to leave them in the "Comments Section" at the bottom of the Blog Session that your comment concerns.

Now, let's forge onward to today's exciting and inspirational message just for you . . .

If you happened to have participated in NaNoWriMo in November of 2017, then you will be happy to know that you may continue working on your Novel or writing project by getting into . . .

Although November 2017 has moved on, the novel you created while participating in NaNoWriMo is still available online, and so are NaNoWriMo online staff members.

This January and February 2018, during NaNoWriMo's "Now What?" Months, we are focusing on revision and publishing of our Novels.

NaNoWriMo is providing tips from published authors, editors, and agents to help you fulfill your novel’s potential from first draft to final.

Your story matters, and NaNoWriMo wants to help you share it.  Are you ready to revise?  If so click on the link below...

 

Join us for the "Now What?" months!

Click on the blue button above, or click here.

If you've written the first draft of your Novel, then you may also want to learn more about ...

The Fictionary Finish Your Novel Contest

Submissions accepted January 18—February 18, 2018

Be sure to read the information on the Fictionary Site to find out all the details.

We're seeking to make sure that we are always in the business of staying informed about our writing craft.  We'll be back for another informative Blog Session, and we hope to see you back here with us for more....

Stay Inspired!

Peace, Love & Light

By René Allen

©Copyright - René Allen - 2014-2018 - All Rights Reserved

Time to get up bright and early and . . . get to Writing!

Time to get up bright and early and . . .

get to Writing!

BLOG SESSION

January 9th, 2018

Good Morning Writers, Authors, Poets, and all Creative Writers of various genres ~ We're back here on the Blog to have a wonderful Session that will get you perked up this morning and ready to w r i t e!

The first thing that will get some of us Writers going this morning is ~ you guessed it . . .

A nice hot fresh cup of JAVA!

For other Writers, it is necessary that there be quiet in the morning.  Introspective Writers have difficulty getting up to a lot of noise, chatter, and hustle bustle in the morning.  In fact, many of our writing friends here with us on the Blog will be glad to share their insight with you on the meditation practices that they utilize in the morning.  Our writing friends who meditate and/or take it slow in the morning (like the cat at the top of today's Blog Session) are not on the buzzing bees team, and we should not look for them to be.  Everybody has their own pace, and we should respect that about each of us.

Many of our friends here this morning will also share with you how they make it a habit to first get up and start making a note of what they dreamed about before they have a chance of getting caught up in the movement of the day and lose sight of the vision in their dream.  For many Writers here this morning, a Dream Journal  or a Dream Diary is a necessary tool that is needed by their bedside, and has great value . . .

Dream Diaries are companions to Dreamers

and also serve as an additional bonus to your regular Diary.

Dream Diaries

are a Dreamer's Best Friend

For many Writer's, their dreams are the fuel that ignites the embers that create their Short Stories, Mystery Novels, Journal Writings, Crime Stories, Plays, Lyrics to Songs, and Special Projects.

Dream Journals give you more room to write and add illustrations, drawings, symbols, numbers and other items that accompany your dreams.  Whenever you have a quiet time (and space) to write your Dreams out, you should open up your Dream Journal and write away ~ .  Every little detail that you can recall (including the feelings that went along with the events in your dream) is important to write down.  You'll be grateful that you wrote down all the little details and the bits and pieces of your dreams, because you will more easily recall what happened in your dreams with detailed input recorded in your Dream Journal or Dream Diary (whichever you prefer to use).

Dream Journalist

(The Dreamer who records dreams in their Dream Journal)

OUR NEXT BLOG SESSON:

You're the only one who can tell your story ~

So, by all means ~ Tell it!

Friends ~ See you in the next fascinating Blog Session!

Peace, Love & Light

By René Allen

©Copyright - René Allen - 2014-2018 - All Rights Reserved

Typing up your Novel

Typing up your Novel

BLOG SESSION

December 5th, 2017

Good Afternoon Writers, Authors, Novelists, Poets, Journalists, Blog Readers, Followers & Visitors!

The Writing Team is all here, and we're about to get into another exciting Blog Session.  We welcome all new followers to our Blog, and invite you to get comfortable and make yourself at home here.  We share writing tips and other pertinent information to help you along with your calling to be the best Author that you can be.

If you have not yet Bookmarked our Blog, please do so, and be sure to also sign up to "Follow by Email" over in the far right-hand column (just below my eyeball).  Insert your email address, and then click the "Submit" button to ensure that you receive all Blog Sessions in your email box in a timely manner.

If you miss any of our Blog Sessions, you can check them out by looking over in the far right-hand column where it says, "Blog Archive".  You may also scroll down to see our past few Blog Sessions wherever you come over to our Blog site.

Today we'd like to get started by getting into some information about how you can get busy typing up your Novel.  Many Writers like to use their desktop or laptop computers to get all of their novel writing done, while others use their tablets, and in some cases for novel notes ~ their smartphones.  Of course your choice of writing programs or apps is strickly up to you, and there are many choices out there to choose from.

Let it be known that applications are out there that claim to be great for writing manuscripts and sharing stories.  You may have heard of some of them.  If you have any applications that you personally like and would like to share with us, please feel free to do so in the "Comments Section" at the bottom of this Blog Session.

Another worthy note of mention is to always make sure that you back-up your Novels on a flashdrive.  Having your Novels on your hard drive is fine, but what if something happens to your computer?  Oh no!  You'd be out of your mind crazy...so make sure you have a back-up in place.  Essentially, you should write your novel (On paper then to computer), keep backups of what you write -- on flash drives, on backup hard drives, in the cloud (or on Google Drive), or ideally all four.

Google Drive is great for those Writers who are Google Users.  You can store your Novels on Google Drive and not worry if you use different devices to work on your Novel.  Whatever device you may be on -- desktop, laptop, tablet, or smartphone, you'll be able to get to your Novel.

Novelist at work

A laptop is a great tool for any Writer.  Essential to writing your Novel is a laptop that you feel comfortable with, including programs that help you to write your Novel with ease.

Grammarly is a great writing tool that you can get for free.  Grammarly is a wonderful help for all Writers by making sure that everything you write is easy to read, effective and mistake free.  I personally love the Grammarly app.  It makes writing so much easier.  It is like having an Editor by your side.  If you have not yet tried it, please do.  Here is the link to find out more information about this wonderful writing app...  

Grammarly

Important to note about the Grammarly app, millions of students and professionals use Grammarly to check their papers, emails, and other important documents.  Writers use Grammarly to check their writings, novels, stories, poetry, manuscripts, and other important information that needs editing.  The best part is the app is free!

Remember, your laptop should be comfortable to type on, and comfortable to carry around from location to location.  If you find your laptop uncomfortable to type on, it will be less inviting to you.  You'll also find yourself being less efficient if you are uncomfortable typing on your laptop.  If you are the type of Writer that travels around with your laptop to various locations to type up your Novel, then you will be better off if your laptop is lighter in weight.  Dashing around with a heavy laptop can be tiring as well as annoying.

Writer with heavy laptop

The key is to have a laptop that is light to carry, and is comfortable for you to travel with.

Lightweight Laptop Travel Writer

Your comfort is important when it comes to writing your Novel.  In the case of traveling light, many Writers choose to take their tablets along for the joy of easy movement from place to place, easy writing, and easy reading.  Tablets that have a stylus included are wonderful because you can also handwrite on your tablet, as well as insert editing notes.

   

Tablet for the Author in you

Of course, there are some Writers that travel with all of their devices.  The reason they do so is so that they can easily search for information on one device, read on another device, and type on the third device.  If the Writer happens to be waiting on a telephone call, they will also have their smartphone at hand.  But the key is to travel light if you choose to bring along several devices.

Writing Devices

Laptop, Tablet & Smartphone

OUR NEXT BLOG SESSION:

Handwriting your Novel

Until we meet again for our next exciting Blog Session ~

Peace, Love & Light

By René Allen

©Copyright - René Allen - 2014-2017 - All Rights Reserved