Writer ~ Be the CHANGE you wish to SEE . . .

Writer ~ Be the CHANGE you wish to SEE . . .

BLOG SESSION

January 21st, 2018

Good Afternoon Writers, Blog Readers, Followers & Visitors ~ Today, in this Blog Session, and in the Session tomorrow, we are going to cover two very special areas of interest.  Those areas are:

1)   Diary just for your book writing projects; and

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

Personal Diary

&

Diary for your Book Writing Projects

In our last Blog Session, we already covered the many topics that you can write about in your Personal Diary.  Just as a review, you can take a moment to re-read our last Blog Session by Clicking here . . .

What your Diary/Journal will tell you

After you have written in your Personal Diary for about a week, if you take a moment or two to read over your daily diary entries for the week, you will discover some very surprising things about yourself.

Most people really have no idea of how their mind is working every day of their life.  Each moment has the potential to manifest an incredible idea, a positive thought, an inspirational vision, and any number of other progressive inventions tailored just for you.

When you write in your personal diary, this is when you are able to download what is on your mind, in your heart, and the stuff that you are carrying around on your back that you have forgotten about.  Those weighty stressor back-packs that we carry cause our necks to tense, our shoulders to feel heavy, and our backs to feel stressed.  Why not unload all of that in your personal diary.  Let your Diary deal with it.

Now, let's move on to our other important area of discussion for today . . .

Diary for your Book Writing Projects

Your Book Writing Diary

The first thing you can do when you open up your Book Writing Diary is write your name.  When I say "name", that means:  1)  Your Real Name; 2)  Your Pen Name; and/or 3)  Your Ghostwriter Name.

Also, make sure that as you begin to write entries in your Book Writing Diary that you understand the meaning of those three names listed above . . .

Your Real Name ~ as given at birth and/or currently, as well as specific designations such as...(i.e., maiden name; married name; hyphenated name; designated educational level ~ Dr., PhD, MA, etc.) 

A pen name (nom de plume, or literary double) is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of his or her works in place of their "real" name.  A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her previous works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her writings, to combine more than one author into a single author, or for any of a number of reasons related to the marketing or aesthetic presentation of the work.  The author's name may be known only to the publisher, or may come to be common knowledge.

A ghostwriter is hired to write literary or journalistic works, speeches or other texts that are officially credited to another person as the Author.  Celebrities, executives, participants in timely news stories, and political leaders often hire ghostwriters to draft or edit autobiographies, memoirs, magazine articles, or other written material.  In music, ghostwriters are often used to write songs, lyrics and instrumental pieces.  Screenplay Authors can also use ghostwriters to either edit or rewrite their scripts to improve them.

Writing in your Book Writing Diary

As you begin your entries in your Book Writing Diary, you'll develop your own way of placing information pertaining to your book inside.  Remember, this Diary is for all of your book writing projects.  If you are just working on one book at this moment, all the better!

However, if you plan on working on more than one book writing project in the next six months, be sure to list them all.  You may be working on a Play, or a Publication, or a Documentary, or a Memoir, or a Biography ~ whatever the case may be, use your Book Writing Diary to keep notes.  You can also name it whatever you like ~ Such as, Playwright Diary; Planned Newspaper Articles; Writing Projects for the month; Short Story Diary; etc. 

You'll need to include book titles, working plan, introduction, synopsis, character list, plot, storyboards if you have them, scene details, background location information, research notes, projected completion dates, publisher information, book cover drawings, any illustrations and/or artwork in relation to your book.

There is much more to cover, so do join us back here for our next Blog Session . . .

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

Peace, Love & Light

By René Allen

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

How to write from the heart

How to write from the heart

BLOG SESSION

December 26th, 2017

Welcome back Writers, Poets, Artists, Blog Readers, Followers & Visitors ~ It is time for another informative Blog Session.  If you are new to our Blog, please be sure to Bookmark our Blog now.  Also, if you have not already done so, please be sure to sign up to "Follow by Email" by looking over in the right-hand column and typing in your email address in the space provided, and then click the "Submit" button.  You will then receive each Blog Session as it is published.

If you were here for our last Blog Session, as you'll remember, we went over how to decorate your Journal so that you will be inspired to use it, and get busy with writing your book for 2018.  If you do not want to take the time to decorate your Journal or make your Journal, you can always purchase a Journal that is already decorated.  There are beautiful Designer Journals that will appeal to your taste, and all you have to do is shop around for the perfect one for you.

You may review any prior session by scrolling down at the end of this current Blog Session to see the past few Sessions, or you may look over in the right-hand column, and take a look in our "Blog Archive" to pick any of the Sessions you may have missed or that you may be interested in reviewing.

Another resource that may be helpful for you is to get involved not only with writing groups, but also artistic communities where you can be inspired by the artworks, writings, and ideas that are shared.  You are welcome to visit the many Friends that are Artists, Authors, Poets, Photographers, Designers, and Creatives of various backgrounds possessing multiple talents in our associated Artistic Minds® Community.  Many of the members of our associated Google community are also Blog Followers here.  You'll be inspired by what you find in the community, and you are certainly invited to join the community by using the link to get there so that you may sign up (click the "Ask to Join" button).

Our Session for today is about how to learn to write from the heart.

How to write from the heart

If you have your Journal out, please grab your ink pen and get ready to take notes on today's Session.

The first thing you'll need to remember is that writing from the heart is about being true to yourself.  You'll have to have a good long talk with yourself about what kind of writing you are going to be doing.  Are you going to be writing a fiction novel?  Or would you rather write a Memoir?  Do you want to write a self-help book, a documentary, or a Science Fiction Novel?  Would you prefer to write a Mystery, a detective story or a Crime Novel?  Maybe you prefer to write a book of poetry...

A good way to engage with yourself is to purchase a Diary...

Diary

If you already have a Diary, that is good news.  If you do not yet have a Diary, now is a good time to get one so that you will be ready for the upcoming year.

The benefit of using your Diary on a daily basis is that you will learn a great deal about yourself.  Not only will you be more in touch with the activities that are taking place in your life, you will also be more in touch with your emotions, feelings, hopes & dreams.

Your heart's desires are important.  Learning how to write from the heart is also important.  When you write from your heart, your writing will contain emotion and passion.  Your writing will be moving, whether you are writing a drama, a comedy, a mystery, or a tragic story.  You must feel what you write.  Your writing has to be both engaging and believable.

Your readers should enjoy reading what you write

If you would like to go a step further, it is a good idea to also have a personal Journal dedicated to what the book you wish to write will entail.  You can use your personal Journal to keep track of the notes in relation to your book/novel.  The activity that takes place in your Journal will keep you engaged in the story that is inside of you waiting to be told in book form.  Your personal Journal about your book/novel will help you to keep all of your ideas in relation to your story in one place.  You can work on the Introduction, Synopsis, list of characters, chapter notes, story location notes, scenes, character interactions, background on each character, the plot, conflicts, and any other information specific to the book you intend to write.

Be sure to keep an eye toward making sure that the look of your personal Journal is inviting and inspiring so that you will be more than willing to write in it on a daily basis.  A dull looking Journal will not be motivating, so do get something that will motivate you to pick it up and write in it...

Decorative Personal Journal

(For your Book/Novel Notes)

Writing from the heart starts with you ~ your thoughts ~ your feelings ~ your emotions ~ your dreams ~ your passions ~ your hopes ~ your struggles ~ your challenges ~ and your faith.

Your Readers await, so please be sure to join us for our next engaging Blog Session!

OUR NEXT BLOG SESSION:

How do I write if I feel sad and depressed?

Peace, Love & Light

By René Allen

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

Let's pull our Journals out!

Let's pull our Journals out!

BLOG SESSION

December 23rd, 2017

Welcome back Writers, Blog Readers, Followers & Visitors ~ It is another great day on the Blog.  This afternoon we are going to take the time to pull out our Journals.  The purpose of this Blog Session is to get us in gear to write from the heart.

One way to make journal writing therapeutic for you and useful to you is to put on your creativity hat.  The way to get your mind, heart and soul in gear is to work from your creative side.  Leave your analytical side to its own devices, you don't have time for that right now.  You must move into the creative zone with intention.  As you do this, remember, your intention is a mental state that will guide you creatively to carry out your commitment to take action on writing your book in 2018. 

If you have your Journal, please pull it out to take notes.

Designer Journal

The above pictured Journal is a beautiful Designer Journal.  You can purchase a Designer Journal to inspire you if you are not quite ready to make a personal Journal yourself.  If you already know how to cover a plain journal in fabric, fake animal skin, or any other creative materials that you can think of, then you are one step ahead of many people following along here today.  If you are willing to learn how to make your own personal Journal, then you will be taking the first step toward awakening your creative juices.  If you have never created a personal Journal or an Art Journal, this will be a good place to write down the tips that will be shared here in this Blog Session today.

If you will notice at the top of this Blog Session, the Journals pictured are in various colors, but are all otherwise plain -- they have no embellishments on them as of yet.  Below you will see an embellished Journal...

Embellished Journal

All you need to create this type of embellished look is a little bit of fabric, and a view odds and ends -- like the gold little chain links and such.  You can add beads, various objects, lettering, sentimental objects, and anything your heart so desires.

Take a look at the following Journal...

Personal Journal

The Journal you see above is a Personal Journal.  As you can see a little beaded type knob has been added, ribbon and string on the left hand side, a picture frame in the center on the cover with a personal picture, as well as an added glued-on fabric square under the picture frame.  Isn't it lovely!

Take a look at another Personal Journal that has been embellished below...

Personal Journal (Embellished)

Notice the beads, button, fabric, stitching, and overlap look.  The overlap keeps papers and other objects from falling out of your Journal.  You can even add your own paper -- thicker weight paper if that suits you.  Thicker weight paper allows you to glue objects, magazine clippings, or other items to your pages.  It is not necessary to have lines on your paper if you are the type of writer that likes to do sketches and illustrations.  Some writers prefer unlined paper because they are able to write as big or small as they like, as well as add any photographs, symbols or drawings that they feel relate to their book, poetry, film storybook, play, musical, news story, historical piece, documentary, creative writing, or short story.

If you are an Artist at heart and like working with various materials, then the following Journal may interest you . . .

Artistic Journal

(with embellishments)

Your choice of objects has much to do with your personal taste.  Twisted metal, marbles, buttons, beads, straps, fabric, connectors of various styles, paints, inks, strips of cardboard, small objects that interest you, and glue does wonders.

Hey, but what about the manly Journals?  Okay, take a look at the following masculine Journals ~ although women may like these just as much...

Masculine Journal

Masculine Journal

Masculine Journal

Masculine Journal

Masculine Journal

Now, while each of the masculine Journals that are pictured above can be purchased at a store or online, they can also be emulated and made by hand according to your own wishes.  If you know how to work with leather, there is no end to the possibilities.

Hand Made Leather Journal

Are you inspired yet?  I hope so ~ but if you need more inspiration, we'll be back tomorrow with more tips for all of the Writers on board our Blog!

OUR NEXT BLOG SESSION:

How to write from the heart

Peace, Love & Light

By René Allen

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

APRIL 2017 ~ Wrap-Up in Process ~ Stone 9

We're back from our break, and many of our participants are on different time zones from all around the globe, so it may be early morning for some, afternoon for others, and evening for many of us.   Keep in mind that we have participants online and off line joining us in our Writing Project.

Above at the top of this Blog is the example of my personal diagram of my Stone choices and their placement on our Balancing Stones Sculpture.  You should have your print-out at hand, along with your Journal, and the answers to the previous six questions that were asked.

You were provided with a Help List of the writing genres in our last Session to help you with your Genre choice.  [Remember you can always scroll down to see previous Blog posts, or click on the links in the far right column].

Here are two burning questions for you:

1)  What was the writing genre that you chose?

2)  Which word on your Stones did you use the most

       in your full Journal page writing that you wrote 

       last?

My answer to those two questions is as follows...

1)  Writing Genre:  Self-Help Book

2)  word on Stones used the most:  Opera

How do we get to our Stone 9?

Consider the Writing Genre that you chose, and the word that you used the most.

PLEASE NOTE:  This Writing Project is intended to make you think outside of the box and to stretch yourself in relation to your Writing passion.  The FUN part is that you are about to come up with something that you did not expect.

Next, look up the definition of the word that you used the most in your full page Journal writing that we did last.

My example:  Opera ~ a dramatic work in one or more acts, set to music for singers and instrumentalists.

Next step, take a look at your Writing Genre.

My example:  Self-Help Book

Now, merge those two items together.  How can you take the definition of your most used word and melt it into your Writing Genre?

My example:  I would write a Self-Help Book for Singers.

Your merging process will fall in line with your personality.

How so you ask?

Well, naturally you will pull out parts of you to fit the direction in which you aspire to head in.

Using my answers as an example, I have never been to an opera, and I've never felt a passion for following operas, but that is not to say that I would not do so.  I've seen bits and pieces of operas on the telly.  What I found out in writing my full Journal page is that I used the word "opera" five times.  When looking at the definition, I made a note of the fact that an opera is a dramatic work set to music for singers and instrumentalists.

Now while I could have gravitated to the "dramatic work" portion of the definition of "opera", because the Novels I have written have had plenty of drama in them and my Genre is normally Historical Fiction; or I could have gravitated to the "music" portion of the definition of "opera, because I love music -- I gravitated more to what jumped out at me the strongest, which was the word -- "singers", because I am a singer.

After you have merged the definition of your most used word into your Writing Genre, you will come away with one word that will jump out at you -- that word is your Stone 9.  For me that word is "singers".

The FUN part of our Writing Project is that it should have made you "think" about your Writing and your active participation in paying attention to where your writing leads you.

Hopefully this Writing Project has made you take a look at a writing genre that you may want to put your hand to.

You are now ready to place your word on your Stone 9, which should be the last Stone left on your Balancing Stones Sculpture diagram.  (For those who fully participated you only have one Stone left).

Here is how my completed Balancing Stones Sculpture looks . . .

Your Balancing Stones Sculpture diagram is now ready to be framed!

__________________________________

This was great FUN having everyone participating, and I'm so glad that you've joined in and followed along.

I would just love to know every part of your Balancing Stones Sculpture Writing Project -- the Stones you chose, see your Balancing Stones Sculpture print-out, take a look at your full Journal pages, and know the thoughts that you walk away with.  The comments section is open for you to post any thoughts, comments or questions.

Be sure keep up with what's going on here on the Blog -- simply click on "Follow by Email" in the top right hand column under my Eyeball (smiles).  If you are an Art Lover, an Artist, a Poet, an Aspiring Author or a Creative at heart, be sure to visit and join our exciting Google Community by clicking on the following link:  Artistic Minds®. 

Next up:  A Short Story that I wrote years back for a published Anthology which included a collection of awesome Authors from the once golden Gather Community.   For those Writers who love Short Stories, and those who are planning to write and publish a Short Story you'll enjoy the read!

Remember your Journal ~ See you back here!

Peace, Love & Light,

  René

©Copyright - René Allen - FEBRUARY - APRIL 2017 - All Rights Reserved