tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135368746376329105.post7313837516902992462..comments2023-03-18T03:41:29.822-07:00Comments on Once Upon A Word: Terrible Advice By Famous Authors by Sarah J. McNealAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16703677258513182786noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135368746376329105.post-85111772406501956512016-07-19T05:43:36.100-07:002016-07-19T05:43:36.100-07:00So Linda, this must be like a book of memoirs, onl...So Linda, this must be like a book of memoirs, only in letters. What a fantastic idea!Sarah J. McNealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17749991094677728042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135368746376329105.post-12058806032889688032016-07-18T21:36:18.294-07:002016-07-18T21:36:18.294-07:00Sorry not to answer your question sooner, Sarah, b...Sorry not to answer your question sooner, Sarah, but I just now read it. Hull is Kingston-upon-Hull, a city is Yorkshire County, England. My husband and I spent almost two years there due to his job and these were my letters to family and friends while there, soon to be shared in a book.Linda Swifthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00749255692298669394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135368746376329105.post-47412440826766556362016-07-15T14:58:37.022-07:002016-07-15T14:58:37.022-07:00So what is "Hull"? I like your new choic...So what is "Hull"? I like your new choice in titles, "Letters From Hull." You have my interest.<br />Sarah J. McNealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17749991094677728042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135368746376329105.post-26017469605834270742016-07-15T13:30:28.062-07:002016-07-15T13:30:28.062-07:00Thank you, Sarah, for your compliment. But wait un...Thank you, Sarah, for your compliment. But wait until you read "Letters from Hull" and you may change your opinion! This is my WIP and it has been 16 years in the making. I'll be explaining more very soon. I thought of it as To Hull and Back for all these years but when I googled the title, there were three books published in 2014 with that title so I didn't want to be a copycat and called it what it is. Linda Swifthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00749255692298669394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135368746376329105.post-44497845747574492892016-07-14T18:50:28.764-07:002016-07-14T18:50:28.764-07:00Ohmygosh, Linda, I remember when I thought journal...Ohmygosh, Linda, I remember when I thought journalism was the highest pinnacle to which an author could aspire. I held journalists on pedestals...and then I saw how rude and intrusive they've become. Worst of all I see their intent is more about creating news than reporting it. So when I see how polite and obliging you are when interviewing people, Linda, I can see you're just too nice to be a journalist. What is the title of your WIP? <br />I'm backing off my WIP, as well. I don't like the direction it has taken. Plot line needs tweaking. I'm in a bit of a funk.<br />Thank you so much for coming by and sharing what you're up to right now. Sarah J. McNealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17749991094677728042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135368746376329105.post-1105103815968401792016-07-14T14:51:54.272-07:002016-07-14T14:51:54.272-07:00Sarah, I loved this blog post. And although some o...Sarah, I loved this blog post. And although some of the quotes were hilarious and others downright idiotic, I confess that I, like Kathy Otten above, found some of them to be worthy advice. I've also been taking a hiatus from my WIP. Since it is non-fiction, I am not stalled in the story. I've been indecisive about which photos to include, and where; what needs tweaking a bit more before publishing; and getting pre-publication jitters in case my candid dialogue may offend anyone mentioned here or in the UK. This is why I gave up writing journalistic articles (which paid well). I did a lot of personal interview articles and I never had one published that I didn't allow the person interviewed to read the submission and request deletion of anything they didn't want printed. And of course, they often requested deleting the very best quotes they had given!<br />Linda Swifthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00749255692298669394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135368746376329105.post-57982699532586191252016-07-11T16:27:58.749-07:002016-07-11T16:27:58.749-07:00I thought about the time in which some of them wro...I thought about the time in which some of them wrote their advice. Now that's interesting, Kathy, that you found 3 you actually liked. Mark Twain often throws out some humor in his commentaries. I'm so happy to see you, Kathy. It's been a while.Sarah J. McNealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17749991094677728042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135368746376329105.post-23682899307348111612016-07-11T15:31:57.860-07:002016-07-11T15:31:57.860-07:00Some of them are funny, especially the way writing...Some of them are funny, especially the way writing has changed since some of these authors wrote. I do agree with Mark Twain, Ray Bradbury, and Elmore Leonard's advice though.Kathy Ottenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17996558118761118634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135368746376329105.post-4576311739125539022016-07-11T06:31:15.857-07:002016-07-11T06:31:15.857-07:00Well Kaye, the crazy author who hands out advice w...Well Kaye, the crazy author who hands out advice with an always or a never should mind his/her own business. Just like the rules for the English language, there is going to be an exception once in a while.<br />Hey, thanks for coming by and commenting. I appreciate it, Kaye. Sarah J. McNealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17749991094677728042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135368746376329105.post-70179358013204192682016-07-11T06:27:42.443-07:002016-07-11T06:27:42.443-07:00What's the title and author of the book you...What's the title and author of the book you're reading, Celia?<br />Reading something different from what I'm writing is very helpful for me, too. I just have to mull this story around in my head for a while to figure out how to best proceed. It's something that cannot be rushed. I'm glad I don't have a deadline. I'd just go ahead and shoot myself if that were the case. That's one of the problems I have with writing short stories for anthologies--by the time I get the story premise for it, I can't develop the story in time for the deadline unless an idea is already formulated in my mind that just happens to fit the premise.<br />Reading motivates me to write most of the time. Sarah J. McNealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17749991094677728042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135368746376329105.post-16535234016731094772016-07-11T05:47:11.883-07:002016-07-11T05:47:11.883-07:00Sarah--I did this, too...sort of took a hiatus fro...Sarah--I did this, too...sort of took a hiatus from writing on my WIP.I spent hours at night just running it all through my head, trying to get it going...but couldn't. So, I too, just read during my free time. <br />I finished the cutest story--something about a Daddy School. A man finds a newborn on his back porch...I know, it sounds old hat, but it did not turn out that way. It was funny as all get out and touching, too. The way the author had that baby wrapped around the little finger of the big handsome successful man was hilarious at times...and the author painted him as someone with a heart of gold, but no one knew that.<br />Anyway, it was a good break because now the story is moving along. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16272417114895975742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135368746376329105.post-85826311013530096112016-07-10T15:54:45.610-07:002016-07-10T15:54:45.610-07:00Ernest Hemingway should have been whipped for sayi...Ernest Hemingway should have been whipped for saying Writer's Block is just a case of being lazy. Of course we've talked about this before, Celia. It's about fear and resistance. When I had Writer's Block in the middle of writing Harmonica Joe's Reluctant Bride, I felt horrible about myself. I, too, believed all those negative things the arrogant writers such as Hemingway had to say about it. I might have taken to drinking whiskey like Hemingway if I hadn't taken a class on what writer's block really is and how to get past it. <br />Oh my, I agree on the awkward awful feeling that comes up when a friend asks for a critique on their writing or advice. My mind starts racing on how to say something positive about their work that doesn't measure up and still maintain some sense of truth and integrity. A tall order that. I think it's rude to ask someone to do that.<br />Me too, Celia. I'm at this crossroads with my WIP. I feel disconnected from the main characters and I need to amp up the conflict. That's why I'm backing off and reading right now. Sometimes just admitting I'm stuck lightens my feelings of failure. A writer's life is so internalized. It's all in our heads. On the other side of that, when I write something I'm really proud of, I feel filled up with endorphins exploding in euphoria. <br />It's good to know even the most lofty authors have said something completely stupid.Sarah J. McNealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17749991094677728042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135368746376329105.post-37204722236830219392016-07-10T15:28:56.026-07:002016-07-10T15:28:56.026-07:00I do love those, Denise, but I agree, sometimes I ...I do love those, Denise, but I agree, sometimes I do have to laugh at them. It does take some experience and time to figure out which ones are absurd though.Sarah J. McNealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17749991094677728042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135368746376329105.post-85147951334942058282016-07-10T14:04:03.042-07:002016-07-10T14:04:03.042-07:00I just laugh at some of the pinterest writing meme...I just laugh at some of the pinterest writing memes... <br /><br />denisedstoutholcombhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09715837468307132294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135368746376329105.post-26608193949297723092016-07-10T12:24:30.127-07:002016-07-10T12:24:30.127-07:00I do love these, especially Kurt Vonneguts--and my...I do love these, especially Kurt Vonneguts--and my very favorite of all is anything Elmore Leonard preaches. I sense a bit of tongue-in-cheek in some of these, which made them even funniers.<br />Ernest Hemingway also said, "There's no such thing as writer's block--only lazy writers. Sometimes, I do believe this.<br />I don't like a friend or even casual acquaintance to ask me for advice on something they've written. Trust me, they really don't want my opinion or advice--they only want to be praised.<br />This was a timely post for me, as I'm in the middle of a WIP and keep thinking....I need some advice. No, I don't mean that. I do know I just need to complain to someone that I'm stuck.<br />Thanks for a great blog! Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16272417114895975742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135368746376329105.post-53838125415301825192016-07-10T11:54:23.316-07:002016-07-10T11:54:23.316-07:00Sarah,
For me, the worst writing advice begins wi...Sarah,<br /><br />For me, the worst writing advice begins with "Always" or "Never". The process of writing/creating art with words is not so easily categorized in absolutes.Kaye Spencerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13530735658588595790noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135368746376329105.post-20733519486747342752016-07-10T11:11:13.370-07:002016-07-10T11:11:13.370-07:00Every once in a while, Kristy, we need to laugh, e...Every once in a while, Kristy, we need to laugh, especially at some of the things we take so seriously.<br />Thank you for dropping in.Sarah J. McNealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17749991094677728042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135368746376329105.post-13603283178536470452016-07-10T10:20:06.173-07:002016-07-10T10:20:06.173-07:00Hehe, funny stuff. Thanks Sarah.Hehe, funny stuff. Thanks Sarah.Kristy McCaffreyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11097717361053482260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135368746376329105.post-34665478727378346612016-07-10T07:41:42.478-07:002016-07-10T07:41:42.478-07:00I do think many of us don't claim our due by a...I do think many of us don't claim our due by accepting the title of "author" or "writer". We think those "special people" are just too lofty for us. Besides the usual requirements of just producing some great, imaginative, and unique stories which most of us can do, those who become famous wrote the right story at the right time and someone with the prestige and power to get them noticed saw their work. Was that sentence too long or what? <br />Most of us are filled with empathy for the human condition and have a passion for writing. We'll write whether we're noticed or not. But it sure is great when someone not only reads our work, but likes it.<br />These days, a writer also has to have some promotional savvy and spend time finding ways to get potential readers to notice their work that some of our predecessors did not have to do. We work hard for every book we sell. We do, indeed, deserve to claim our title of writer. <br />Most of the best advice I ever received about writing came from other writers who are not famous. Just goes to show you, even the famous writers ought to think before they speak. Sarah J. McNealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17749991094677728042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135368746376329105.post-46226440675058317712016-07-10T06:37:30.433-07:002016-07-10T06:37:30.433-07:00“I'm not a writer. Ernest Hemingway was a writ...“I'm not a writer. Ernest Hemingway was a writer. I just have a vivid imagination and type 90 WPM.” <br />― Tiffany Madison<br /><br />Of all the bad advice I read from writers, this one stood out. If you write, then you are a writer. Period. There's no such thing as a "great writer" that possesses some magical spark you don't. You are no less a writer than Hemingway. It's all entertainment, not fine art. We're all standing on a soapbox, shouting "Listen to me!" to the milling crowd. Gerald Costlowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09629993135051504254noreply@blogger.com