Writing About Writing About Writing

@writingabtwriting

A blog about writing books, and books about writing, and reading books about writing. Writing About Writing About Writing is a project by @thatemilymunro.bsky.social. Find it at Writingaboutwritingaboutwriting.com

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Writing About Writing About Writing@writingabtwriting· 4d

Can't get this quote out of my head: "Talented writing makes things happen in the reader’s mind." More about Delany's About Writing: www.writingaboutwritingaboutwriting.com/about-writin... #writingabtwriting #authors #writingcommunity #junkjournal 💙📚

On a piece of paper taped to a wall the quote “Good writing is clear. Talented writing is energetic. Good writing avoids errors. Talented writing makes things happen in the reader’s mind — vividly, forcefully — that good writing, which stops with clarity and logic, doesn’t.”
Samuel R. Delany, About Writing Also in gray ink, faintly, is the url writing about writing about writing dot com

Writing About Writing About Writing@writingabtwriting· 12d

Each new sentence is a heart-in-the mouth experiment. writingaboutwritingaboutwriting.com/?utm_source=... #writingabtwriting #writingq #writingcommunity #junkjournal 💙📚

Quote on a piece of paper taped to a pink wall: “The sentence is my primary element, my tool, goal, bliss. Each new sentence is a heart-in-the mouth experiment.” — Cynthia Ozick

Writing About Writing About Writing@writingabtwriting· 20d

What makes your character memorable? Read more about Voice by James Scott Bell: www.writingaboutwritingaboutwriting.com/voice-james-... #writingcommunity #writingabtwriting #quote #author #booksky

On a piece of paper taped to a wall the quote “To create a memorable voice you must first create a memorable character.” James Scott Bell, Voice. Underneath the url writing about writing about writing dot com.

Writing About Writing About Writing@writingabtwriting· 26d

"You revel in the smoke the words send up." -Toni Morrison www.writingaboutwritingaboutwriting.com/manipulating... #writingabtwriting #writingq #writingcommunity #junkjournal 💙📚

Quote on a piece of paper taped to a wall: "You rely on a sentence to say more than the denoation and the connotation, you revel in the smoke that the words send up." Toni Morrison. Below the url writing about writing about writing dot com

Writing About Writing About Writing@writingabtwriting· 29d

My dream market just published one of my short stories! I am so happy right now. I hope you will love it as well. In fact, I insist! Go give it a listen! #writingcommunity #writingabtwriting #shortstory 🏰💙📚 #art #arthistory

A silly Putti lamp sculpture I found in a pasta shop two days after writing this story. A cherub in white marble with a drawn bow where the arrow head is a red heart shaped lightbulb. The putting has the bow drawn and pointing dramatically off to the left

Writing About Writing About Writing@writingabtwriting· Jul 9

Feeling down about the world? Charlie Jane Ander's writing manual Never Say You Can't Survive may be the gentle pick-me-up you are looking for. Read my review here: www.writingaboutwritingaboutwriting.com/never-say-yo... #writingcommunity #writingabtwriting #quote #author #booksky

On a piece of paper taped to a wall with patterned washi tape the quote “Visualizing a happier, more just world is a direct assault on the forces that are trying to break your heart. As Le Guin says elsewhere, the most powerful thing you can do is imagine how things could be different … What if?”
― Charlie Jane Anders, Never Say You Can't Survive: How to Get Through Hard Times by Making Up Stories. Underneath the url writing about writing about writing dot com.

Writing About Writing About Writing@writingabtwriting· Jul 2

Your writing matters. New writing books and tips once a week at www.writingaboutwritingaboutwriting.com/?utm_source=... #writingcommunity #writingabtwriting #quote #author #booksky

On a piece of paper taped to a wall, the quote “Writing and reading decrease our sense of isolation. They deepen and widen and expand our sense of life: they feed the soul. When writers make us shake our heads with the exactness of their prose and their truths, and even make us laugh about ourselves or life, our buoyancy is restored. We are given a shot at dancing with, or at least clapping along with, the absurdity of life, instead of being squashed by it over and over again. It's like singing on a boat during a terrible storm at sea. You can't stop the raging storm, but singing can change the hearts and spirits of the people who are together on that ship.”
― Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
Underneath the url writing about writing about writing dot com.

Writing About Writing About Writing@writingabtwriting· Jun 25

Need a pep talk? Rachel Aaron's 2K to 10K has some good ones. Read the full review here: www.writingaboutwritingaboutwriting.com/2k-to-10k-ra... #writingcommunity #writingabtwriting #quote #author #booksky

On a piece of paper taped to a wall the quote “Who is the writer here? YOU ARE. Whose book is it? YOUR BOOK. There are no writing police. No one is going to arrest you if you write a teen vampire novel post Twilight. No one is going to send you off to a desert island to live a wretched life of worm eating and regret because your book includes things that could be seen as cliché.”
― Rachel Aaron, 2,000 to 10,000: How to Write Faster, Write Better, and Write More of What You Love.
Underneath the url writing about writing about writing dot com.

Writing About Writing About Writing@writingabtwriting· Jun 18

Keep the good stuff to remind yourself that your words have impact. Read more about Way of the Fearless Writer here: www.writingaboutwritingaboutwriting.com/the-way-of-t... #writingcommunity #writingabtwriting #quote #author #booksky

On a piece of paper taped to a wall the quoute is typed “As you begin to serve others with your words, make a point of collecting their responses along the way. Create your own scrapbook showing that not only does your writing matter to you, but it also matters to other people. This is not about reviews of the quality of your work, but evidence of the impact of it. This will be a friend any time doubt rises again.” ―Beth Kempton, The Way of the Fearless Writer
Underneath the url writing about writing about writing dot com.

Writing About Writing About Writing@writingabtwriting· Jun 11

Written on a piece of paper taped to a blue wall: “Imagination is always a form of resistance to domination and oppression, and we’ve all been saved by other people’s stories one time or another.”
― Charlie Jane Anders, Never Say You Can't Survive: How to Get Through Hard Times by Making Up Stories

Writing About Writing About Writing@writingabtwriting· Jun 11

How do your characters feel about coming home? Review of Techniques of the Selling Writer www.writingaboutwritingaboutwriting.com/techniques-o... #writingcommunity #writingabtwriting #quote #author #booksky

TTyped pn a piece of paper taped to a wall, the quote "“Things don’t have feelings. Events don’t. Places don’t. But people do. And things and events and places can create feelings in people . . . trigger an amazing range of individual reactions.” Dwight V. Swain, Techniques of the Selling Writer. Underneath the url writing about writing about writing dot com

Writing About Writing About Writing@writingabtwriting· Jun 4

How are your characters feeling today? Read my review of The Emotional Craft of Fiction www.writingaboutwritingaboutwriting.com/the-emotiona... #writingcommunity #writingabtwriting #quote #author #booksky

On a piece of paper taped to a wall the quote "Dive from a high platform, walk a country lane, watch your computer freeze, cross a finish line, hear your morning alarm, look for a parking space, toast on your anniversary, embrace a friend after a funeral. As you live your life, what do you feel? Terror, serenity, frustration, relief, groaning reluctance, patient endurance, pride, satisfaction, or a grief made bearable because somehow life will go on. We experience life as feelings.” Donald Maass, The Emotional Craft of Fiction. Underneath the url writing about writing about writing dot com.

Writing About Writing About Writing@writingabtwriting· May 31

What are you writing today? #writingcommunity #writingabtwriting #quote

On a piece of paper taped to a wall the quote "I don't write about what I know: I write in order to find out what I know.” — Patricia Hampl
Underneath the url writing about writing about writing dot com

Writing About Writing About Writing@writingabtwriting· May 15

Are you trying to use one sentence when it might be better to use three? Swain changed my thinking on brevity and clarity. Read more about Techniques of the Selling Writer here: www.writingaboutwritingaboutwriting.com/techniques-o... #writingcommunity #writingabtwriting #author #write #booksky

On a piece of paper taped to a wall, the quote “The lesson here is, don’t try to cram too much into one sentence; and the issue lies less in length than it does in content. Any time you feel the need to explain some aspect of your basic sentence, take pause. Odds are that what’s bothering you really calls for an additional sentence or two or three, so that you can keep your developing line of thought straight and clear and simple.”
― Dwight V. Swain, Techniques of the Selling Writer. underneath the url writing about writing about writing dot com.

Writing About Writing About Writing@writingabtwriting· May 8

Defeat the blankness of the page by building a starting formula. Mine is: date, day of the week, where I'm writing, one thing I can see/taste/smell/feel and what it reminds me of. By then I'm usally good to go. #writingcommunity #journal #booksky #writing #amwriting #writingabtwriting

On a piece of torn paper taped to the wall with bright pink washi tape, the quote "You can fix anything but a blank page." - Nora Roberts. Underneath is the url writing about writing about writing dot com.

Writing About Writing About Writing@writingabtwriting· May 5

When people ask me how revisions are going.... #writingcommunity

Writing About Writing About Writing@writingabtwriting· May 1

Dwight V. Swain's Techniques of the Selling Writer is still the book I recommend to new writers the most. Read why here: www.writingaboutwritingaboutwriting.com/techniques-o... #writingabtwriting #writingcommunity #booksky #writing #amwriting

On a piece of paper taped to a wall with washi tape, the quote “If that somebody is our focal character, and if he lets go a scream of horror or a gurgle of delight at the sight of the crown jewels or tomorrow’s headlines or a hot-pastrami sandwich, then we have grounds for assuming that something about the item in question is uniquely significant to him. Therefore, until something happens to change our minds, we’ll deal with such fragments with the same degree of attention or consideration he shows . . . use them to measure and judge all the story’s dimensions. As a reader, thus, my attitude toward the rainstorm we cited earlier will be determined by whether the rain helps or handicaps the focal character.”
― Dwight V. Swain, Techniques of the Selling Writer. Underneath is the url writing about writing about writing dot com.

Writing About Writing About Writing@writingabtwriting· Apr 24

What are you reading to train your mind's ear right now? Read my review of Steering the Craft: www.writingaboutwritingaboutwriting.com/steering-the... #writingabtwriting #writingcommunity #booksky #author #writing #quote

On a piece of paper taped to a wall the quote “A good writer, like a good reader, has a mind's ear. We mostly read prose in silence, but many readers have a keen inner ear that hears it. Dull, choppy, droning, jerky, feeble: these common criticisms of narrative are all faults in the sound of it. Lively, well-paced, flowing, strong, beautiful: these are all qualities of the sound of prose, and we rejoice in them as we read. Narrative writers need to train their mind's ear to listen to their own prose, to hear as they write.”
― Ursula K. Le Guin, Steering the Craft: Exercises and Discussions on Story Writing for the Lone Navigator or the Mutinous Crew. Underneath the url writing about writing about writing dot com.

Writing About Writing About Writing@writingabtwriting· Apr 17

Spend today writing. Read my review of Beth Kempton's Way of the Fearless Writer here: www.writingaboutwritingaboutwriting.com/the-way-of-t... #writingcommunity #writingabtwriting #quote #author #booksky

On a piece of paper taped to a wall the quote “We often make a huge deal of starting. We make all sorts of excuses. Maybe it’ll be easier to concentrate when the children are in bed. Maybe tomorrow we’ll have a clearer head. Maybe next month we’ll get a new job so we have Monday’s to write. Yes maybe, but don’t spend today wondering about the maybes. Spend today writing. Always spend today writing, and before you know it you’ll be living a writing life and the maybes will have taken care of themselves.” ―Beth Kempton, The Way of the Fearless Writer. Underneath the url writing about writing about writing dot com.

Writing About Writing About Writing@writingabtwriting· Apr 10

Looking to improve your grammar knowledge? Here's a list of excellent (and fun!) grammar books to workout your brain this weekend. www.writingaboutwritingaboutwriting.com/grammar-work...

On a coffee ring stained piece of paper taped to a wall with washi tape the handwritten quote "Let grammar, punctuation, and spelling into your life! Even the most...wonderful mess has to be turned into sentences." Terry Pratchett. Underneath the url writing about writing about writing dot com.

Writing About Writing About Writing@writingabtwriting· Apr 3

Delany's description of his visualization process may not be your cup of tea. But it's the most detailed description of what writing feels like on the inside I've found so far. Read the review: www.writingaboutwritingaboutwriting.com/about-writin... #writingcommunity #booksky #writingabtwriting

Quote typed on a piece of paper taped to a wall with washi tape: “At the beginning of a story, I am likely to have one or more images in my mind, some clearer than others (like the strip of light up Janice’s arm), which, when I examine them, suggest relations to one another. Using the story process—envisioning and notating, envisioning and notating—I try to move from one of these images to the next, lighting and focusing, step by step, on the dark areas between. As I move along, other areas well ahead in the tale will suddenly come vaguely into light. When I actually reach the writing of them, I use the story process to bring them into sharper focus still.”
― Samuel R. Delany, About Writing: Seven Essays, Four Letters, & Five Interviews. Underneath the url writing about writing about writing dot com.

Writing About Writing About Writing@writingabtwriting· Mar 27

Trying a new format for quotes because I have some longer ones that didn't fit in the smaller format. Does this display the whole image for you? Review: www.writingaboutwritingaboutwriting.com/never-say-you-cant-survive/ #writingabtwriting #writingcommunity #booksky #quote #writing

On a piece of paper taped to a wall with washi tape, the quote “Visualizing a happier, more just world is a direct assault on the forces that are trying to break your heart. As Le Guin says elsewhere, the most powerful thing you can do is imagine how things could be different … What if?” ― Charlie Jane Anders, Never Say You Can't Survive: How to Get Through Hard Times by Making Up Stories. Underneath the paper in white writing the url writing about writing about writing dot com.

Writing About Writing About Writing@writingabtwriting· Mar 13

Read anything interesting lately? writingaboutwritingaboutwriting.com #writingabtwriting #authors #writingcommunity #junkjournal 💙📚

A piece of paper torn from a notebook and taped to a wall. On it is typed the quote "Learning how to be a good reader is what makes you a writer." Zadie Smith. Below it in fainter lettering the url writing about writing about writing dot com.

Writing About Writing About Writing@writingabtwriting· Mar 11

Your perspective is what makes your writing unique, don't give it up. writingaboutwritingaboutwriting.com #writingabtwriting #authors #writingcommunity #junkjournal 💙📚

A piece of paper taped to a pinkish wall with the quote "The vocation of each writer is to describe the world as he or she sees it; anything more than that is advertizing." Hanif Kureishi. below the paper in faint white lettering the url writing about writing about writing dot com.

Writing About Writing About Writing@writingabtwriting· Mar 8

"Every sentence must do one of two things: reveal character or advance the action." -Kurt Vonnegut writingaboutwritingaboutwriting.com #writingabtwriting #authors #writingcommunity #junkjournal 💙📚

A piece of paper taped to a wall with the quote "Every sentence must do one of two things: reveal character or advance the action." Kurt Vonnegut. Underneath in faint text the url writing about writing about writing dot com.

Writing About Writing About Writing@writingabtwriting· Mar 7

I haven't read Writing Fiction by Burroway yet, I'll have to add it to my (ever growing) list of writing books to read. Here's what is currently on my bedside table. What makes it your favorite?

A stack of books sits on a bed. Bottom to top they are Wonderbook by Jeff Vandermeer, the language of the night by Ursula K. Le Guin, story genius by Lisa Cron, Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande, and wild Mind by Natalie Goldberg

Writing About Writing About Writing@writingabtwriting· Mar 7

My all time favorites tend to vary as I read and reread. My favorite general "how do I write novels?" book is probably Wonderbook by Jeff Vandermeer - it's full of inspiring illustrations and it's incredibly thorough and deep on how to get plot and character to work for you.

The cover of Wonderbook by Jeff Vandermeer. A city is built on the back of a whale-like creature in blue water. Above the title forms the basis for another city floating above it. Several blimps and hot air balloons float in the blue sky beyond.

Writing About Writing About Writing@writingabtwriting· Mar 7

Where do heavy readers find new books? Mostly word of mouth. That's friends, libraries, and social media.

Writing About Writing About Writing@writingabtwriting· Mar 7

Also interesting, but not surprising, heavy readers are not really interested in using AI to find or research books.

Writing About Writing About Writing@writingabtwriting· Mar 7

I'm especially interested in this "why do readers read info saying that readers (again mostly heavy readers in this audience) are seeking entertainment, relaxation, escapism. That means being able to describe the experience your book delivers is one of the most important things you can do.