Shawn L. Bird

Original poetry, commentary, and fiction. All copyrights reserved.

9 simple ways to be a better writer from Catherine Coulter July 13, 2012

Filed under: Writing — Shawn L. Bird @ 9:49 am
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CATHERINE COULTER has had 62 books on the New York Times bestseller list, so she knows a thing or two about writing.  Here are her 9 SIMPLE WAYS TO BE A BETTER WRITER from her session at Thrillerfest:

1. Nix the adjectives.

2. Avoid other words for “said,” and avoid redundancies.

3. Excise the exclamation marks.

4. Forget the euphemisms.

5. Don’t fall into stereotypes.

6. Use caution in sex scenes.

7. Avoid endless introspection.

8. Skip over-the-top violence and language.

9. “And above all, don’t take yourself too seriously.”

Read the complete article on WritersDigest.com

 

forever June 23, 2012

Filed under: Mythology,Writing — Shawn L. Bird @ 8:55 pm
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“No measure of time with you will be long enough, but let’s start with forever.”

Edward’s wedding  speech

Twilight Breaking Dawn (pt 1)

Having just finished draft two of Grace Awakening Myth, this whole “I’ll love you forever, if all those evil doers keep out of my way long enough” thing has been on my mind.  Is it easier to love someone forever when you have to keep fighting for them?  If someone is just always ‘there’ and not at risk, is it too easy to take them for granted?

Here are Bella and Edward at their wedding, finally everything is going their way, but no one gets happy ever after at the beginning of a book.  Forever has to work through adversity.

 

The value of poets June 21, 2012

Filed under: Poetry,Writing — Shawn L. Bird @ 1:42 pm
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Discovered this great quote on the blog “Greater Umbrage”

“You see, in the beginning was the Word. And the Word was made flesh in the weave of the human universe. And only the poet can expand this universe, finding shortcuts to new realities the way the Hawking drive tunnels under the barriers of Einsteinian space/time… To be a true poet is to become God.” 

~ Dan Simmons

Wow.  It makes me feel crazily powerful!  How daunting.  How magnificent.  How humbling!

 

6 tips for self-editing from Jerry B. Jenkins June 19, 2012

Filed under: Commentary,Writing — Shawn L. Bird @ 1:26 pm
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In the Writer’s Digest video, How to Become a Ferocious Self-Editor,  author Jerry B. Jenkins  recommends that in order to be publication ready, every author needs to intensely self-edit.  He advises that you should,

  • make every word count
  • pay attention to your dialogue
  • avoid hackneyed language and situations
  • get quickly to your point
  • maintain one point of view
  • resist the urge to explain

I’ll be watching for these as I’m going over draft two of  Grace Awakening Myth (aka Book three) this week.  What are you self-editing these days?

 

heat in the band room June 14, 2012

Filed under: Grace Awakening,Grace Awakening Myth,Writing — Shawn L. Bird @ 12:16 am
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The latest snippet from Grace Awakening Myth

Things are heating up in the band room!  (Ben is narrating).

.

Ryan came in.  “Did you see Tanis?”   His eyes were wild.

“When?”

“Today.  She’s wearing something.”

“I should hope so.  Otherwise she’d be arrested.”

He shook his head, as if to shake out an image, “No, I mean, she’s wearing some…thing.  Ahhh.”  He shook harder, then hissed, “Look!”

Tanis sauntered in.  She was definitely wearing ‘something,’ all right.  Skin tight.  Mini-dress.  Black leather.

Ryan cast a frantic look over to Mr. J.  Mr. J glanced back and raised an eye brow.

Paul came in, grinning.

Tanis glanced over her shoulder and then bent over.

Paul sucked in his breath.

Ryan gulped.  Loudly.  Like he had swallowed his tongue.

“Tanis,” Mr. J called.  “I need to see you over here, please.”

She grinned at us, our jaws hovering somewhere around our navels, and gave a little shoulder wiggle as she passed us.

Mr. J spoke to her quietly.

She shrugged and left the room.

He came over to us.  “For whose benefit was that display, gentlemen?”

“I…uh…well…” Ryan stuttered.

Paul twitched, but didn’t seem to have the capacity of speech anymore.

I inhaled.  “It’s complicated, sir.”

 

Modern pict, in miniature June 11, 2012

Filed under: anecdotes,Writing — Shawn L. Bird @ 9:40 pm
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NB.  Beaufort is pronounced Byoo-furt in this one.

Just a snap shot in words.

.

“Beaufort T. Scott!  Is that your mama’s blue eye shadow all over your face?” Sadie looked again and rammed her hands onto her hips, elbows jutting out menacingly.  “And why on Earth are you wearing your sister’s skirt?

“It’s not a skirt!  It’s a kilt.  Kilts are for men.  Mama says so!”  He thrust his tongue out to emphasize the point.

“It’s a gingham skirt with a calico ruffle, Beaufort.”

His lower lip quivered.  “It’s a kilt!”

Joline’s kitten pounced by, narrowly missing a lucky grasshopper.  Beaufort bent over to examine it, demonstrating that he was wearing his ‘kilt’ in the traditional manner.

Sadie raised an eyebrow.  “Careful that cat doesn’t reach up and slice off your privates.”

In alarm, the little boy swooped up the cat and dangled it protectively over the privates in question.

Sadie bit back a laugh.  The poor little cat looked for all the world like a pipe major’s badger sporran hanging there, tail twitching between the little boy’s knees.

“Ah, Beaufort,” she sighed.  “You’ll be the death of me.”

 

sewing with words June 10, 2012

Filed under: Grace Awakening Myth,Writing — Shawn L. Bird @ 6:20 pm
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When I write, I craft individual scenes.  When I have enough of them, I sort them out and put them in order, then I write the ‘in betweens’ that fill out the plot and ensure comfortable transitions, proper development of tension, etc.  After than comes the editing and additional padding or trimming that make things tidy.

It’s a bit like making a quilt of words.   First are the blocks, individual chunks, that are arranged into an attractive pattern.  They don’t stay together, though until they’re backed, and stitched down.

So, I’m quilting the final stitches in the third book of the series, Grace Awakening Myth today.  I think I’ll be done by bedtime.   Then off it will go to the first round of beta readers who will see if they find any holes in the structure and composition.  I’ll darn up what I need to, and then it will head off to the editor, who will trace the pattern for the final quilting.  When it’s all done, the next adventure will begin!

Another couple thousand words to stitch, and this word quilt will be done.

 

479 June 8, 2012

Filed under: Writing — Shawn L. Bird @ 8:31 pm
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Pondering short story ideas and this patch of dialogue came to me.  I thought I’d write it down.  Not sure what I’ll do with it, if anything.  Where would you take it?

.

“I wouldn’t marry you if the flames of hell were devouring Aunt Ida’s apple tree, and copulation could save the human race, do you hear me Billy Killswell?  For the four hundredth time, the answer is no!”

I had meant it, too. I’d meant it the three hundred and ninety nine times previously, and the seventy-eight times after.   So what was I doing here in this damn white dress standing beside him?

Four hundred seventy nine is a charm, apparently.

Billy grinned over at me.

I snarled back.

His grin widened.

If I only I’d held out for four hundred and eighty.  Four-eighty is definitely a number full of secure denial.

Damn Billy Killswell.  Damn him from now ’til eternity.

“I told you I’d get you here, didn’t I?” Billy whispered.

“To hell with you, Billy.” I muttered back.

Pastor Griffith gave a little start, and looked down his bi-focals at me.  I scowled as he cleared his throat and motioned the congregation to sit down.  The congregation was half-blind Brody Turner and my cousin Lula, who were the designated witnesses to this farce.

“Dearly beloved…” Griff intoned solemnly.

“Stop!” bellowed a voice from the back, and all nine eyes in the church turned to stare at the door.

.

So you tell me, who’s at the door?  Leave a suggestion or two in the comment section below, and I’ll pick one and see where we go from there!

 

platform June 2, 2012

Filed under: Writing — Shawn L. Bird @ 12:43 am
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At the recent Word on the Lake Festival of Readers and Writers, Sylvia Taylor, former president of the BC Federation of Writers, gave an excellent workshop on developing one’s writing platform.  It’s all about gathering a portfolio of your work to be able to present it to future clients, or for being able to keep track of what you’ve done.  (Proof for Revenue Canada that you take this work seriously, at the very least).

I would write a long blog detailing all the brilliance gleaned at this workshop, but Lee Rawn was there, too, and she has already written an excellent blog about it.  So, I direct you to LeeRawn.com for all the gritty details.

 

Writers Wanted! May 23, 2012

Filed under: Rotary,Writing — Shawn L. Bird @ 12:41 am
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The Rotary Club of Salmon Arm (Shuswap)  a.k.a. Shuswap Rotary Club has an awesome fund raiser that we’d love you to be part of!

We are searching for writers of poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction (plus photographers) to submit their work for an opportunity to be published in an anthology called On the Shores of Shuswap Lake.  The work must relate to life in the Shuswap, and fit within the length criteria, otherwise, you’re free to explore all options!  The deadline for submissions is July 31st.

You grant non-exclusive rights to Shuswap Rotary to publish your work in the anthology.  Non-exclusive means that as far as Shuswap Rotary is concerned, you’re welcome to offer the piece to any other publication or contest, even if it’s accepted for the anthology.  An entry fee of $10 must accompany your work, and is considered a donation to Rotary, to support our community and international projects.

What would you like to write about? 

Your first houseboating trip?  An interesting wild flower?  Geographical strata?  Your grandmother?  An adventure at your summer cabin?  The time you nearly drowned in Shuswap Lake?  Watching the salmon run at Adams River?

Deadline is July 31st, 2012.  We’re looking forward to hearing  from you!

Here’s the official info and fine print:

HandbillOntheShoresShuswapLake

What are those community and international projects undertaken by Shuswap Rotary?  Here are a few:

Blackburn Park universal access playground, Victim Services, Air Force Cadets, Women’s Shelter, R. J. Haney House Museum, Salmon Arm Fall Fair, Sheltered Workshop, Barani Kenya Lunch Program, Fathers’ Day Fishing Derby, Guatemala Midwives, Music Festival, Ecuador Dental Mission,  Gamma Probe for Salmon Arm Hospital, Highway clean ups, Trail maintenance…