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Writing Spark #15

This week, our prompt is more specific and focussed:
One day we peeked in the window and saw the headmistress calmly sewing her arm back on.
It might be more guided than most of these sparks, but it still raises plenty of fun questions to ponder and answer. Like, how the headmistress came to be missing that arm, and why 'we' might be peeking in on her. Not to mention just how she can be so calm while performing that type of repair work.

So much packed into one small sentence. How will you unpack it?

Feb. 3, 2017, midnight 0 Report Embed 0
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Writing Spark #14

Another deceptively simple prompt to get you going:
I’m only telling you this because you won’t be able to tell anyone else.
This works well as the first line to a piece, or simply as a jumping-off idea. It can be taken anywhere, but also runs the risk of being too broad. (I find some writing prompts are too broad to spark a specific idea, and wind up being frustrating.) It all depends on what you hook onto!

I like this one because you can come at it from so many different directions. Why can't you tell anyone else? What's so important about this secret? Is this the start of a villain's monologue? The real origin of something wonderful, or something disastrous? Why are you there, to listen to this secret?

Jan. 27, 2017, midnight 0 Report Embed 0
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Own worst critic

(First published on Adventures in Text under the title 'You're Wrong')


You know when you read your work, and you’re stunned by how utterly awesome it is? How no-one has ever put words in that exact, shining order before, with such cleverness and richness?


You know when you read your work, and you’re appalled by how terrible it all is? How you have somehow forgotten how to string words together, and there’s no way anyone will ever understand your slack-mouthed drivel?


At both of those times, you’re wrong.


Writers are their own worst critics. It’s not that we always criticise ourselves too negatively; it’s that we are bad at criticising ourselves, positive and negative. I’ve seen both polarisations happen, though the negative is far more prevalent; writers are very keen to stamp on their own work. As a rule of thumb, the more extreme the polarisation, the more wrong you’re being.


It is a matter of perspective and distance. Our internal editors chitter away on the edges of our brains, like ants. They cover our eyes and cloud our judgement, until we’re so busy swatting that we have no perspective on what we’re smacking and sweeping away. Or they cover the bad parts and all we can see are the bright, shining sections.


Chances are, you’re being too hard on yourself. Maybe you’ve edited and reworked and massaged the piece so many times that you can barely see it any more. Maybe you’re having a bad day. Maybe someone said something to you that has dented your confidence, and now it’s reflecting on your writing. Does any of that mean that your piece is crap? No. It means that your perspective is wonky.


Alternatively, maybe you’re so caught up in the idea of the piece that you’re not reading the words on the page. You have that image so clear in your mind that you can see it, regardless of what the piece actually conveys. Maybe there’s a phrase that makes you happy because it’s so intelligent and sharp that you’re proud to have come up with it. Maybe someone praised you today and you feel like you can do anything at all, including writing golden words with nary a flaw. Does that mean your writing is wonderful? No. But go enjoy the feeling while it lasts; come back to reality later.


The truth is, you’re too close to the work. When you’re feeling so strongly about a piece, you need to step back and clear your eyes. Accept that you’ve lost perspective and are wrong about it. Put the piece away for a while. Write or read something new. Distract yourself with something completely different.


Better yet, get someone else to read it. Get several someones, because many opinions are better than one. Make sure they are people you trust. Gather feedback and perspectives, and see what your rose- or mud-tinted glasses are really doing. Clear your eyes; adjust your mental view.


It’s never as bad as you think it is. Embrace the wrongness of the writer’s perspective, and then put it aside. You’re better than you think.

Jan. 25, 2017, midnight 0 Report Embed 0
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Writing Spark #13

An oldie but a goodie:
You wake up covered in blood.
Grim and sticky, this one can take you in many directions. Whose blood is it? Do you know why and how you got red on you? What's your first reaction to waking up this way: fear, anger, annoyance? Do you freak out or take it in your stride? And, interestingly, how long does it take you to notice?

Enjoy your bloody mess.

Jan. 20, 2017, midnight 0 Report Embed 0
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