Tag Archives: writing excellence

Writing Well

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What does it take to write well? I’m certainly not the person to spout forth on this. Yes, it is my goal to write well, to be a wonderful storyteller, to captivate with words, yet I don’t feel even close to that summit.

But climbing towards this lofty goal, I’ve found some guides who’ve made the way easier. These are writers whose commitment to excellence inspires me to better myself. I study them. I listen to their words, their language, their stories. And, in the midst of such explorations, I question who I am, what is my unique voice, how can I take these lessons and build my own authentic way of writing?

Here are some of the writers who inspire me to writing excellence:

Robert McKee, “Story: Substance, Style and Structure” McKee is the dean of Hollywood screenwriting gurus. His book, “Story,” is the Bible for screen writers. Why do I put this book at the top of my list? Because I believe that writing is storytelling, the essence of communication through the ages. Hollywood has spent a century perfecting the art of storytelling and McKee is the master teacher of storytelling through the medium of screenwriting.

“Hemingway’s Top Five Tips on Writing Well.” A short yet complete article from Copy Blogger on the principles that guided Hemingway in his writing process.

William Zinsser, “On Writing Well.” The essence of good writing, simple and complete, always an inspiration and practical reminder of the path I must take to achieve writing excellence.

“The Hero’s Two Journeys,” a seminar with Michael Haig and Christopher Voegler, two of Hollywood’s most sought after screenwriting consultants. Their seminar explores the roots of symbolic storytelling and lays out specific structure necessary to develop compelling plots.

Carl Iglesias, “The Six Essential Habits of Highly Successful Screen Writers.” An article in which Iglesias lays out the basics of screen writing, a.k.a. storytelling, success.

Stephen King, “On Writing.” Part memoir, part master class on creative writing, this is King’s story of the perils and principles of great writing and he has the credentials to stand behind his words.

Tio Stib, “A Blind Writer’s Guide to Excellent Audio Books.”
My book reviews of great books I’ve listened to, including a wide variety of genres and a list of Pulitzer Prize winners. My believe is that if I want to be the best I must study the best. That’s it for now. Any suggestions on other places to explore for writing excellence are welcome.

Best wishes for your writing success!

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Why I Write Poetry

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My Path to Writing Excellence

In the midst of my current mental writing cramps, I rediscovered a cache of poems written a lifetime back. In reading through them, I concluded that I wasn’t much of a poet years ago yet occasionally I created a resonant verse. I also realized that the same disciplined determination for writing excellence must be applied to all forms of creative writing. Poetry, though, feels like doing pushups as compared to  the exercise demanded by my current novel, which is more in line with a marathon.

I’ve decided that I’m better off putting in the effort to write a decent poem than write nothing at all, especially in those moments that turn into hours, when I’m less inclined to write another page in my book. And, that in mind, I’m better off pushing myself to do another purposeful and even playful blog post than searching out vicarious life thrills on CNN.

Yes, I believe any exercise done well is far better than no exercise at all. Any writing I do that is focused on excellence moves me towards my summit.

How do you keep pushing towards writing excellence?

Here’s the link to my latest poem, “Sometimes They Smile”

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