In praise of formulaic writing

Do you use formulas when you write?

The knee-jerk answer is "no!" You're creative, original, inspired... and in denial.

Formulas rock. And if you are inspired, original, and creative, you can use them to rock your readers' world.

The caveat, of course, is that you must have a unique story to tell. Or an unusual, captivating point of view. Or a twist. Or - marketing types take note - something truly new to say.

Rock on.

Socrates of the 1980s

The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new. ~ Socrates

For months, my screensaver featured a photo of a rose hovering between bud and bloom. The accompanying quote, attributed to Socrates, tells “the secret of change.”

Recently, writing on the topic of change, I decided to look up the quote; you know, a little backstory can be so good for inspiration. I found the speaker was Socrates, all right - not the Greek philosopher, but a fictional character named for the famous sage. The character appeared in a book that was published in 1980.

Lesson learned? I guess sometimes the “change” that’s hard to accept isn’t a change at all, but a correction of a perception – or misconception. Ouch.

# #

My new book, Dumb Things We Say to Dogs, is a collection of essays inspired by some of the changes that life lays on us.

~Diane Stresing

Writing Backwards, and Better

Having had a couple dozen of my essays published (in the past 20 or so years) so misled me that I decided to publish a collection of my essays. Then, and only then,* did I seek out advice and instruction on writing essays. 

Genius, right? Well, I don't expect a writing conference to be named after me anytime soon.

Anyway, I'll share the good stuff as I find it. The first gem I found on writing essays is a witty discourse by Paul Graham. He pulled me in by stating what I've felt for years yet didn't understand well enough to verbalize:

"...due to a series of historical accidents the teaching of writing has gotten mixed together with the study of literature. And so all over the country students are writing not about how a baseball team with a small budget might compete with the Yankees, or the role of color in fashion, or what constitutes a good dessert, but about symbolism in Dickens.
With the result that writing is made to seem boring and pointless. Who cares about symbolism in Dickens? Dickens himself would be more interested in an essay about color or baseball. ..." 

Happy reading.

*Yes of course I've heard of E.B. White. Unfortunately, his works seem all tangled up in that writing-essays-as-critiques-of-literature period of my life, aka high school and college. I'll get back to them. Hey, every recovery has to start somewhere. 

Tweet Inspiration for Writers

Is this sweet, or is this a reason to tweet? Yes. Yes it is.

~Diane Stresing

High School Essay Contest offers $1,000 prize

Why is it important that we have news media that are independent of the government? 

That's the topic for the Society of Professional Journalists' annual high school essay contest. Entries are due March 6. Rules can be found here. Inspiration and examples can be found...um, everywhere. 

Have No Fear, Perseverance Pays Off

Writers, particularly those who write children's fiction, don't know overnight success. I think perseverance is the main ingredient that separates writers from the successful (meaning published) writers.

I'm delighted to say tomorrow's guest post -- rather, it's a ghost post, from Scary School author Derek Taylor Kent -- drives home the importance of good old-fashioned hard work and perseverance. It also delivers a few surprises.

If you write for children, and have ever felt your dedication flagging, I urge you to read it. (If you write for children, and have never felt your dedication flagging, I'd be flabbergasted.)

Derek's backstory is interesting, and I think it offer a very realistic model for today's fiction writers. While he went the traditional route (lots and lots of rejection and revision before snagging a contract with a major publisher), he also self-published. AFTER getting the contract. And although he's had some help from Major Publisher, he's also doing a good bit of marketing himself.

A review of Scary School will follow ... my 2nd-grader is thoroughly enjoying the tale now. Until then, please check back tomorrow to see Derek's ghost post, and if you're looking for a very funny, spooky, seriously-engaging chapter book for elementary school readers, consider Scary School. I'm not afraid to say, Derek's hard work really has paid off - especially for his readers!

((Thanks to Derek the Ghost for the use of this image; a writer whose perseverance paid off. I guess??)) 

Top Ten Signs You Need a Copywriter

10. Your website still has a "coming soon" message on the home page.  (Or on any page - "coming soon" tells the visitor "goodbye")


 9.  Your employees don't know what's going on...and it's costing you money. (A short, simple employee newsletter can increase productivity, reduce accident rates, and improve morale and retention rates.)


 8.  You found a typo...in your contract. (Better you than your client's lawyer!


 7.  You rely on the cable/radio/newspaper salesperson to write your ad copy, or...

 6.  ...you do it yourself.


 5.  You lernt all the English you needed in high school.

 4.  Your products are very unique - and you see nothing wrong with saying so. (Don't get it? see #5 again.)


 3.  You're shipping a panda overseas, or doing something else noteworthy.

 2.  You're shipping a panda overseas, but you don't have time to write a press release about it.

.....And the number-one reason that you need a copywriter....


 1.  You're reading this.   --------------------------------------------------(written by a copywriter)


Contact this copywriter to discuss your needs.

Imagination is Where It's At

For the past few weeks I've been writing sales letters, newsletter articles about very dry subjects, and retyping a lot of press releases. Such is the exciting life of a writer-for-hire.

But like a lot of things, creativity comes in spurts. The most creative periods in my life so far have been (1) while I was in the messy middle of a divorce, and (2) while I was pregnant with my son. (The pregnancy was pretty hard, but I'd still pick it over the divorce.)

I should learn from this, shouldn't I? Apparently, I'm most creative when I'm completely unsettled.

Maybe I should quit my job and move to Alaska or Timbuktu. Or take up skydiving.

I'm not bored; I may have to look up "bored" in a dictionary to remember what that word means. But, I am in a groove... these days, the groove is filled with a lot of press releases and newsletters. I know surprises tend to find us when we're in a groove, and surprises of all kinds seem to lead straight to creative bursts of energy. On that note, I'm ready for another day. And I'll be on the lookout for surprises. I hope a few nice ones come your way...