by Susan Lovett | Mar 19, 2019 | Writing |
Every writer has heard the advice to write what you know, and it is good advice to a point. It’s impossible to write about things you don’t understand. But the problem with this advice is that writers can learn. We can research and pick up the facts. We can break down a problem and find experts to explain the mechanics of how things work. Heck, we can even watch documentaries to see how things came about and how to videos to see it in action. What we cannot do is know how those situations feel without understanding the emotions associated with it. We can’t find the story behind things if we can’t empathize with it.
by Susan Lovett | Mar 12, 2019 | Mindset, Writing |
Writing is hard. Words don’t flow out easily and land on the page as genius. They need to be selected, ordered, rearranged, swapped, lined up and perfected. Most times they are not cooperative companions though. They are like the unruly child who doesn’t recognize the word “no” even when yelled and accompanied with hands held face out.
There is a reason so many talk about writing instead of doing it. The trick to making it as a writer is not quitting when it gets tough.
by Susan Lovett | Nov 20, 2018 | Writing |
Audience is everything. Readers define how to approach a story and what words to choose. Knowing our readers frames our work as writers. You wouldn’t start a project for children the same way you would for seniors. In my last blog, I wrote about knowing your audience. This blog follows up with some concrete tips to write with your reader in mind.
by Susan Lovett | Nov 13, 2018 | Writing |
Stories serve an invaluable purpose. We all tell stories, whether in printed form or by gathering around a table and sharing an anecdote. It’s how we’re going to survive the upcoming holidays with family because stories are how we communicate with each other, and how we remember and frame experiences. It’s the foundation for human interaction. If we didn’t have stories, how would we ever capture how awful a date was or how moving an unexpected kindness?
by Susan Lovett | Jun 5, 2018 | Writing |
I began my professional writing career with a major corporation. Soon after starting that job, I was thrilled when my boss praised me for writing clean. What my boss was trying to say was that she liked that I could write quickly and needed few edits (mostly for those darned dangling participial phrases I love). The problem with her praise was that it stunted my growth as a writer. I leaned into the idea of writing clean and gladly whipped up assignments with little to no edits and called it good. My boss was happy. I was happy. What more did I need to do?
The answer was: a lot.
by Susan Lovett | May 8, 2018 | Writing |
This is the final installation in my series on writing “rules.” If you missed the first two installments, you can read them here and here, respectively. These are the remaining “rules” of writing that all writers should know, with a couple of scriptwriting tips at the end for good measure.
by Susan Lovett | May 1, 2018 | Writing |
There aren’t any hard rules for writing, outside of grammar, but there are guidelines that help. In this series, I outline the most common axioms of writing. If you missed the first part of this article, you can read it here.
Here is the second set of guidelines for good writing:
by Susan Lovett | Apr 24, 2018 | Writing |
Blogs, books and articles often tout the “best” ways to write, but I am sorry to tell you there are no rules for writing—no easy short cuts. There is grammar, which is essential. There are the various elements of craft. And there are some axioms that hold true, which, while I won’t go so far as to call them rules, are great guidelines.
These are what I want to share today—the Axioms of Writing:
by Susan Lovett | Mar 13, 2018 | Scriptwriting, Writing |
In film, producers often use loglines to discuss the content of a film. A logline is a summary of the dramatic narrative in a story that makes it easier to encapsulate the idea and sell it. Basically, a logline is the core essence of your story in 25 words or less—the shortest form of narrative summary.
by Susan Lovett | Feb 27, 2018 | Writing |
I am against censorship of any form. Even the idea of censorship makes me angry. I’ve shared about this before in a blog about Banned Books, which was a blog about external censorship. Today I want to talk about the more insidious form of internal, self-censorship.
by Susan Lovett | Feb 20, 2018 | Writing |
They say imitation is the highest form of flattery, but I think they are wrong. Too often this sentiment leads to people trying to be someone they are not. In writing, it means imitating their writing style or voice to tragic ends. We’ve all seen it—copycat novels and writers trying to be the newest (insert famous author here).
by Susan Lovett | Feb 6, 2018 | Writing |
Somehow sitting down to plot a story always feel like an intellectual exercise. It’s a logical timeline of things that happen and the resultant consequences. But the trick to telling a good story does not come from the head—it comes from the heart.
