Writing Techniques ~~ Your Author Footprint

              Writers' Tips & Techniques ~~                                  Your Author Footprint

If I say the word footprint, what's the first thing that flashes through your mind? Leaving yours on a sandy beach, in a muddy field, across a snow covered terrain, or imprinted into cement on the sidewalk next to your house?

As an author, what types of things do you write? Books, magazine articles, blogs, newspaper guest editorials, software manuals, poetry, recipes, screenplays, or advertisements? You get the general idea.

According to Merriam Webster, two of the definitions of footprint are: "a marked effect, impression, or impact; something that identifies."

When growing your reader base, it's important to bear in mind that your audience wants to hear your unique voice as they turn each page from cover to cover. Your voice can be likened to your footprint. It's what identifies you as an author.

Just for grins, try this: pluck your favorite book (other than one of your own, of course) off your bookshelf. Write down the author's name, title of the book, and in three sentences or less write out your description of his or her footprint.  Bring this into sharper focus by framing the three sentences into three adjectives or superlatives.

Here's an example: One of my favorite authors, Francine Rivers, has left her indelible footprint in many countries around the globe. Her writings convey redemption, encouragement, grace, God's love, mercy, and faithfulness among other things. She's been given many awards which attest to the strength of her footprint.

I'm reminded of a Biblical passage regarding a footprint as well which pertains to the tribe of Asher. Turn to the 33rd chapter of the book of Deuteronomy for the blessing which reads, "Now this is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. And he said:  . . .

(Verse 24) "And of Asher he said:
Asher is most blessed of sons;
Let him be favored by his brothers,
And let him dip his foot in oil."

When one dips his foot in oil, it would no doubt leave an indelible impression. Are your writings depositing something similar?

A companion verse to the one above can be found in Genesis 49, "And Jacob called his sons and said, "Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days: . . .

(Verse 20) "Bread from Asher shall be rich.
And he shall yield royal dainties."

To implement an analogy from the above verse, when people read your writings, do they feel like they've eaten the finest loaf of bread made from the most excellent, nutritious grains?

Could your words be considered royal dainties ~~ those which are attractive, appetizing, satisfying, and wholesome? Royal dainties imply they are not common, everyday edibles. It's something that people would desire -- something special, a royal treat.

A suggested exercise might be to read some of your wording aloud to another person who would be honest but not discouraging. Pretend you're offering this person her favorite dessert. If your few paragraphs or chapter tasted like bland, ordinary food, what would it take to kick it up a few notches to the royal dainty category? Some spices or flavorings? Extra seasonings or a layer of satin frosting? Restaurants spend a considerable amount of time, energy, and money pairing foods with appetizers, beverages, entrees, and desserts. Novelists could apply the same principle of sorts. Back to your favorite author or book for a second. Does the author do an excellent job of pairing characters and plot or setting and theme? If the book lacks tension, I guess they could add the equivalent of some cayenne pepper!

Applying the aforementioned, are there ways in which you can implement these principles into your writings if you're not already doing so?

Be encouraged in the fact that developing your author footprint takes time and practice just like anything else in life worth having and doing. Rome wasn't built in a day. Most likely, your book wasn't written in a day either; however, you just might want your readers to plow right through it in less than one. If this is your ultimate goal, study your existing footprint. Plan your work and work your plan as to how you can add strength, dimension, richness, indelibleness, (I just made that one up) and satisfaction to your writing.

Happy Reading & Writing,

Sheila Fabulous

www.desertsagepress.com

Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram 

Writing Techniques - Creativity

                                     







It's hard to imagine from looking at the above picture that it's the first step to a poem, movie or television script, novel, novella, short story, song, memoir, personal essay or speech.

Creative writing is defined as "any writing that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature, typically identified as an emphasis on narrative, character development, and the use of literary tropes or with various traditions of poetry and poetics." [https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=definition+of+creative+writing]

Before we proceed further, we should probably address the whole "left brain - right brain" issue as well. 

"People who identify as left-brain thinkers might feel that they have strong math and logic skills. Those who profess to be right-brain thinkers, on the other hand, feel that their talents are more on the creative side of things.  Given the popularity of the idea of 'right brained' and 'left brained' thinkers, it might surprise you to learn that this idea is just one of many myths about the brain."  [Chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=what%20side%20of%20the%20brain%20is%20the%20creative%20side]

"The left side of the brain is responsible for controlling the right side of the body.  It also performs tasks that have to do with logic, such as in science and mathematics.  On the other hand, the right hemisphere coordinates the left side of the body, and performs tasks that have to do with creativity and the arts." [http://psychology.about.com/od/cognitivepsychology/a/left-brain-right-brain.htm]

The last time I checked the initials Dr. were not in front of my name, and M.D. did not follow my last name.  Those would apply to the first born of The Tribe of Wood.  However, in checking my family trees on both sides, I made the wonderful discovery of branches containing authors and poets.

I marvel that our Creator has given us the gift of creating written works for the enjoyment of mankind.  Creativity is the gold of the writer's life. Just as the price of pure gold has fluctuated over the decades, there can be times in our writing journeys when we may feel that we have penned something far more valuable than at other times.  We may be surprised to learn later that what we deemed of little value was of great assistance or enjoyment to a reader in a far away land. 

What are some ideas that you have implemented when you find your creativity waning or wanting to take a vacation? Don't get me wrong as I am in favor of vacations ~~ just not of the permanent variety!  

Here are some helpful hints I have used to get my creative juices flowing when necessary:

• I look through my container of handy dandy quotes, pictures, poetry, etc. that I continually collect.
• Read short passages from a completely different genre.
• Take a stroll up and down the aisles of our local book store(s) to drink in the titles, cover designs, and so forth.
• Dial up a brainstorming session with a trusted fellow author who won't just tell me what I want to hear, but who will offer constructive criticism and boatloads of encouragement.
• Give the passage a rest for a short while. When I return to it, I imagine that I am a total stranger reading the description or portion of writing as opposed to being the one authoring it.
• Watch an old movie without offensive language or scenes.

I am presently penning Book Two of The Sabblonti Series which is the fictional saga of several cattle barons and their spreads located in the high desert mountain regions.  Macey Meadows, a nurse at the rural hospital, needed a description, so here's what I imagined she would look like:

"Dr. Shaw was struck with Macey’s milky white teeth showcased inside her lovely pomegranate tinted lips, her olive complexion, high cheekbones, and intense emerald green eyes.  He glanced down at her left hand which revealed no jewelry.  Then again, some nurses do not wear their wedding rings while on shift.  Oh, could he possibly start to get his hopes up once again only to be dashed?  Hope deferred makes the heart sick."

What happens to the country veterinarian and the lovely nurse?  Stay tuned to find out!

My encouragement for your writing journey is to continue writing.  Do what works for you and share your ideas with fellow authors.

Meanwhile back at the ranch, it's encouraging to know that some of the "left brain folks" enjoy reading the creations of the "right brain folks" or however that actually works.

Happy Reading, spend some of that "creative gold" on others, and Write On!

Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram 

Writing Journeys ~~ "Enhancing Creativity"

It's hard to imagine from looking at the above picture that it's the first step to a poem, movie or television script, novel, novella, short story, song, memoir, personal essay or speech.

Creative writing is defined as "any writing that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature, typically identified as an emphasis on narrative, character development, and the use of literary tropes or with various traditions of poetry and poetics." [https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=definition+of+creative+writing]

Before we proceed further, we should probably address the whole "left brain - right brain" issue as well. 

"People who identify as left-brain thinkers might feel that they have strong math and logic skills. Those who profess to be right-brain thinkers, on the other hand, feel that their talents are more on the creative side of things.  Given the popularity of the idea of 'right brained' and 'left brained' thinkers, it might surprise you to learn that this idea is just one of many myths about the brain."  [Chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=what%20side%20of%20the%20brain%20is%20the%20creative%20side]

"The left side of the brain is responsible for controlling the right side of the body.  It also performs tasks that have to do with logic, such as in science and mathematics.  On the other hand, the right hemisphere coordinates the left side of the body, and performs tasks that have to do with creativity and the arts." [http://psychology.about.com/od/cognitivepsychology/a/left-brain-right-brain.htm]

The last time I checked the initials Dr. were not in front of my name, and M.D. did not follow my last name.  Those would apply to the first born of The Tribe of Wood.  However, in checking my family trees on both sides, I made the wonderful discovery of branches containing authors and poets.

I marvel that our Creator has given us the gift of creating written works for the enjoyment of mankind.  Creativity is the gold of the writer's life. Just as the price of pure gold has fluctuated over the decades, there can be times in our writing journeys when we may feel that we have penned something far more valuable than at other times.  We may be surprised to learn later that what we deemed of little value was of great assistance or enjoyment to a reader in a far away land. 

What are some ideas that you have implemented when you find your creativity waning or wanting to take a vacation? Don't get me wrong as I am in favor of vacations ~~ just not of the permanent variety!  

Here are some helpful hints I have used to get my creative juices flowing when necessary:

• I look through my container of handy dandy quotes, pictures, poetry, etc. that I continually collect.
• Read short passages from a completely different genre.
• Take a stroll up and down the aisles of our local book store(s) to drink in the titles, cover designs, and so forth.
• Dial up a brainstorming session with a trusted fellow author who won't just tell me what I want to hear, but who will offer constructive criticism and boatloads of encouragement.
• Give the passage a rest for a short while. When I return to it, I imagine that I am a total stranger reading the description or portion of writing as opposed to being the one authoring it.
• Watch an old movie without offensive language or scenes.

I am presently penning Book Two of The Sabblonti Series which is the fictional saga of several cattle barons and their spreads located in the high desert mountain regions.  Macey Meadows, a nurse at the rural hospital, needed a description, so here's what I imagined she would look like:

"Dr. Shaw was struck with Macey’s milky white teeth showcased inside her lovely pomegranate tinted lips, her olive complexion, high cheekbones, and intense emerald green eyes.  He glanced down at her left hand which revealed no jewelry.  Then again, some nurses do not wear their wedding rings while on shift.  Oh, could he possibly start to get his hopes up once again only to be dashed?  Hope deferred makes the heart sick."

What happens to the country veterinarian and the lovely nurse?  Stay tuned to find out!

My encouragement for your writing journey is to continue writing.  Do what works for you and share your ideas with fellow authors.

Meanwhile back at the ranch, it's encouraging to know that some of the "left brain folks" enjoy reading the creations of the "right brain folks" or however that actually works.

Happy Reading, spend some of that "creative gold" on others, and Write On!

Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram