Make an effort

What is written without effort is usually read without pleasure. - Samuel Johnson

Choose wisely

The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter. - Mark Twain

Wonderful Writing Quote from Winston Churchill

“Writing a book is an adventure. To begin with, it is a toy and an amusement; then it becomes a mistress, and then it becomes a master, and then a tyrant. The last phase is that just as you are about to be reconciled to your servitude, you kill the monster, and fling him out to the public.”

Words you hate

A friend despises the word "moist."  He can't articulate why, I guess it is the sound of the word.  Are there words you hate to use but are forced to use anyway?

Promoting Your Writing

From the comic strip "F Minus" - featuring a person who isn't afraid to plug his writing.

Writing Exercise 1: Write it out

I had a creative writing teacher in college who one day suggested taking works from authors you love, and writing out passages from their books in long hand, on a legal pad.

The purpose was to get a better feel for their creative process, to watch the words come on the page as a writer, not just as a reader.

I tried it for a couple authors and I think it was a valuable tool.  I'm not sure it would cure writer's block, but it will give you an appreciation for the craft of writing.

Would the same thing work if you just typed it out in a word processor?  Does the medium (be it quill pen, pencil, crayon, typewriter, electric typewriter, or word processor) have to match the original author's medium for the exercise to work?

Welcome

Welcome to my blog about writing, Turn the Phrase. I'll start with a great quote:

"Writing should be like a woman's skirt: short enough to be interesting, but long enough to cover the subject."