Writing Tips

Article Navigation

Click Here for more articles

So You Need Some Inspiration? Try Some RPC: Risk, Passion and Creativity!

by: Emily Hanlon

You want to write. You really do. But the passion you feel never gets translated into actual writing. And if it does, it doesn�t last very long. You run out of steam.

There are reasons for this. First, you may be writing out of your conscious mind. Another problem for many writers is that they don�t have enough technical facility with the craft of writing to know how to develop a piece. That can be taught, but technical facility alone won�t do the trick. Technical facility lies in the domain of the left brain, and you�ll give the Inner Critic an open season if you fixate on technique alone. But technique fed by passion is unstoppable.

Passion = Creativity and Creativity = Passion

Think of what happens when you are passionately, lustfully in love. Are you not amazed at the risks you take to be with your beloved? Are you not amazed by how wonderful and beautiful you feel? Are you not amazed at the creativity that is unleashed all around? Passion, risk, belief in self�these are paramount to the creative experience.

I have a theory that has been very successful in my teaching. I believe that anyone who has taken the trouble to find me and taken the risk of coming to see me much less signed up for a series of workshops or private lessons has a writer within dying to break free. With that in mind, even if the person is a novice, I never experience her as such. Instead, I imagine I�m talking to the Inner Writer whom I feel already knows everything I have to teach.

The aim of my teaching is first to acknowledge the Inner Writer and give her permission to come to the fore. She is a bit groggy from being kept in the shadows for so long, so I need to remind her of certain things. The Inner Writer literally soaks up the teaching, and if allowed, will guide the student into whatever landscape and characters beckon. Sometimes in only one session a character never before dreamed of flies free.

�But I�ve never thought about such things before,� the writer will say, sometimes delighted, sometimes taken aback. �I didn�t know . . .�

�Not in the conscious mind,� I tell them. �But in the dream world and flights of dark fancy you knew.� The knowing beyond knowing is a place of comfort and excitement for the writer within.

This method of teaching or dialoguing with a student�s Inner Writer has had results that I once found astounding and now muse over. Let me tell you about Jean, whose success is one of never-ending delight and inspiration not only to me but also to others in the class. Jean was an unassuming schoolteacher when she came into my workshop. She hadn�t written any fiction in five years, and her first months in class were difficult.

Week after week Jean was sent back to the drawing board; the situations she wrote about had potential, but the characters were somewhat stiff and unbelievable. There was one character of more interest than the others; he was emotionally bloodthirsty and seemed to devour, suck out the lifeblood of those around him. I urged Jean to go more deeply into his dark emotions. This was difficult for Jean, whose Inner Critic basically wanted her to make nice stories, certainly not to write about such subjects as violence and definitely not sex.

But Jean had a passionate need to write. It is possible to sense a writer�s passion even if it is shackled. It rises off the page in bursts of unexpected electric currents; it is like a caged panther filled with a devouring hunger for freedom.

Each week I pushed Jean further and further, driving her deeper and deeper into stories lying in her character�s past, exploring his motivations, finding out what makes him tick. In essence, I was pushing Jean to become this character. To forget herself and move into the skin, the blood, muscles and sinews of her character, to see the world through his eyes.

This is an extremely subtle and important move�out of self and into the character. You never want your character to be you. Instead, you must become your character. This is truly a wondrous metamorphosis, and when it happens, you can feel it in your body, mind and heart; it is the moment when you cease being you with all your doubts, judgments, desires and Inner Critic yappings and move into the being of another. Then no matter if the character stands for everything you are not (and some of your best characters will), you have moved out of judgment, you are no longer writing from the left side of the brain and you have fallen not only down the Rabbit Hole but in love. You see your character�s flaws, but no longer judge them. You love your character despite his flaws, you love him for his flaws, you love, you are in love, and the real magic can begin. You no longer try to stop or change the character. You are passionately along for the ride.

I could sense Jean was approaching this place. She kept on saying things like, �I don�t know why I like this guy so much. He�s mean, he�s brutal, he cheats on his wife, envies and hates his brother, but . . .� She couldn�t help smiling and her eyes lit up. �I can�t help loving him.�

She kept on writing about this fiend, and although the writing improved, it still didn�t reflect the passion that Jean clearly felt. And then in the middle of a workshop, her emotionally bloodthirsty character transformed in my mind into a vampire and I asked her, �Do you like horror stories?�

�I love them,� she said as if that were a deep, dark, dirty secret. Jean�s eyes are always a dead giveaway to her inner delights. They sparkled as she admitted to what her Inner Critic surely thought was a sinister truth, and she laughed nervously.

�So write a vampire story,� I said.

�Oh, no, I couldn�t!� she protested.

�Oh, yes, you can. Next week, come in with one.�

She did. She wrote a cute vampire story, on the surface. Underneath, however, I sensed she�d hit a vein�so to speak. Beneath the cute, the characters were bleeding. She didn�t sense this, but I encouraged her to write more vampire �stuff,� to take more chances, go deeper, darker, bloodier.

It was a process that took months, and Jean had to wrestle with some pretty powerful demons, but a year and a half later, she is nearly finished with the first draft of a terrific horror novel. The hero is a vampire who is as seductive as he is bloody; but the novel is also humorous, sometimes deliciously tongue-in-cheek and, at its core, explores what all good writing explores, the shadow side of the human condition, that confusing place in all of us where good struggles with evil, love dances with hate, lust rushes unbidden through our veins, and mercy, tenderness and forgiveness slip through our fingers again and again. And sometimes I think that best of all is that Jean is having the time of her life!

The following excerpt from Jean�s book shows the lush sensuality of her embracing of the darkside. The vampire hero, Devon Ducayne, has just murdered an important politician to the strains of a chamber music concert. As the man falls lifeless, there is a knock on the door and his daughter enters.

****

�Father, you are missing the concert. Bring your guest out. Let�s enjoy the . . .�

A young woman, slender, tall, and attractive, stepped into the room. Devon recognized her as Frawley�s daughter, Mary. She looked with horror at the body of her father draped over the desk. She opened her mouth as if to scream when the vampire bounded through the air and hurled himself at her. She bounced against the wall with a loud sigh as the air was knocked out of her. Stunned, she dropped onto the floor and slammed her head against the edge of a cumbersome bookcase.

Blood gushed from an open wound. It splattered over the floor and formed bizarre patterns on the white wall. A satiny red puddle next to the girl widened and glistened in the dim light of the fire. She was barely alive; he felt the warmth of her body; he heard the soft irregular breathing. He smelled the sweetness of the blood, saw vapors lifting from the pool. He felt his loins grow warm. He ached to feed. He felt the sticky texture of the fluid on her soft curls. Flicking his tongue in and out he licked at the wound and pressed his lips to the girl�s neck in eager anticipation. The music stopped.

�Sir Henry! Are you there, sir?�

The guests were out in the hall just beyond the door. They were milling about waiting for their host. Devon rose. �Damn you all to Satan�s fires!� he muttered. He looked back with longing at the girl. Life was draining from her body. �Sorry, my dear,� he murmured as though they had been lovers who were interrupted in their mutual fervor.

****

Jean took the risk to go to places her Inner Critic thought inappropriate; she released the passion�both hers and her characters��and her belief in herself, in her creativity, flew free as a bat rising against a full moon!

�The Art of Fiction Writing, Emily Hanlon 1995-2005

About the author:
Emily Hanlon is a writing coach who works with writers all over the world on the telephone. She is the author of 8 books of fiction, including Petersburg, translated into several languages and reached the best sellers list in England. She leads writing retreats for women and workshops in this country and abroad. Her websites are: and

Circulated by Article Emporium

Read Articles:

Ten Tips on Writing and Creativity
What employers look for in freelance ...
Is it worth paying for professional c...
The Difference Between Critiquing and...
Don�t Let the Global Village Prevent ...
So You Need Some Inspiration? Try Som...
Improve Your Trade Show Results By Wr...
How I Made $1683.04 From Writing ONE ...
Consider Self Publishing in Ebook Format
What Hurricane Katrina Can Teach Authors
The Truth About Article Marketing
From the desk of�Stationery Addict
The Secret Source of Clear Content
Becoming A Ghostwriter
It's A Dog-Eat-Dog World In The Freel...
How to make real money from writing?
New recipe for your fresh paper pie
A Guide to Refurbished IBM Laptops -
How To Earn Cisco�s Firewall Speciali...
The Importance Of Content � Adding A ...
Free Gadget and ultra cheap PC Offers.
Passing Your CCNA and CCNP: Configur...
IT Support Services in London
Defeating Writer's Block
REMOTE MONITORING
3 Simple Tips For Making Money Online...
Blogging: Free Internet Marketing Method
Web Site Marketing Strategy - Article...
Make Your Website Talk: How To Instal...
Web Content (Mass + Keywords) + Links...
Articles - They Really Work
Link Building Techniques
Email Etiquette � More Than Just Manners
Best-Selling Book Secrets
Top Ten Tips (Part 2)
Screenplay Slug Lines - An Important ...
Editing Your Work Can Save You Money ...
Top Ten Tips Part 1
How To Use Punctuation
What�s Wrong With Proofreading?
3 Elements to a Deal-Sealing Classifi...
From Book Notes to Book Reports
I Wonder Why Dictionaries Went Out Of...
How to Build and Sell your eBook at t...
Top Ten Checklist to Edit Your Articles
A Few Brief Tips To Deal With Writing...
How to Sell Your E-book - (or other i...
A Few Brief Tips on Dealing with Reje...
Novel to Screenplay: The Challenges o...
Surefire Ways to Get Your Magazine Ar...
5 Ways to Generate Article Topic Ideas
6 writing tips for starting your writ...
How to Jumpstart your Next Writing Se...
Dealing with the blues of a bad book ...
In Your Own Words
Writing Tips for Article Writing
Raise Your Hand If You�d Consider Giv...
Writing eBooks
Understanding The First Rule Of Writi...
"How to Unlock that Best-Selling Book...
A First Time Author's Publicity Kit M...
The Search for the Story: One Writer'...
A First Time Author's Publicity Kit M...
Beautiful Dreamer, Stephen Foster, Am...
Elizabeth Barrett Browning: A Discuss...
Make More Money Self-Publishing Speci...
Harnessing The Wisdom of Procrastination
Platform Development Tip: #1 - Switch...
WRITING YOUR LIFE STORY - Some Common...
Taming The Book Proposal

More Article Pages 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5

Steps to a Writing an Effective Press Releases
by: Diana Ennen

Want to get the most media attention and spotlight for your business? Then the first place to start is with a GREAT press release. Now I can almost see half of you leaving now, dreading the thought of having to write one of these. But wait!! I�m going to show you easy methods to make your press release work for you and get the attention it deserves. Ready? Let�s go.

We�ll briefly go over the basics because of their importance. Editors want to see things done the RIGHT way. I would bet that a lot of good releases simply get tossed out just because they aren�t set up properly. To a busy editor, that all too familiar �10 second glance� says a lot for you and your business; it let�s them know if you�ve done your research enough to warrant that release to be placed in their newspaper or magazine.

Here are your essentials:

"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE" on the top left of the page.

Your contact name, phone number, e-mail address, and website follows.

Headline is next, normally in bold and centered on the page. Summarize what the release is about and capture their attention. Spend almost as much time on your headline as you do writing the release. It�s that important.

The press release body starts with the location of the release and the date (Margate, Florida, May 5, 2005.)

Most press releases are between 200-500 words, and no more than a page. The first paragraph has the most important information. Don�t save the best for last, it won�t get read. In this paragraph answer the questions, who, what, when, where and why?

It is recommended that you write press releases in the 3rd person and use short sentences and paragraphs. Do not go over board, trying to dazzle the editor, it won�t work.

Target your release. You will be sending your release to a specific audience so make sure that in your release you keep to what would appeal to that audience. What don�t they know that you can add? Nothing works better than getting an �AAH HAA� when an editor is reviewing your release.

Provide statistics. Do some research and find some relevant information that applies. You can easily do this through Google. Once you find your quote, do a Google search or Yahoo quote on that particular topic. However, don�t stop on the first Google link and take that for gospel. Research it a bit further. Have it come from a respectable company or magazine.

Include relevant quotes from experts in your field that will reinforce what you are saying. Approach authors, leaders in your Industry, and other experts that back up the facts you are stating in your release. They will normally appreciate the added publicity and you get the quote you�re looking for. For example, as an author I�ll often get asked to provide a quote for an article on home-based businesses or the virtual assistant industry. I welcome the opportunity as it provides me more publicity.

Also, if you have a satisfied client that you feel will add credibility to your Release, add a quote from them as well. The first time you mention the expert, write out their full name. Then list them by last name or Mr. and Mrs. Smith only. I normally prefer the last name.

The last paragraph should be your call to action. You�ve talked the whole release about your business or product, now tell them what to do with the knowledge they just acquired.

At the bottom of the release include ### to indicate you are done, followed by a short bio. Make sure if you include your website that you include http:// in front of it for search engine recognition.

Your bio should include your information, any books authored, etc. Double check this for accuracy. At this point, you�re tired and done with the Release. But if it goes out to the world with the wrong web address, the valuable time spent even writing the Release has been wasted.

That�s it; the basics for writing a press release! Now one other thing I�d like to add in, they work! They truly work. I�ve had a recent release get accepted by PRWeb (and yes they do reject bad ones!), and then go on to hit several other major newspapers and media outlines and the Google alert, which resulted in our paper in the area contacting me. You want to set up a Google news alert for your name so that you can follow the path and see when you make the news so you can follow up. Also, PRWeb at http://www.prweb.com has complete guidelines for setting up a good press release. Go with the extra money and spend $20.00. It�s worth it to get the additional exposure.

About The Author

Diana Ennen is the author of numerous books including Virtual Assistant: the Series, Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA, Words From Home, Start, Run and Profit from a Home-Based Word Processing Business & the Home Office Recovery Plan. She specializes in publicity and book marketing and is president of Virtual Word Publishing http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com and http://www.Publicity-VA.com. Articles are free to be reprinted as long as the author�s bio remains intact

This Static Spot is open for sponsor

This Static Spot is open for sponsor