I thought I’d mention two of my favorite books about the craft of writing. The first is Self Editing For Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King. I recall this book giving a good foundation for the basics of writing. I recommend this book to those who are just beginning the writing process and they long to pen a novel. The book also contains writing exercises, which is nice. Self-Editing covers subjects like “show, don’t tell” and other topics that beginning writers need to know. I no longer have my copy and I’ll probably purchase another. I loaned my copy to somebody and they never gave it back.

The second book I wanted to mention was Stephen King’s book On Writing. WARNING, THERE’S SOME PROFANITY IN THIS BOOK, BUT IF YOU CAN GET PAST THAT, THE BOOK GIVES GOOD, SOUND WRITING ADVICE. This book is a memoir that tells about Stephen King’s journey to publication and it also talks about his life. The book even tells about his problems with substance abuse. He also gives good, solid writing advice that most writers need to follow if they want to seriously pursue publication. I read this book several years ago and I still recall passages where Stephen talks about his pre-writing days, about how he’d be at work or doing a task and a scene from a novel would come into his mind. I was mesmerized by this book and I’ve often recommended it to aspiring writers.

What are your favorite books about the craft of writing? Please share those titles with us in the comments section!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Photo courtesy of Free Digital Photos

Do you think that writers have better memories than the average person? The reason I’m asking is because since I can recall, I’ve always had a strong, vivid memory. I remember incidents, people, situations, etc…decades after they’ve occurred. I’m not talking about just one incident or a sketchy detail, I’m talking tons of information about things that have happened in my life. I’m not going to necessarily remember dates. However I can recall events and incidents – these are minor incidents that don’t really have much of an impact on my life – I just remember them. For example, when I was nine, my family left the military base since my dad had retired from the Army. We relocated, so, I left behind friends that I had not seen since the fourth grade. Fast forward nine years – I was in college, and I saw a male college student that I remembered from my elementary-school days while my dad was still in the military. He had no idea who I was, but I remembered him. I remembered things we did in elementary school, and I recalled that his mother made a candy house every year and he’d bring it to class and we’d eat it! I then started asking about people that had graduated in his class, and he named people, people that I remembered as if I’d just seen them the previous day.

My mom has a box of old photos and class pictures. I can pull out my kindergarten class picture and name everybody on there. I remember who was who, and I also recall certain incidents that happened while I was in school with these people.

I could go on and on with examples, but I’ll stop here for now. A friend of mine said I remember some of the guys because I probably had a crush on them in school. However, that’s not the case here. I did have crushes, just like most girls do, however, I recall people with vivid clarity, and some of these people I didn’t even have a close relationship with when I was growing up.

I was thinking about this recently and wondered, do writers have better memories than the average person? Do these vivid memories unlock the doors to our minds, exposing us to new ideas on which to focus on for future stories?

Leave a comment!! This inquiring mind wants to know what you think!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Photo courtesy of Vintage Little People.

Do you remember when you first discovered you wanted to be a writer?

When I was a kid, I used to play with the Fisher Price Little People with my sister. I’d think up a whole plot (kind of like a synopsis) and then I’d act the story out with the people. My sister loved playing with the Little People with me because she loved my stories!

When I was about ten years old, I wrote a book entitled Candyland. It was about a set of twins named Fred and Susan and they find this magical land where everything was made of big, yummy candy! I made my own book cover – a piece of paper colored with purple crayon and the words Candyland were colored with red crayon.

I used to tell people that I didn’t realize that I wanted to be a writer until I was twenty-eight. However, as I look back on my life, there are certain things that I’ve done that indicate that I really should’ve discovered my writing passion way before my late twenties. I’ve always been an avid reader, too, which can sometimes indicate that one is a writer.

Are you a writer? If so, are there writer-type things that you’ve done throughout your life? Share your answers with a comment!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Photo courtesy of Gregory Szarkiewicz

Do you have issues that you’re dealing with in your life? Do you want to dig deeper, giving your stories more intense plots and emotional conflicts? If you want to give your stories more steam, propelling them forward, giving you the momentum to actually finish writing your book, then you need to bring those issues into your novel!

I often meet people online and at writers’ conferences who tell me that they’ve started writing a project, but can’t finish it. What’s usually helped me to finish a story is to write about something that sparks my interest, and that usually involves writing about issues and concerns that have affected my life and the lives of my loved ones.

Alcoholism is something that has been a part of a lot of my friends and family members’ lives, and, I noticed, that it was an issue that kept popping up in my books. When you place your issues into your own novels, you might find the steam and the gumption to keep going, to keep writing, until you type those magical words: THE END.

Another issue that I’ve included in my novels is financial dishonesty. I’ve noticed that due to my personal experiences, I get emotional when dealing with my finances and the finances of others. I dig as deep as I can and try to bring those emotions into the pages of my novel.

It’s good to start with emotional issues and then you can add more things that you enjoy while creating your story. I’ve always had a fondness for good-tasting food, and I’ve had a number of people tell me that reading my books makes them hungry!

So think about your life, your issues, and your interests. Layer them throughout your book and I can almost guarantee that you’ll want to finish that tale – and you’ll be passionate about your story, too!

What makes you happy, sad, angry, or upset? Figure it out, and throw those emotions into your writing!

~Cecelia Dowdy~