The Well

I wanted to, I intended to, write a post about how discipline is important for a serious writer. I don't really feel like it now, though.

(pause for laughter)

So anyway, I'm confused about what "going back to the well" means. I've heard it in different contexts: it's said by some writers referring to their means of seeking inspiration, or something of that nature; and it's said about writers, referring to using tried-and-true formulas and existing series/characters that we'd thought were retired and better off for it.

Both uses make sense. It's possible that I misheard one of the uses (the first seems more likely, but I'm pretty sure I've heard it used that way), but it seems to me that both can be, and therefore are, correct.

A writer can go back to the well to refill their psychic water bucket, which they use to help replenish their psychic blood supply after they've been bleeding (psychically speaking) all over the pages they've written on. Writing can be a draining experience, so it makes sense to figure out what it is you can do that helps you feel replenished - and then to go do it once in a while to help keep your creativity regular. Some people work out, or do other physical work like cleaning horse stalls. Some folks take long hot or cold showers or baths, or get a massage or acupuncture. Personally, I tend to just zone out listening to music. It's different for everyone.


The other use is also valid, in a different way, but I suspect that it might be a misinterpretation of the first use. It's usually directed at writers in an accusing fashion.

"George Lucas is going back to the old Star Wars / Indiana Jones well again," they say.

That makes a lot of sense (for figurative language, that is). These properties, characters, etc., what have you, are all proven and reliable. They're like a deep, clean well you know will always have some water for you. You don't need to be super creative; James Bond will sell a few movie tickets, he always has and he always will. You just need to make a few adjustments every decade or so to present him in a way the current audience will like. Daniel Craig happens to be Flavor 007 for the year '006, and it worked out great (best Bond ever, without a doubt).

This is why we get so many sequels, spin-offs, and above all, adaptations of existing properties. The American version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is still set in Sweden, with all the Sweedish names intact, but it's in english with english-speaking actors (Daniel Craig among them - the man can adapt a role, give him due credit there). And it looks great. How much did the writers have to work on the screenplay? A lot less than the late Steig Larsson did writing the book, I'm sure of that.

Is it wrong to tap a well like that? I don't think so; it can be done for the wrong reasons, sure, and you can easily ruin a perfectly wonderful product by continuing to mess with it George Lucas, but adapting, developing, and re-imagining existing characters and stories allows us to explore the concepts in new and interesting ways. If we're familiar with a character, we don't need to develop him or her as much and we can focus on other things, like plot, other characters, interesting themes, or world-bending twists that throw a viral wrench into the familiar setting.

How exactly did the Thing get bit?

Nothing inherently wrong with revisiting an old well. After all, digging a new well is a lot of work, and you can't be sure what the water will be like until all the silt has settled. Still, if you never dig new wells, where will you get water when all the old ones dry up?

Discussion: Writing Books

When I first mentioned the title of this post to my husband, he said, "haven't y'all discussed writing books before?" And it's true...we have. Remember this? But this discussion is about something a little different. It's about writing books or, to clarify, books about writing.

I have a nice little collection of books about writing, but you want to know my dirty little secret? I hardly ever pick up any of them. It's not that I think I wouldn't benefit from some of these books. Really, I know I'd benefit from them in amazing ways, but for some reason, I hardly ever reference a book on writing. I collect them, because that's what I like to do, but reading them? Nope, not me.

Now I read lots of other types of books. Usually fiction. Personally, I believe reading the types of books that I want to write helps me more than reading a self-help book on writing but that's just me.

So this week's discussion question is to find out what you guys do about improving your writing. Do you read, read, read? Reference writing books? Search for writing tips online? Practice writing constantly? How do you "exercise" those writing muscles?

I know that's a lot of questions. Feel free to answer any, all, or none. Oh, and if you do have any good writing reference books, tell us the titles. I'd love to add to my collection :)

Discussion: A Poet and Didn't Know It

So I wrote a poem. Yeah, I'm not much of a poet, but I do write poetry from time to time...just to stretch those muscles a little. It's not typically a pretty thing, but I feel it's necessary, a challenge to help me become a better writer.

Kelli, my lovely cohost, said something wise about poetry to me once. It's stuck with me. I had just shared a poem for the first time at Chicken Noodle Gravy. I was nervous about how people would respond. I cannot stress to you enough that I. Am. Not. A. Poet. I voiced a concern to Kelli that a lot of people hate poetry just on principle to which she responded: "they resist what scares them." Kelli, O Wise Woman of the Well-Written Word, you are so right. Poetry is scary and misunderstood. We sometimes avoid reading or writing it, because it's just too hard.

For this week's discussion, share your relationship with poetry. Are you a poet? Do you enjoy reading poetry? Or do you hate it with a burning passion?

Discussion: A Swift Kick in the Pants

A weekend away from it all has left me feeling a little...uninspired. There's a column I need to be working on, as well as several writing exercises plus an entire novel, but what have I been doing all afternoon? A whole lotta nothin'. And so I find myself here.

This morning I pulled out my writing books, a whole stack of how-tos and exercises and best techniques, etc. etc. I didn't get very far through my stack because the book on top captured my attention. It's called The Write-Brain, and it's full of "366 exercises to liberate your writing." Well, after reading through this "helpful" book, I find my writing even less liberated than it was before. I hate it when that happens.

With all the writing prompts and exercises that were in this book, I couldn't find a single one that inspired me. Why? I honestly have no idea. Prompts are a relatively new thing in my writing world. I used to hate them. I felt that there was nothing I could do with a writing prompt that hadn't already been done a million times before, but then I actually tried a prompt. I realized after this first attempt at taking a prompt and turning it into a tale that prompts were actually quite a challenge. Having a starting off point didn't necessarily mean I was cheating in some way (which is kind of what I used to believe), it just meant that I was being challenged to do something totally unexpected with that starting off point...or at least that's how I look at it.

Now today's uninspired funk is an obstacle not even a writing prompt could overcome, but in normal circumstances, I've actually found that I really enjoy using prompts, that they're amazingly helpful at inspiring new characters, new directions, and new stories.

What's your relationship with writing prompts? Do they provide a challenge? Do you find them too easy? Too simplistic? If you find a prompt that doesn't inspire you right away, do you try even harder to come up with a response to that particular prompt?

Discussion: A Novel Idea

Thursday! The day before Friday and one day closer to the weekend. Woohoo! Hope everyone is having a good week so far.

This morning I'd like to discuss books. I know some of us have already written a book. Some of us may have even already gotten that book published (can I shake your hand and get your autograph?). Some of us may only have the shadow of an idea for a book in our heads. And then there's those of us (like me), who are still struggling to turn that shadow of an idea into 50,000 to 80,000 words of brilliance.

What I want to know today is what stage are you at in the process? Do you dream of having a book published? Do you have that book already written? If so, have you started trying to sell it? Let us know a little about your book and your dream. Because, my fellow Lightning Bugs, one day we can all say we knew each other before we became famous. Believe it!

Oh, and please feel free to ask questions or share experiences. None of us are experts, and the purpose of our community is to learn from each other and grow, so if you have any secrets, share them (PLEASE!) and if you need any help, just let us know. We're here to support you!

Discussion: Writer or Blogger or Both?

Blogging is hard work. Like, REALLY hard work. Sometimes I find myself working harder on blogging than I do on my real job. Sad but true. Still, when it comes down to it, I rarely refer to myself as a blogger. I'm a writer. A phrase that I used to struggle with saying out loud or even typing. I've recently adopted the philosophy: "fake it till you make it," so now I like to say that I'm a writer all the time, because eventually, maybe I'll believe it.

So this week's discussion question has to do with how we identify ourselves, and how we strike a balance between blogging and writing. Do you all do any writing outside of the writing you do for your blog? Do you use your blog as your writing platform? How do you decide how much "writing material" you publish as opposed to "blogging material"?

To make that last question a little clearer, because I'm doing a horrible job explaining it, I'll give you Chicken Noodle Gravy as an example. Recently, I began using Chicken Noodle Gravy less for recipes and little anecdotes about my weekend and more for writing prompts, writing subjects, and sharing my fiction, poetry etc. This transformation is in part due to my nearly overwhelming desire to be a real writer, and in part to my finally becoming comfortable enough to share what I REALLY want to share on my blog. But now I worry that I bore my readers with all my fiction and poetry. I think, is this blogging? Or is this writing? Is there even a demarcation? What do you think?

Discussion: Deadlines, love 'em or hate 'em

Welcome to the middle of the week, Lightning Bugs!

The other night, as I was scrambling around to finish my weekly column at the very last possible minute, it occurred to me that I have always been the kind of writer who flourishes under a deadline. As much as I may gripe about it and complain, I need the pressure and stress of that deadline to really get things moving. With prompts, I almost always wait until the very last minute to write my response...this may be a bad thing, but for me it works.

What works for you? Do you love a deadline, or love to hate it?

Discussion: Some Genre Drama

I love it here at L&LB. Our community has a nice mix of artists and writers who embrace all sorts of styles and mediums. We all bring something a little different to the table each prompt, be it fiction or poetry, memory or song. And I love that. But I got to thinking today. Thinking about prompts and how I was planning to respond to a few. I wondered...will I write a memory that lives on within my mind? A weaving tale of fiction? A poem full of imagery and rhyme? The choices were endless and beautiful. Writing is an art, and as writers, we can choose many different directions to take with our words. Like an artist choosing a particular brush or paint or canvas, we choose the genres of our pieces carefully. But if we were forced to choose a genre, forced to only write a certain genre for the rest of our lives, which would we choose and why?

In researching this topic, I found the following brief (ha!) list of writing genres:

A Brief List of Genres:

• Journal Entries
• Personal Letter
• Greeting Card
• Schedule/Things to Do List
• Inner Monologue Representing Internal Conflicts
• Classified or Personal Ads
• Personal Essay or Philosophical Questions
• Top Ten List/Glossary or Dictionary
• Poetry
• Song Lyrics
• Autobiographical Essay
• Contest Entry Application
• Business Letter or Correspondence/Persuasive or Advocacy Letter
• Biographical Summary
• Critique of a Published Source
• Speech or Debate
• Historical Times Context Essay
• Textbook Article
• Science Article or Report/Business Article or Report
• Lesson Plan
• Encyclopedia Article
• Short Scene from a Play with Notes for Stage Directions
• Short Scene from a Movie with Notes for Camera Shots
• Dialogue of a Conversation among Two or More People
• Short Story
• Adventure Magazine Story
• Ghost Story
• Myth, Tall Tale, or Fairy Tale
• Talk Show Interview or Panel
• Recipe and Description of Traditional Holiday Events
• Classroom Discussion
• Character Analysis or Case Study
• Comedy Routine or Parody
• Liner Notes
• Picture book
• Chart or Diagram with Explanation and Analysis
• Brochure or Newsletter
• Time Line or Chain of Events
• Map with Explanation and Analysis
• Magazine or TV Advertisement or Infomercial
• Restaurant Description and Menu
• Travel Brochure Description
• How-To or Directions Booklet
• Receipts, Applications, Deeds, Budgets or Other Documents
• Wedding, Graduation or Special Event Invitation
• Birth Certificate
• Local News Report
• Pop-Up book
• Review and Poster for a Movie, Book, or TV Program
• Board Game or Trivial Pursuit with Answers and Rules
• Comic Strip or Graphic Novel excerpt
• Power Point Presentation
• Informational Video
• Web Site
• Future News Story
• Letter to the Editor
• Newspaper or Magazine Feature/Human Interest Story
• Obituary, Eulogy or Tribute
• News Program Story or Announcement
• Tabloid Article

So, let's have it. Would you write tabloids? Obits? Poems or speeches? If your creative repertoire were suddenly limited, which genre would you embrace as your one and only?

PS - There are about a million other genres and sub-genres out there. Feel free to expand the list above and add your own. 

Discussion: Inspiration and Motivation

We've all been there. We lose our way for a little while, lose our motivation to write, lose our inspiration to blog. Self-doubt sneaks in, and we're left thinking: Oh, my God. I've finally run out of things to say. Or, why would anyone be interested in what I have to say? And so on. It's a scary place to be, but we've all been there. It seems to be common among writers and bloggers alike...the dreaded "Writer's Block."

This week's discussion prompt deals with Writer's Block/lack of inspiration and motivation/or whatever you'd like to call it.

What do you do when you face this dreaded obstacle? How do you recapture your inspiration? What motivates you to keep writing? How do you squelch the self-doubt?

Share your methods and ideas with your fellow writers. We may be able to draw a little inspiration and encouragement from each other.

Discussion: Da Noise, Da Funk

Just to get the ball rolling in our little community here, I thought it might be a good idea to post a discussion prompt regarding writing. We'll post these discussion prompts just for fun from time to time, so if you'd like to suggest a topic (on writing, reading, editing, inspiration), email me at katieross83@gmail.com. If we use your topic, your blog will get a mention.

Today's prompt:


When writing, do you prefer complete silence in your environment? Do you listen to a little music for inspiration? Is the hum of the television the soundtrack for your creative genius? What is the background music (or lack thereof) of your writing world?


Also, don't forget to linkup and JOIN!

Hope everyone's having a great week. We're looking forward to our first prompt linkup this weekend. Can't wait to read everyone's entries!