Pen to Paper: Another Writing Tool

There are more ways to write a story than there are writers. There are perhaps endless techniques and tools and philosophies. Start at the beginning and work forward. Start in the middle and give the reader a little of the beginning as necessary. Let character drive the plot. Let theme drive the plot. Don’t bother with a plot.

Here’s one more tool for your writerly toolbox, courtesy of Ray Rhamey at Writer Unboxed. I haven’t tried it yet, though I may do so soon. It looks (perhaps deceptively) simple and straightforward, and I can see this might be a useful tool for breaking through writer’s block.

After this, there is a brief discussion of one reason why stories are important. It’s something I hadn’t seen put into words before, but it makes sense to me.

Pen to Paper: The Advantages of Posting Your Work Online

No man but a blockhead ever wrote, except for money.
– Samuel Johnson

Dr. Johnson might scoff at this blog and the innumerable other blogs where writers write for the sheer joy of doing so. Not getting paid for writing is one reason people have told me not to do this blog. “Send those stories to magazines and make money off of them.” Reasonable advice, of course, but harkening back to Monday’s Pen to Paper, the traditional publishing options are fading away in the face of the digital revolution.

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