Help, I need somebody,
Help, not just anybody,
Help, you know I need someone, help.
The Beatles sing what many of us feel each day - help! Enter Roy Peter Clark who can help you with your writing in HELP! FOR WRITERS. From Little Brown's website,
In HELP! FOR WRITERS, Roy Peter Clark presents an "owner's manual" for writers, outlining the seven steps of the writing process, and addressing the 21 most urgent problems that writers face. In his trademark engaging and entertaining style, Clark offers ten short solutions to each problem. Out of ideas? Read posters, billboards, and graffiti. Can't bear to edit yourself? Watch the deleted scenes feature of a DVD, and ask yourself why those scenes were left on the cutting-room floor. HELP! FOR WRITERS offers 210 strategies to guide writers to success.
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| Editing is everywhere, including the cutting room |
So who is this guy?
Roy Peter Clark, a Ph.D. in medieval literature, is Vice President and Senior Scholar of the world-renowned Poynter Institute. The author or editor of 14 professional books, he is founding director of the National Writer's Workshops, regional conferences that attract 5,000 writers annually. His 50 tools, published in abbreviated form on the Poynter Website (www.poynter.org), have already gained foothold worldwide.
This was a reflective read because it reminded me of myself in college with English assignments. Myself on active duty, writing performance reports and award nominations. My son now - he just started high school. Clark's solutions are just common sense - why didn't I think of them? Let me share my favorite five:
- Break your routine. Go to work or school a different way.
- Read posters, billboards, store signs, graffiti.
- Don't be afraid to take a cliche and tweak it.
- Let the ending echo the beginning.
- Celebrate the crossing of the equator (of your story).
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| A Navy Tradition - Crossing the Equator Ceremony |
This is an excellent gift for writers, journalists, bloggers, students, administrators, or anyone who writes, writes, and writes! Little Brown is giving away three copies of HELP! FOR WRITERS. To enter the giveaway,
1. Leave a comment about what challenges you find in writing - schedule? motivation? inspiration? grammar?
2. This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only ... but I welcome comments from our international readers.
3. Comments are open through Saturday, September 24, 10 pm in Hawaii (note the extended contest). I'll post the winners on Sunday, September 25.
Mahalo,
Kim in Hawaii
And now for the Hawaiian connection:
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| The Beatles need HELP on the beach! |
And now for the Hawaiian connection:
Kokua is help.
Haku mo'oelo is story writer.
Hai' mo'oelo is story teller.
I add the last word because the Hawaiians did not have a written language when Captain Cook first landed in Waimea Bay in 1778. The Hawaiians recorded history through chants and hula. Can you imagine a self help chant titled Kukua! Hai' mo'oele.
When King Kamehameha the Great died in 1819, his son inherited the kindom. King Kamehameha II abolished the old religion, opening the door for missionaries to convert the Hawaiians to Christianity. The missionaries built schools and helped the Hawaiians to establish a written language.
The Hawaiian language only has 12 letters - the five vowels (pronounced like the German language) and h, k, l, m, n, p, and w (w is pronounced like v). Thus, you see many repeated sets of letters:
The Hawaiian language only has 12 letters - the five vowels (pronounced like the German language) and h, k, l, m, n, p, and w (w is pronounced like v). Thus, you see many repeated sets of letters:
- Kamehameha (Kah-may-ha-may-ha)
- Likelike (lee-kay-lee-kay)
- humuhumunukunukuapua'a,
- Likelike (lee-kay-lee-kay)
- humuhumunukunukuapua'a,
(who-moo-who-moo-new-koo-new-koo-ah-poo-ah-ah)
"Humu" is the state fish, also known as a reef triggerfish.
So if you think it is difficult to write in English, try Hawaiian!
"Humu" is the state fish, also known as a reef triggerfish.
So if you think it is difficult to write in English, try Hawaiian!
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| Just call him Humu for short! |
I struggle with writing. I am too clinical and not at all lyrical. But my daughter can write beautifully.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a writer, I wish I was. Loved the interview.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest challenge in writing is scheduling. I can waste so much time!
ReplyDeleteI loved the Hawaiian lesson and I particularly love how you've embraced making the most of your experience in Hawaii!
My biggest struggle is switching from technical to creative writing. My imagination soars in my mind but it is not easy to transfer that to paper (or computer).
ReplyDeleteI think I'd fail miserably if I tried writing in Hawaii. When my husband and I were there, he could read all the street signs....I on the other hand could not say many of them correctly. :) As for writing, I think the big challenge for me is actually getting started on it...the motivation problem. I will put it off, do things around the house, play with the dog, even clean the bathrooms, and by then it is lunch time, so I'll eat, and then run an errand, and on and on, and then it is the end of the day and I've accomplished nothing to do with my writing.
ReplyDeleteAlso not a writer but I had no idea the Hawaiian language had such few letters. It does give it more of a lyrical feel to it. I love words but speaking other languages has never been my forte lol.
ReplyDeletecatslady
I am working on my writing. My biggest problems come from finding an idea and collecting my thoughts into a streamline train of thought. My next big challenge is my master's thesis. It frightens me that I has no idea what to write on and it needs to be 80+ pages. After that I was thinking about writing for academic journals, but even that has my writing running to hid.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a writer so no need to enter me, but I did enjoy the interview with Roy.
ReplyDeleteMy problem in writing is.... I can never manage quite well taking the scenario I played inside my mind like a movie down on page. Once I try words, the correct words, escape. Grammar. Get too describing of things.
ReplyDeleteI find writing as I do it's a lot easier for me to write the shorter articles than it is to write longer pieces. I can make a tight, controlled, engaging article but trying to write anything longer is a real pain for me.
ReplyDeleteMy main problem is staying motivated.
ReplyDeleteI am not a writer either, but I would like to be. I think I have a lot of ideas for stories, but when I really think about them, I get caught up in minutae and start to babble. Who wants to read that? Oh, and I'm a cynic and I sometimes sound like that when I write. When I have to write for work, I usually write what I'm thinking and then delete it all and write something more appropriate. :-)
ReplyDelete~Janet
Where was this Help! when I was working and had to write proposals, procedures, review, etc.? ;o) These days my writing is limited to comments.
ReplyDeleteGoodness - I had no idea Hawaiian was so difficult!
Do not need to enter me for the book. Enjoyed the post, Kim.
I blame writing all those lab reports for ruining what little spark of creativity I had. :) Plus, my biggest problem is deciding on an ending. It's all fine and well for me to play the "what if" game, but at some point I'm going have to end the story somehow. That's the tough part for me.
ReplyDeleteI am not really a 'writer', but when I have to write research papers, I would say that some of the challenges include inspiration, motivation, scheduling/time management and sometimes explaining research and analysis.
ReplyDeleteI love writing - but unfortunately at work because I do it all the time, once I get home, I barely have enough time to write a few sentences in blog posts! :)
ReplyDeleteP.S. I'd love to win this book for my 14 year old daughter who wants to be a writer when she grows up.