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“Il faut cultiver notre jardin,” —Voltaire
For those of us who don’t do fancy French, this means:
“We must cultivate our garden,” says Pangloss at the end of Voltaire’s Candide.
No sentiment could be truer for women who write. Stop focusing on the whole wide world. Instead, maintain a space that is your own and encourages the fruits of your labors to blossom.
But the process of growing our garden requires the right tools. Reading this blog and learning how to revise your own stories could help you cultivate your garden, obtain peace of mind, and establish your writing legacy. Happy reading and writing!
Looking for a specific writing topic? Search the entire blog below.
To Outline Or Not To Outline? Maybe That’s NOT the Question
You were forced to do it in high school or college. Maybe you even got a grade for it. Some authors swear by it. Others break out in hives when you mention the word.
The Outline.
Why does this little process provoke so much anxiety?
Brainstorming to Story Building
Got words on a page? You do? Well, that qualifies you as a writer.
But I’ll admit, the writer’s game drives me kind of cuckoo. There’s so much advice out there about overcoming writer’s block and finding inspiration, but little on how to construct a solid story. Even reading the best advice of bestselling authors, you’ll find more on overcoming resistance than a blueprint for how an actual author—actually writes.
Write about Small Things for Big Appeal
Writers love to tackle giant missions, overwhelming experiences, and impossible circumstances. It’s true—conflict makes the storytelling world go ‘round. But not every narrative needs to be Battlestar Galactica. Internal struggles and household dramas can deliver big payoffs for your audience, too.
“The little things can shake us up in big ways.”
Tell Your Story
No, you didn’t misread the title. This isn’t some overly positive motivational speech to convince you to start writing. You know that’s not my style. I focus on creative ways for you to implement practical editing strategies.
Sure, on the surface this title looks like some seriously simplistic advice. It probably leaves you thinking, “of course, I’m going to tell my story when I write. Who else’s story would I tell?”
And if you’re writing a memoir, the advice may seem even more obvious.