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| A dose of inspiration and humor for aspiring writers |
“My new book!”
With a grin wider than the bumper of a semi-truck, the aspiring writer yanked a bulky envelope from the mailbox and ripped open one end. Leaving the mailbox door swinging back and forth in the gentle spring breeze, she fumbled to pull the book from its package as she retraced her steps back toward her house.
“Wow,” she breathed, staring down at the small paperback book. She scanned the bright red letters on the cover: The Story Cure, by Dinty W. Moore.
“’A book doctor’s pain-free guide to finishing your novel or memoir,’” she read aloud. “Exactly what I need right now.”
A few hours later, the would-be novelist sat on her front steps, slowly turning the last page of The Story Cure.
“Now for the real work,” she told herself determinedly. “I’m going to walk inside, sit down at my computer, and not move until I’ve written a perfect opening paragraph.”
As her fingers closed around the doorknob, however, a friendly but firm voice rose in her memory. “The perfect words and sentences may present themselves only after you’ve been at it for days, or months, or in some cases years.” Sheepishly, the writer flipped through The Story Cure until she found those exact words on page 33, underlined in the purple pen she always kept tucked behind her ear in case of inspiration.
“Maybe I should focus on simply getting words on the page, like The Story Cure suggests,” she reflected. “And if I get stuck, I could try some of the writing prompts from the book. That one about listing my protagonist’s fears and wants—that sounded like a great way to figure out the driving themes behind my story. Or maybe I’ll reread the section on structure and think about the best way to tell my story. And then I could reread the part about point of view—I loved all the examples of how published authors have used point of view creatively. Or maybe I’ll study the section on healthy writing habits, since I really enjoyed its mix of humor and common sense.”
By this time, the writer had made her way in the front door, through the kitchen (mindlessly grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl on the counter), and into the tiny office where her computer perched on the desk. Between bites of the apple, she continued talking to herself.
“I should also look at some of the cures for boring dialogue and the advice for describing settings compellingly. And maybe, before too long, I’ll even be ready to apply what the book says about revising a complete draft!” With an underhand toss, she sent the apple core flying into the waste paper basket. Leaning back in her spinning desk chair, she clicked on the file on her computer desktop labeled “The Great American Novel.”
“Well, The Story Cure didn’t give me all the answers I need,” she mused, letting her fingers hover over the keyboard, “but it certainly made me excited to keep writing until I find them!”
With a grin wider than the bumper of a semi-truck, the aspiring writer yanked a bulky envelope from the mailbox and ripped open one end. Leaving the mailbox door swinging back and forth in the gentle spring breeze, she fumbled to pull the book from its package as she retraced her steps back toward her house.
“Wow,” she breathed, staring down at the small paperback book. She scanned the bright red letters on the cover: The Story Cure, by Dinty W. Moore.
“’A book doctor’s pain-free guide to finishing your novel or memoir,’” she read aloud. “Exactly what I need right now.”
A few hours later, the would-be novelist sat on her front steps, slowly turning the last page of The Story Cure.
“Now for the real work,” she told herself determinedly. “I’m going to walk inside, sit down at my computer, and not move until I’ve written a perfect opening paragraph.”
As her fingers closed around the doorknob, however, a friendly but firm voice rose in her memory. “The perfect words and sentences may present themselves only after you’ve been at it for days, or months, or in some cases years.” Sheepishly, the writer flipped through The Story Cure until she found those exact words on page 33, underlined in the purple pen she always kept tucked behind her ear in case of inspiration.
“Maybe I should focus on simply getting words on the page, like The Story Cure suggests,” she reflected. “And if I get stuck, I could try some of the writing prompts from the book. That one about listing my protagonist’s fears and wants—that sounded like a great way to figure out the driving themes behind my story. Or maybe I’ll reread the section on structure and think about the best way to tell my story. And then I could reread the part about point of view—I loved all the examples of how published authors have used point of view creatively. Or maybe I’ll study the section on healthy writing habits, since I really enjoyed its mix of humor and common sense.”
By this time, the writer had made her way in the front door, through the kitchen (mindlessly grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl on the counter), and into the tiny office where her computer perched on the desk. Between bites of the apple, she continued talking to herself.
“I should also look at some of the cures for boring dialogue and the advice for describing settings compellingly. And maybe, before too long, I’ll even be ready to apply what the book says about revising a complete draft!” With an underhand toss, she sent the apple core flying into the waste paper basket. Leaning back in her spinning desk chair, she clicked on the file on her computer desktop labeled “The Great American Novel.”
“Well, The Story Cure didn’t give me all the answers I need,” she mused, letting her fingers hover over the keyboard, “but it certainly made me excited to keep writing until I find them!”