On Tuesday…

On Tuesday, when it hails and snows,

The feeling on me grows and grows

That hardly anybody knows

If those are these or these are those.

~ Winnie-the-Pooh

Here’s a delicious find that I uncovered in the Hundred Acre Wood this week—

A 1929 recording of A.A. Milne reading a chapter “In Which Pooh and Piglet Go Hunting and Nearly Catch a Woozle.”

Check it out here.

Ah, there is something about an author’s own voice reading his or her own work.

It’s just the right sort of something that starts a writing day right.

PROMPT: Do a quick search for the voice of one of your favorite authors. Listen, then write whatever comes to mind. Or perhaps you’d rather be a bit Pooh-ish and spend the day enjoying a smackerel of the impossible —

“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.”

~ Winnie-the-Pooh

Well, I know what I’m going to do…

Tut, tut, it looks like rain.

Curses

It was Etiquette Week last week, and DANG we missed it!

But HECK, I didn't miss this —

New data reveals that those of us here in the great state of Washington curse much less often than the rest of you.

I know what you’re thinking—

The same thing I was…

Like, What The FUDGE!?

You see, it is not that we curse less. SHELL no.

Here in the Evergreen state we've simply perfected the pseudo-swear.

So don’t get our dander up.

Because if you choose to use those REALLY bad words —

like freshMANor penMANship —

Trust me, we will not hesitate to call you a SON OF A PEACH MOTHERTRUCKER right to your face.

And the state that’s chock-full of potty-mouthed pirates majoring in expletives?

Ohio

Oh. My. Oh.

No wonder they call themselves the BUCKeyes.

PROMPT: If your character needs to say something, but can’t because “there are preschool toys present,” then you need to learn the fine art of pseudo-swearing. Make a list of colorful ways for him or her to let it all hang out. Need some inspiration? Pick up The Craptastic Guide to Pseudo-Swearing by Michelle Witte.

Holy sheet rock, this is gonna be fun!

So Good to Hear Your Voice

If you've been around the writer’s block a few times, you may have heard the term “voice” bantered about.

Voice is that certain something that makes your writing unique –

The way you say what you've got to say… because, my friend, nobody else is going to say it quite that way.

As an illustration (pun thoroughly intended), think of 10 folks in an art class gathered around a still life. Obviously, no two artists in the room will draw that hodgepodge of pine cones, French horns, and lobsters in exactly the same way.

The same goes for a scene, ten writers, and the alphabet.

I've been to my share of writers' conferences and every editor and agent says the exact same thing (in his or her own “voice” of course)…

“I am looking for a fresh voice.”

Well, the best way to find your voice is to write… A LOT.

But here’s something else to try if you'd like to explore the power of voice – give a good listen to a couple of audiobooks. There is something about actually hearing voice that helps you really grasp what it means.

Presently, I am enjoying A Year in the World by Frances Mayes.  And that is just how she would say it, too – “presently” with a lovely southern lilt.

Another favorite of mine is All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot. Nothing says “hello” like his opener – a bloody bovine breech delivery.

Do you have a favorite audiobook? If so, please share…

I’m always looking for a fresh voice.

PROMPT: Download an audiobook or grab a Playaway from your local library and give this a whirl. Then explore your voice by rewriting one of the scenes in a way that expresses your freshness.