Develop a Scene, Write a Chapter: Lesson 1 with EJ Runyon

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I have been working on the last leg of my first book and going over all the extra words that need to be removed. It’s been quite the exercise. I’m actually loving it because it is teaching me to look at my sentences, how they read, and make it all tighter.

But this post is not about me…

EJ Runyon has been more than kind to “pay it forward” to me with 8 lessons toward the development of my chapters. I have sat down with her for my first lesson, and we went over certain aspects of my chapters to help make my writing and my scenes stronger.

I cannot emphasize how even one lesson with EJ Runyon has helped improve the flow of my paragraphs and words. And, wow, what a difference it made!

Please reach out to EJ Runyon and let her help you with the development of your story. You will not be disappointed with your lessons. Plus, she has the most soothing of voices. I look forward to my remaining lessons with her.

You can find free online lessons at her website Bridge to Story,
http://www.bridgetostory.com/classes/

Also, Skype with her for coaching or story edits. She’s a wonderful teacher! You will not be disappointed! http://www.bridgetostory.com/services/

Keep on writing,
CC

#book #novel #inspiration #lesson #lessons #chapters #chapter #scene #character #story

Fruitflesh… and Setting The Mood

Fruitflesh: Seeds of Inspiration for Women Who Write by Gayle Brandeis. I’ve had this book for a while on my shelf and so I grab it (finally) and open it up. I’ve spent the last few months working, writing, living, and not writing this blog. So I figured I’d come back to my blog today… with a fresh start.

The first entry of Fruitflesh just happens to be my favourite so far. I hope the author will not mind me posting this entry. I find it extremely inspiring.

Page 13: Fruitflesh Meditation: Mango

Hold a mango in your hand, Notice how solid it feels, rooted firmly in its own skin. The flesh inside is incredibly sexy—moist and slick, saturated with shades of sunset and intense, ambrosial flavor. The mango is wild but centred, its seed supportive as a spine.

Slice off a wedge of mango. Bend the fruit back, like a neck arched in pleasure. Explore the sweet flesh with your tongue, your teeth. Devour the fruit until your whole face is slippery with its juice.

Let your writing be like this feast—bold, sensual, unapologetic. Enter into it fully, with your whole body, without hesitation.

Gayle Brandeis

Beautiful. Simply beautiful. Whenever I read this first passage, I want to dive into writing the way I would dive into eating this fruit. Messy, dripping, sticky, sweet. There’s no stopping to wipe my fingers because the next bite just saturates my fingers all over again. There’s no point. I have to go through from start to finish enjoying the process without stopping. By the end, there’s  a gooey mess all over my hands and face. And when it comes to the end, I feel that same disappointment as when I have to stop writing. Real life. And, with the fruit, the process of cleaning up the mess.

I’m back.

CC

Inspiration

This is a photo I took when I visited Cadaqués in Northern Spain in 2008. It is the little Meditterranean seaside town where Salvador Dali lived. After I visited the area, and his museum in Figueres, I was imbued with an energy that I was not able to shake off for a long time. I had been close to a potent creative energy, and even though he is no longer living, it was ever present. He was a different kind of individual with a unique mind, albeit wrought with numerous psychological challenges, but entirely inspiring. I believe there are certain places and persons in the world that offer you that kind of feeling.

It is imperative to change your environment if you want to reignite your source of inspiration or creativity. The mind constantly needs to be fed with new imagery, input, and stimulus to grow.

Try to get away from your screen or pad of paper and discover something completely new once in a while or whenever you need to replenish the source.  You will be amazed at the abundance of material that will come to you when you explore an unknown location or setting.