tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post5504359456026634086..comments2023-11-18T03:15:19.102-06:00Comments on Straight From Hel: Writing DreamsHelen Gingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09794759602654727110noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-18504404967144718782009-05-06T01:31:00.000-05:002009-05-06T01:31:00.000-05:00Timing is everything.
This has only recently beco...Timing is everything.<br /><br />This has only recently become a bigger priority for me when doing revisions. I guess I've moved up another step on that learning ladder.<br /><br />Changing words, almost rolling them around in my mouth to get a feel for how they relate to the emotion I'm trying to capture and convey. Harsh, nasty words for the grit and danger , and more curved, flowing words for languid descriptive phrases - very true and hugely impactive.<br /><br />Well worth getting right.<br /><br />Good post.BThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15170193722932454605noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-42604834918585383292009-05-05T21:54:00.000-05:002009-05-05T21:54:00.000-05:00Worst dream I ever had was just after I had my wis...Worst dream I ever had was just after I had my wisdom teeth cut out. I was on some prescription pain killer. It was the most frightening dream of my life. And every time I'd fall back asleep it would start over again. The next morning I flushed the rest of the pills down the toilet. I'd rather live with the pain.<br /><br />To tie that back to writing, I use that dream for a basis for a lot of dark material, not so much the events of the dream, but the raw emotions it evoked.<br />~jonJ. M. Strotherhttp://www.jmstrother.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-7469624029731952792009-05-05T21:12:00.000-05:002009-05-05T21:12:00.000-05:00Connie, that's because I wrote it down as soon as ...Connie, that's because I wrote it down as soon as it woke me up.<br /><br />That's true, Jon. Dreams are often surrealistic. This one seemed based in reality, yet was way off kilter.Helen Gingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09794759602654727110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-2151363495734678402009-05-05T20:35:00.000-05:002009-05-05T20:35:00.000-05:00But what if it's a particularly nice petunia? ;)
...But what if it's a particularly nice petunia? ;)<br /><br />Very good advice here, Helen. I know I strive for this all the time. Not sure I actually achieve it, but that is the goal. I'm a big fan of short crisp sentences when the action is hot.<br /><br />On the subject of dreams, I once entered a writing challenge where we were supposed to write something surrealistic. I was stumped until I recalled that my dreams are often very surrealistic. Problem solved.<br />~jonJ. M. Strotherhttp://www.jmstrother.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-4099386933063547682009-05-05T19:51:00.000-05:002009-05-05T19:51:00.000-05:00Nice writing, Helen, and good memory to be able to...Nice writing, Helen, and good memory to be able to write about your dream so descriptively!Connie Arnoldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06264510809220669622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-56267368194135455792009-05-05T13:37:00.000-05:002009-05-05T13:37:00.000-05:00Why, thank you, Lisa! Cool.
Good points, Lisa. It...Why, thank you, Lisa! Cool.<br /><br />Good points, Lisa. It really depends a lot on where you want your readers to focus. It's through your writing that they see or hear or feel or know what you want them to experience. It's part of why we try so hard to perfect our words.Helen Gingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09794759602654727110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-58114260840608096902009-05-05T12:36:00.000-05:002009-05-05T12:36:00.000-05:00Man, I just had a "kid panic" dream the night befo...Man, I just had a "kid panic" dream the night before! Now THOSE will get your heart pumping!<br /><br />Interesting analogy. And yes, just as a serene, majestic tree outside a child's window can transform into a host of sinister, wicked claws under cover of a "dark stormy night," so should our writing take a turn to fit the occasion. <br /><br />The guy getting shot at (or shooting) may not notice a lone petunia...but he may also notice it in a moment of irony. It may stand out in absurd relief, a cheerful splotch completely out of place with the moment. He may not stop to smell that posy, but depending on how it is written, a cameo can still add weight to a tense moment.<br /><br />--Lisa<br />http://authorlisalogan.blogspot.comLisa Loganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18259624498661417075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-36558816258351877692009-05-05T12:35:00.000-05:002009-05-05T12:35:00.000-05:00I'm sharing this post with the writer gang down at...I'm sharing this post with the writer gang down at the Val Verde County Library. You will be part of our Wednesday meeting. Thanks.Stacy S. Jensenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09646270238659432058noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-44718785951366457412009-05-05T11:28:00.000-05:002009-05-05T11:28:00.000-05:00Thank you Jean. And I'm glad you stopped by!Thank you Jean. And I'm glad you stopped by!Helen Gingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09794759602654727110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-4223405222045235752009-05-05T11:11:00.000-05:002009-05-05T11:11:00.000-05:00Good advice, good writing!Good advice, good writing!Jean Henry Meadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08146960738692672013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-8756220470799965422009-05-05T09:59:00.000-05:002009-05-05T09:59:00.000-05:00It was a bit odd, Christina. The dream woke me up ...It was a bit odd, Christina. The dream woke me up and I knew two things right away - why I had the dream and how this could relate to writing.Helen Gingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09794759602654727110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-36418435812807137272009-05-05T09:56:00.000-05:002009-05-05T09:56:00.000-05:00Kudos to you, Helen, for creating a positive, lear...Kudos to you, Helen, for creating a positive, learning experience with writing out of a pretty frightening nightmare. And you were able to decipher your own dream this way, so that's a bonus!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-80445094443255783792009-05-05T08:01:00.000-05:002009-05-05T08:01:00.000-05:00It was a bit of a nightmare, Jane.
Do come back, ...It was a bit of a nightmare, Jane.<br /><br />Do come back, Enid. Look forward to hearing from you. Sometimes the best information comes in the Comments section!Helen Gingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09794759602654727110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-33981335464236207592009-05-05T06:51:00.000-05:002009-05-05T06:51:00.000-05:00Cool! I've never learned creative writing. I just ...Cool! I've never learned creative writing. I just wrote. So it's good to learn these editing/writing skills. Need to check out your blog in more detail. <br /><br /><A HREF="http://steamyfantasy.blogspot.com" REL="nofollow"> Fantasy stories by Enid</A>Enid Wilsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12248877161249788607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-57531466879179609032009-05-05T06:33:00.000-05:002009-05-05T06:33:00.000-05:00Good advice, Helen. But, I wouldn't call that a dr...Good advice, Helen. But, I wouldn't call that a dream - I'd call it a nightmare!<br /><br />Jane Kennedy Sutton<br />http://janekennedysutton.blogspot.com/Jane Kennedy Suttonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12519340747761460017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-74174402279332938072009-05-05T06:26:00.000-05:002009-05-05T06:26:00.000-05:00"readers need to experience our stories as if they..."readers need to experience our stories as if they really were experiencing them" - excellent way of putting it, Diane!Helen Gingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09794759602654727110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-502410580504071442009-05-05T06:20:00.001-05:002009-05-05T06:20:00.001-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Helen Gingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09794759602654727110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-41492559073458028702009-05-05T06:20:00.000-05:002009-05-05T06:20:00.000-05:00Good morning, Marvin. You always start my day off ...Good morning, Marvin. You always start my day off right. And I am honored to be in any way compared to your editor.Helen Gingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09794759602654727110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-27140942392633513622009-05-05T06:19:00.000-05:002009-05-05T06:19:00.000-05:00That is an excellent analogy, Helen. And a reminde...That is an excellent analogy, Helen. And a reminder that readers need to experience our stories as if they really were experiencing them!<br /><br />L. Diane Wolfe<br />www.circleoffriendsbooks.blogspot.com<br />www.spunkonastick.net <br />www.thecircleoffriends.netL. Diane Wolfehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06425864276166334896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32918125.post-70045200343958844992009-05-05T06:15:00.000-05:002009-05-05T06:15:00.000-05:00You remind me of my editor, Helen. (that's a good ...You remind me of my editor, Helen. (that's a good thing, btw - lol) As an author and an editor myself, I have learned this valuable element of writing to be constantly aware of. <br /><br />Such a vivid dream you had! And your writing of it had me right there - nicely done.<br /><br />Could you share a more pleasant dream next time, though? The old ticker ain't what it used to be. :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com