Writing Essays, Stories and More

Essay writing is a skill that can be honed like every other writing muscle. Whether you need an essay for school, a writing group or to use as a speech to honor someone. Essays written from the heart can inspire and move to action. They are found in magazines, newspapers and all over the Internet. Now that I'm taking classes in Journalism and Creative Writing I find myself writing lots of essays. Not my favorite but not something i struggle with at all. I think I've been writing essays all my life without knowing it. Here's what I learned along the way...


Is there a magic formula on how to write an essay? Yes and no. (Don't you love those kind of answers?)

Well, the answer depends for whom you're writing. College essays will be held to a higher level than an essay written for a newspaper. (I've heard newspapers are written on a 6th grade level. Is that true?) Essays to submit for publications in women's magazines will need to be directed at things held important by it's readership. Read and reread the magazine you're targeting so you get the rhythm of the writing.  Can't find the right venue for your essay, you might want to self publish a collection of essays on Amazon.

Segments of an Essay would include introduction, main point of the subject, and conclusion. 

Remember your audience. Are you writing a something for kids or will only adults be reading it? Are you targeting  certain age group? Does your audience have a work or hobby relationship that you're including in the article? I mention this because its easy to lose sight of your target audience and wander off your intended path. Including a personal story can help reach your audience as long as it doesn't distract from you main point.

One thing you must remember when writing your essay is to relax. Let the essay flow with a natural pace and write it all the way through. Once done go back and edit, edit, edit. Same as writing a book, short story or letter to mom, don't stress over the first draft. You'll have a chance to read through and correct later. Get all your information down on paper (or on the computer screen--save your work!) and then start rearranging your ideas. Editing can come later and will often make or break your essay.

And have fun! Essays are a creative way to express your views on subjects and you never know when you'll need a clip!
:)~
Do you know of any other venues for publishing essays? Do you write them on a regular basis? Advice?

The Evils of Punctuation

Commas confuse, Colons and Semi's introduce, Apostrophes are mine, Quotation marks are direct and indirect, periods put an end to it all. Dashes, parentheses and hyphens all have their places but the one that grinds my brain is the EXCLAMATION POINT!

I've been reading a short story magazine and one story that has exclamation points in every other sentence. I feel like I'm reading sentences that go like this, "He handed me ROSES!" and "I LIKED THEM!" "We went to DINNER!" "We came HOME!" "It was FUN!"
Honey, it you get that excited over the little stuff I fear for what will happen when something really exciting hits you.

Don't get me wrong. I used exclamation points, but only when the character is screaming. which isn't normal in every day conversation. Fore instance; "He's got a knife!" might earn one of those pesky points. Or even, "Help! The baby fell in the pool!"

It makes me wonder if the author of this short read her work out loud and how did she speak the exclamations!!!! Is she one of those over excited peppy individuals I'll never understand? Or did she write without realizing how excited this character would sound if you put an exclamation point in her mouth?

And why the heck did the editor not do something about this?

File this under pet peeve but too many exclamation points distract from the story. Unless you've got a caffeine hyper character who's been popping speed all day. Even then I might have the urge to shoot her.

Am I wrong?
So do you...! ?
What's your rule for the exclamation point?

Got Shorts? Where to put them?

I write a bunch of short stories. Maybe they morph into something longer, maybe they stay short. They are scattered within the doc file on my computer and now, dealing with lazy writer syndrome, I've been wandering through this stuff, looking for inspiration. This got me thinking I should do something with them, but what?

I believe my choices are hunt down mags that take shorts or look into that Amazon thing? I had a little trouble finding the information on Amazon for shorts. It looks like they sell for like 49 cents.

I write for the Trues (True Confession, True Story) and they pay about $150 a story depending on word count. These stories are easy to write and the response time to get accepted or rejected is fairly quick. And you can do it via email which I like.

So now I wonder if I can make more money on Amazon. My second issue is not everything I write is a fit for the Trues. Some is a bit darker. Trues are uplifting, happy stories. Murder and scary stuff don't fit.

So, tell me...what do you do with your shorts?

Block or Choice?

As I sit here on unemployment I have time to write. Scads of time. So much time that Jano (January's version of Nano run buy a group out of PA) should be a piece of cake. Yet I flounder.
I have all the laundry done and search the house for more. Should I take down the curtains? Wash the dog beds again? Maybe. Or not.
Why aren't I writing?

Perhaps if I leap, truly take the plunge and say I'm a 9 to 5 writer it will become my reality and then what do I do?

I'd have to produce published pieces, right? I'd have to be accepted into a world I've been half-heartedly banging my head against for years.

Success? Would that be an invasion of my privacy? Do I fear that? Having to go out into the world and smooosh with people? Frankly, I'm not much of a smooosher. I'd rather do the fly on the wall bit and watch people.

Or do I fear letting people down. Mostly myself. Admitting to the world and my own soul that writing really is just a hobby that will go nowhere. How sad is that?

I think I'll go lock myself in my home office now and just open my story (aptly named "No Apologies") and see what's there.

So fellow writers....do you fear the leap? Or just jump in?

PS: That's my foster dog Leena. She's up for adoption in New Jersey through Castle of Dreams Animal Rescue

The Miserables ...Les Miz

I'm not one for musicals unless they are outstanding. I only went to see this one because my daughter wanted to go. I didn't expect a lot. I had no hopes other than ...please don't let me snore if I fall asleep.

I saw Les Miserables on Broadway and although it was good it wasn't my favorite play. The actors (I can't even remember who they were), were good, Broadway caliber to be sure, but overall it was just..eh.

Now all we hear about Anne Hathaway is how she's up for an Oscar or Emmy or whatever they give the movie actors. Yeah, I'm that far out of the loop on these things. My movie going experience has never been a match for whoever is giving out those awards. I mean, after all, they liked Titanic-who had a main character I couldn't stand. She was the downfall of two men because of her selfish ways.
But here I'm going off topic. Back to Les Miz...

Yes! Anne Hathaway deserves the Oscar, Emmy or whatever because her short but soulful part in this movie was amazing. She had the entire audience n tears. Fontaine, a woman forced into prostitution, is portrayed by Anne with absolute perfection. We saw Fontaine as a good woman forced to do the unspeakable to save her child. Your heart broke because of her situation. Anne's acting was excellent. If you go for no other reason, go to see Anne Hathaway's Fontaine.

The photography, set design and wardrobe were all very well done. You were there, in the bitter bowels of the early 1800's with the poor and the suffering. The dirty alleys, people doing whatever they can to fetter out an existence all come together to set the scene where Hugh Jackman, aka Jean ValJean, and Fontaine's lives collide.

Without giving away the plot to those who have no idea what this show is about I have to say along with a great setting and photography, the casting was perfect. Of course we know Hugh Jackman as a versatile and talented actor, but I didn't even recognize him in the opening scene until he opened his mouth. And yes, this man can sing! Russel Crowe stepped up to give a great performance as well. He played the stoic and unforgiving Javert. I would have liked to see his part expanded upon but that's just not in Les Miz.

I was greatly impressed by the show as a whole and thought it a better experience than Broadway.  From the unforgettable Anne Hathaway, to the battle scene, to the end where we see Jean Valjean ....well, you'll find out....go see it!

I didn't even feel like snoozing on this one. One of the best musicals I've ever seen.

Jack Reacher: Movie Review by a Book Lover

I went into the theater with a chip on my shoulder. Tom Cruise as the invincible Jack Reacher? No way. Jack is like 6’6” and like 230 lbs. Cruise is just a skinny little guy with a body more like a teenager than a man. How can he possibly play this hero I’ve been reading for years?

So why did I go? One reason; Lee Child. This author gave me Jack Reacher and many great books in which to live for a little while. How could I not go and support an author who’s given me such great times?

During the opening scenes I had to keep reminding myself to calm down, give it a chance. Keep an open mind. It was hard at first…and then I got sucked right into Reacher-world.

Tom Cruise aced Jack Reacher.

There, I said it. And by the end of the movie I could definitely see him step into the skin of our hero. There were several reasons this worked.

Tom put on some weight for this character; mostly muscle.  When he took off his shirt his body had the muscular thickness I could see on a man I visualize as Reacher. Tom looked better than I’ve ever seen him in any of this other movies. Skinny kid gone, grown man awesome.

Camera angles. Tom didn’t appear 6’6” but he did come across as taller in most of the scenes. Good camera work made him appear larger overall which let us see him as a possible Reacher. It wasn’t there all the time but enough so that Tom definitely came across as much more than the skinny character he’s played in movies like Mission Impossible. 

The story was true Lee Child. The language of Lee came through in almost all of the scenes and they stayed true to character of Jack Reacher. We see him buying new clothing and dumping his old stuff in a Good Will bin. Yes, his toothbrush is in his pocket!  A little sexy, a little unreachable, very dynamic.

Action scenes were awesome. From the fight scenes to the car chases. I was on the edge of my seat throughout. It was Reacher style fighting, no holds barred and dirty as anything we’ve read in the books. Totally fitting our beloved Reacher.

If you’ve read the book you see things from the inside of Reacher’s head and because this is a movie you don’t get that as much but that’s true with every movie. However the plot was there and kept us on the edge of our seat. There were moments I had to cover my eyes the action was so graphic. (That’s a good thing!) I laughed out loud, nearly screamed with fright and wanted to yell at the screen at times. (I restrained myself since the woman in front of me was doing enough of that for everyone ~ )

When we go to the theater, if the movie was GREAT we call it a “Buy”. Meaning we have to get the DVD when it comes out so we can see it again and again. Jack Reacher was definitely a “Buy” in my book.  I’d go see it again today if my family wouldn’t think I was crazy.

Well played Tom. Jack Reacher gets 5 STARS in my book. Go see it and keep an open mind. I’m glad I did. One more thing: make sure you check out the sexy desk Sargent…..

Unemployed and Uninspired

Maybe its the holiday season but getting a pink slip two weeks before Christmas can be a bit of a downer. Now you worry about money and doing all those things you're used to doing. First file for unemployment. Get that out of the way so some cash comes in while we decide what to do.

Reality? We show up for work on Monday morning, 2 of the bosses are sitting in reception. Look over and see none of the computers have monitors on them. Ut oh!

"Yeah," says boss #1, "Ut oh. We're closing up shop."

Just like that.

Everyone in the office is unemployed 2 weeks before Christmas. Merry you too.

To tell the truth I wasn't surprised. The last two months it seemed people had too much free time. When I brought this subject up others in the office weren't worried. "Look what good moods the bosses are in!" they would say. Good moods indeed. They were in that office every single day laughing and joking. This leads me to believe they did know what was coming and were probably milking the biz for all they could get. Why else would a floundering business put the powers in such a good mood. Get it while it's hot, folks!

So now what? To write or not to write? Better to use this time to finish one of the great American Novels I have under my keyboard or should I jump back into the rat race, find another boring job and kill my soul?

I vacillate back and forth trying to come up with the answer. Universe? Send me a sign!