Writerly Tips From Edgar Allan Poe

Author Edgar Allan Poe

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore—
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,

As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.

~ opening stanzas from The Raven, by Edgar Allan Poe

It's that spooktacular time of year. That means it's time to celebrate Edgar Allan Poe. Whether you love his work or not, there are some writerly lessons to be learned from him.

Know the ending.
Poe says, "Let the writing have its beginning -- at the end." In other words, before you sit down to begin writing your next epic, know what the ending is going to be. If you keep the ending in view from the start, the story will flow naturally from beginning to end.

Write tight.
Poe was a big proponent of keeping the action moving and limiting your words. He said, “if any literary work is too long to be read at one sitting, we must be content to dispense with the immensely important effect derivable from unity of impression.” Of course if you're a novelist there's no way a reader can devour your book in one sitting. But be sure to make your scenes snappy, fast-acting, and always end with a cliff-hanger.

Choose your symbolism carefully.
In Poe's epic poem, The Raven, he first thought of having the repeated refrain (nevermore) come from the mouth of a parrot. But being that the poem is written with a melancholy tone in mind, he changed that to a raven, which is a bird of "ill omen." Do that. Decide on the tone of your story, then use symbolism that ties in with that theme.

Setting is a character.
Poe usually decided on setting last for this reason: to decide what would best compliment the mood of the story. He created his characters first and then created his setting as a character as well.

Try one or all of these techniques next time you sit down to write your Great American Novel -- whether it has a creepy theme or not.

Creativity Killers

Zombies aren't the only things that will eat your gray matter. There are plenty of other brain suckers that will kill your creativity. Here are the top 5 things to avoid when you need to be productive.

1. Self-Doubt
Give your ideas a chance. If you don't, who will? Don't self-talk yourself into believing you are less than adequate, rather error on the side of telling yourself that you're up to the task.

2. Fear
Don't be afraid of failing. Expect it. Sucks the fear right out of not being a success. If you acknowledge that you're going to make mistakes, it frees you up to take risks and some of them will pan out.

3. Excuses
Excuses not only slow you down, they downright sidetrack you so that you never get to what it is you really want to accomplish. Stop telling yourself why you can't do something and replace that line of thinking with why you should.

4. Attention-Deficit
There are way too many distractions in our world. Unplug from the internet. Shut off the phone. Go old school and try paper and pen if you must. Whatever it takes to hone your focus, do it.

5. Negativity
Lord knows there's enough negativity in this life without surrounding yourself with naysayers. Hanging out with people who tell you that "you can't" is a bad idea.

To keep your creative juices flowing, it's important you maintain the mindset of a champion. Set your goal, give yourself a timeframe, then run like the wind toward it. The bonus is that if you're running full speed, zombies can't catch you.

Infographic: Writing Lessons From a Dog

You know the routine . . . copy, share, or steal. It's all yours.

Wisdom for Wannabe Writers

Currently I'm up to my eyeballs in correcting creative writing papers. In my spare time, besides penning novels and donning my super hero cape to save the world, I am actually a teacher at a local high school homeschool co-op. I see a lot of young writers commit the same writerly crimes, so I figured, hey, why not blast my spiel to the world at large. And so I give to you today . . .

5 Nuggets of Sage Wisdom for Wannabe Writers

Read
One of the best ways to become a great writer is to read great writing. What goes in eventually comes out, if you persevere and work at it. And don't give me that line about you being too busy to read because I'm not buying it. Shove reading into your schedule with a shoehorn if need be.

Enjoy
Stop wishing away your pre-publishing life. This is the time for you to enjoy your exploration with words. You can write whatever you feel like writing because no publisher has harnessed you with a bit and bridle yet. Run free, little stallion, and laugh at the wind in your hair.

Perseverance
Some days writing will be magic but others it will be just plain drudgery, like cleaning the toilet or vacuuming up dog hair. You just gotta do it because it needs to be done, know what I mean? Don't wait for your muse to show up because some days that muse has packed its bags for Morocco.

Focus
There are naysayers out there who will rain on your writerly parade with their negativity. Don't listen to them. Don't even look at them. Keep your eyes on the prize of your art. This is you, not them. You do you.

Finish
It's easier to start a new story when the one you're working on stalls out. Don't give in to that temptation. Finish what you start. You can't submit 14 half-finished manuscripts when the requirement is a full.

There. See? Not so hard, eh? That's right. . . you CAN do this writing gig. Trust me, if I can, anybody can.

It Takes a Village

It's true that writers generally write alone. Think about it. How many fingers can actually fit on a keyboard? But despite that little nugget of truth, it takes more than one person to bring a story to full fruition. Are you writing a novel? Creating some other kind of art? Just wanting to get a project completed? Then make sure you surround yourself with these natives . . .

The Champion

It's an ugly world out there. Everyone's got an opinion and they're not afraid to use it, especially when it comes to art. You're going take a beating, so you need a champion on your side. This is the kind of person who adores your work, believes in you when you don't believe in yourself, and always has a word of encouragement.

The Dart Blower

This is the realist. The one who lets you know when your artistic underpants are showing. The critiquer who isn't just a yes man, but is honest enough to let you know when your art falls short of the bar. Yeah, those words of wisdom might sting, but you'll be the better for listening and polishing your product before it's released to the world.

The Warrior

Someone needs to defend you, you pathetic little artist. This person might wear the hat of an agent or an editor, an art director or even your spouse. The warrior fights for you, defending your art so that you can spend the time creating your art.

The Witch Doctor

Like it or not, you're going to get wounded at some point in time. A sucky review. An outright nasty social media attack. Whatever. You must have someone in your life who brings healing words and comfort to your soul. The kind that knows when to bring dark chocolate and a hot latte.

The Chief

Your art isn't going anywhere if you don't have a bwana to make it happen. Network amongst the movers and shakers in your field and make friends with the powerful.

Without an editor or publisher, a friend and a critique partner, or a prayer buddy, you'll be fighting an uphill battle to bring your art to the masses. Get out there and gather your tribe. You'll need them.

5 Ways to Cope When You're Feeling Overwhelmed

It's every newbie writer's dream to garner a contract or two, but be careful what you wish for, little cowboy. When those contracts come at you, there are these things called deadlines. There's a reason for that word, as in you're dead in the publishing water if you don't get your manuscript in by the agreed upon date.

But no problem, right? Because hey, after all, you're a writer, eh? There's just one small glitch with that line of thinking, Hoss. Life. Sometimes life gets in the way of writing, until you get so stressed out you crumple in a heap of overwhelming despair. Even if you're not a writer life can be overwhelming. How are you going to cope?

Here are a few ways to take care of yourself when the going gets tough . . .

Sleep
It seems counterintuitive to sleep when you've only got so many hours in a day and you should be working toward meeting your goal, doggone it! But here's the deal, you NEED to get your 8 hours of Zzz's in or you won't be creative. You won't even be coherent. Keep a regular sleep pattern especially during crunch times.

Unplug
Yes, marketing and social media are part of the writerly game, but every now and then you need to unplug, even if it's just for a day. The world won't come to a screeching halt because you're out of touch for twenty-four hours. Disconnecting from crazy will soothe your inner crazy beast.

Exercise
Don't freak out over this. I'm not saying you need to put on a leotard or bench press until you're sweaty. Get outside and go for a walk. Breathing in fresh air has a way of clearing the cobwebs out of your mind while giving your body some much needed cardio.

Redirect
Everyone needs a mindless activity to zone out with. Some like to knit. Others, like me, play Two Dots to unwind. Whatever it is, spend a few minutes each day indulging in a mindless something (key word: FEW minutes, not hours on end).

Meditate
The Bible advocates being still and knowing that God is God. How are you going to do that if you're running around like a decapitated chicken? Grab a verse and think on it, word by word.

Whenever you find yourself in a busy season, make sure to add these five self-care tips in to your schedule.

3 Essentials in Writing a Page Turner

Everyone wants to be that author -- the one readers are clamoring to read. How does that happen, though? How do you become that author, with tribes of loyal natives willing to trek barefoot through jungles to buy your next book?

Easy. Write a page turner and they'll come back for more.

Okay, so maybe it's not that easy. Penning a riveting story is hard work, but there are a few key ingredients you can add to make the outcome more tantalizing to a reader . . .

Escalation

Do This: Intensify the story stakes.
Not That: Make life too easy for your characters.

You've got to torture your characters. Your hero has to go from sweet-mercy, to dang-it, to oh-my-freaking-stars-I'm-going-to-die. Think of your story as a journey, uphill, both ways, with the climax at the tippy top. Your characters have to work hard to overcome struggles in order to gain the readers respect, and those struggles need to be something more intense than a chipped nail.

Example: In The Captive Heart, heroine Eleanor goes from losing her job, to losing her freedom, to nearly losing her life.

Cliffhangers

Do This: End every scene with a gasp.
Not That: Make it easy for a reader to put down the book.

Don't just dangle a readerly carrot at the end of each scene. Dangle a piece of turtle cheesecake. You always want to end a scene or a chapter with a huge unanswered question, that way your reader just has to flip the page and find out the answer.

Example: In The Captive Heart, every scene ends with an OMG moment, such as Eleanor facing a charging rogue bear.

Secrets

Do This: Have your characters hold on to secrets.
Not That: Make your characters blab everything up front.

Everyone loves a juicy secret. Readers especially. Resist the urge to spill all the beans at the beginning of the story. Dole out background crumbs, hints at what the character has in his past, but don't do the big reveal until the climax.

Example: In (you guessed it) The Captive Heart, hero Samuel hides the fact that his grandmother is a full-blooded Cherokee.

Entice your reader by using these 3 tricks and you will be that author.