The Place For My Writers Notes

Original posting 24 December 2008

Quick and quirky, from the March 2005 Writer's Digest, page 8. David A. Fryxell, in his book Write Faster, Write Better, suggests the following exercises:

Focus, Focus, Focus

If you can't describe what your story or article's about in just a few words, chances are you haven't developed adequately. Test yourself with these exercises:

• in no more than 25 words, write a concise description of your current project. Explain what it's all about and why anyone would want to read it.
• take your writeup from the previous exercise and recast it as a Hollywood "high concept" pitch -- that's one very brief sentence that expresses the essence of your project. (For example, the concept pitch for Night of the Lepus, one of the all-time worst horror movies, was supposedly "Jaws with rabbits.")
• if you're writing an article, write a mock headline and subhead for it. [tink adds -- if you're writing something else, you can still write a headline -- what's the news about it?]
• if you're working on a book length project, try writing your own promotional copy as it would appear on the back cover of your book. If you're writing a shorter piece, try writing a table of contents entry and cover line describing your work as it might appear in a magazine.

Sounds like fun, and it only takes a few words (we won't count the mental toil and trouble :-)

Since I suspect most of you are on vacation, stay warm, stay safe, and enjoy the holidays. Merry whatever-you-may-celebrate and a happy new year to one and all.

with rooty-toot-toots and candycanes too . . .