In my FWA posting for last month we dove into the tetractys, a poetry short form from Greece.  This month let’s look closely at the pensee. The pensee (pronounced pahn-say) is a short syllabic form with specific attributes. But before we get into those let’s backtrack a little. The word pensee means a thought, or reflection, in French. When we speak of a pensee we are referring to a thought expressed in a literary way, such as the short form … Read More »

Go on … think of a poetry short form you know. Probably, the first one that comes to mind is the haiku, or maybe, the limerick. I bet that’s what would come to mind for most folks. Or, if you’re familiar with Japanese forms you might also think of the tanka, or haibun. For many American writers that’s about the extent of our short form poetry knowledge. But there’s a vast world of short forms from almost every continent. (Probably, … Read More »

Titles are so important. After noticing the cover and spine art, what’s the next thing a reader looks at? Maybe the author’s name, but certainly, the title. It’s got to catch the eye of the beholder. Which would you rather read: Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss or When to Use the Oxford Comma? Com’on, unless you’re a total punctuation nerd, you’ll head toward Eats, Shoots and Leaves. It’s a grabber. We don’t know if someone is shooting a … Read More »

Picture books are jewels in the world of literature; artistic, fun, informative, and full of heart-shine. One important aspect is that they are short. Many publishers insist on less than 500 words. Yet they must have characterization, plot, setting, theme, and mood—all the same things a 90,000-word novel has. The other thing they must do is grab and retain the interest of young minds. Those minds are racing at phenomenal speed. It’s a tricky business to get that young reader … Read More »

Stephen King wrote in his book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, “the road to hell is paved with adverbs.” We’re rightly admonished not to use adverbs. But what about adjectives? I’d argue that adjectives are also there in the mix that makes up the road to hell. In fact, Mark Twain wrote to student D. W. Bowser (3/20/1880) “When you catch an adjective, kill it. No, I don’t mean utterly, but kill most of them—then the rest will … Read More »

In March of this year I wrote a posting for FWA titled:  A Friday Folly: Get Prompted!  Since then, my group and I have had many months of writing to fun, and sometimes difficult prompts. These are prompts that are all directed toward some aspect of the craft. To wind up the year I thought I’d share with you a half-dozen that worked well. Why not try some of these yourself, or within your writing group? 1. Working with numbers … Read More »