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the write structure and you in a hero’s journey
It starts with a dilemma. A moment in the story when the character is faced with a difficult choice between two either good or bad things. We begin with dilemmas because they center stories.
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we should reverse engineer the books we read in order to write better
Is that how you improve your writing? Pick a book, disassemble it, examine it, analyze it in detail, discover the concepts of its structure, produce something similar, pick a new book, repeat.
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july is here
— July is here, the kids have winter break at school, I’m working from home, so we may spend some time in the country for a few days. And it’s inevitable, my brain starts thinking of lists for everything. So, let me share that with you. ▶︎ READING This month, for #BeardyReads, we decided to read REBECCA by Daphne Du Maurier. But first, we chose a genre for our month: classic thriller. And those in the group who already read REBECCA chose to read the other runner-ups: THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY, by Patricia Highsmith, and WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE, by Shirley Jackson. I’m reading all three. But…
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writing tools
Hey, the sun is back. It has nothing to do with today’s topic but I just wanted to say that first. I’m happy. It’s been a gray week, and it’s good to finally see the sun doing its thing outside my window. Alright, back to the Beard… remember that reel I made about writing tools? I’m convinced that the tools we use have a direct impact on our writing flow and creativity. I know it affects me, at least. Like the trigger effect or the environment we discussed on that post about writing at coffee shops, you know? I know I need three things to work: vibe, focus, and a…
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how to behave like a writer
Is there such a thing? Have you ever thought about what a writer should look like or how they should behave? I mean, style, clothes, way of speaking, manners? You might paint this romantic picture of a perfect writer, wearing hipster clothes, having a coffee near a typewriter, maybe smoking cigarettes, pounding the keys, and writing their next masterpiece, with a window near them, a pile of paper gradually forming a manuscript. Maybe you think that a writer speaks perfectly, no grammar mistakes in their speech, having the perfect words at hand to describe everything they do. These are stereotypes but I won’t lie to you and say I didn’t…
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just get started, but know you’re not alone
Dear Reader, today we’re doing something different. Yes, we. I invited Ann Kroeker (@annkroeker) to write this caption with me. JOÃO — Ann is an author, writing coach, and podcaster. If you love writing and podcasts, you know her as the unique voice “cheering you on as a writing coach in your ear.” She’s been my writing coach since her first episode, in 2014, of Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach podcast—something that helped me a lot in my writing journey because her work always had something spot-on that would answer my questions or guide me as a writer. Thanks to my daily writing here, I can proudly say that we became…
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What do to while walking when you’re a writer
Hey Reader, This morning on Instagram, I posted a few things you can do in a 30-minute walk. I think it’s a perfect exercise. At least I prefer that to running. As a writer, there are some pretty interesting benefits in what you can do while walking, too. Here’s a list of what we could do: 1. Observe the surroundings You only get the actual idea of paths, walking distance, buildings, and all, if you take a walk. My current work in progress is set around my neighborhood, and I got interesting insights while walking around. Umberto Eco said once that he would go to a place and study everything…
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How to find the courage to write
We can’t eradicate our writing fears. Nor would we want to. They’re what makes writing so challenging and satisfying. Ralph Keyes, in The Courage to Write Fear is everywhere. It’s our worst enemy because we are the ones behind it. We feel it. We create it. We make it an obstacle to our achievements. That fear comes from many sources, like the feeling you’re an impostor, that our writing is not good, or too cliché, nothing original, that grammar mistakes and words we choose will be criticized, and this is gonna ruin our writing careers. It can also come from the anticipation of other fears like readers not liking what…
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Writing is a lonely job
Writing is a lonely job. But does it have to be lonely all the time?
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How Long Does It Take to Write a Book?
How long does it take to write a book? Asking for a friend… In the previous post, I wrote about quitting projects and when and why it’s a reasonable decision. However, if you decide to keep doing it, and if your project is writing a book, know that there might be a long and winding road ahead. While Bradbury only needed 2,5 weeks to write Fahrenheit 451 and Saint-Exupéry wrote The Little Prince in 6 months, Salinger needed 10 years to write Catcher in The Rye, and it took 16 years for Tolkien to write The Lord of the Rings. It all depends more on what it takes to write…
