The Writers Page

Anna Michelle Page

"Follow the yellow brick road."

               The Wizard of Oz screenplay by Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson, and Edgar Allan Woolf; book by L. Frank Baum

    Writing - an effective teacher. Writing, though elementary, is one of the most complicated aspects of being an author.

    Despite its simplicity, many writers search for the ‘holy grail’ of story, a formula they can adhere to time over again, a yellow brick road of calculated success to the completed work. 

    Even the yellow brick road wasn’t easy to find. If you recall, Dorothy passed through a tornado and the Wicked Witch of the East threatened her. The brick road became the greatest challenge as her companions fell back in fear, but Dorothy maintained a forward approach. 

    The yellow brick road to writing with a road map to success.

1. The Writer's Compass by Nancy Ellen Dodd
• A basic 3-act structure (beginning, middle, end)
• Or, the 6-scene Structure Model (crisis, solution, creates bigger problem, solution, creates even bigger problem, resolution)
2. Plot Perfect by Paula Muneir
• A Plot Perfect Checklist
• Write to satisfy the reader by meeting their expectations (know the plot conventions for each genre - character archetypes, key events, and settings)
1. The Archetypes and The Collective Unconscious by Carl G. Jung
• The persona, the shadow, the anima or animus and the self (This is is a psychology book)
3. The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler
• A road map to create a hero - The Hero's Journey
1. The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell (the foundation book of the mythical hero)
4. Writing Tools by Roy Peter Clark
• The nuts and bolts of writing
5. The Little Red Writing Book by Brandon Royal
1. Powerful principals of structure, style, and readability

Like Dorothy, don't quit. Write on the yellow brick road to the end.

Turn the page,

Anna Michelle

For more advice on writing, read Savannah Gilbo's Blog: Conventions vs Tropes: What's the Difference? 

https://www.savannahgilbo.com/blog/tropes#:~:text=%5B01%3A28%5D%20Genre%20conventions,a%20story%20in%20that%20genre.&text=They%20are%20subjective%20interpretations%20of%20a%20genre%20convention.

Send your work to: ampage18@gmail.com and risk revealing your story, poem or article on the Page.  After a painless critique, learn basic tools for improvement.  Right here.  On the Page.

Styrus - Creative Style Virus

 

The Writers Page

Anna Michelle Page

"But still, the fates will leave me my voice, and by my voice I shall be known."

                                                         Poem by Ovid, Metamorphoses    

  I’m currently reading The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. A poetic genius, Atwood’s work stands up against time even as time advances. Miss Atwood writes little dialogue in this story, though my mind hears the story through dialogue. The tool - voice - The handmaid’s voice is convincing, as if she sits before me sharing her story.

    

    At the same time I’m reading, The Future is Faster Than you Think by Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler. Possibly not the first choice for most writers, but the future is for storytelling. Studying the possibilities creates entertainment - a writer’s dream. Learning from the greats,  such as - Atwood - while expanding our knowledge, keeps the writer sharp.

A dialogue driven writer, I might never produce a piece such as Atwood’s, but her story improves my writing. Another writer’s style enters through photoreceptors that turn light into electrical signals to the brain where it becomes a virus of creative proportion.

By cultivating this creative virus - I’ll call ‘Styrus,’ the virus mutates into voice. 

Turn the page,

Anna Michelle

For more advice on writing, read K.M. Weiland's Blog: Writing Voice: 6 Things You Need to Know to Improve 

https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/writing-voice/, or read The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.

Send your work to: ampage18@gmail.com and risk revealing your story, poem or article on the Page.  After a painless critique, learn basic tools for improvement.  Right here.  On the Page.

Painting a Scene

 

The Writers Page

Anna Michelle Page

"We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospection."

                                                                                                                      Anais Nim

Painting a Scene

    Like the quote by Anais Nim, let the reader live twice. Don't paint me a picture to study its beauty - slap me into the scene. Make it a threesome, or foursome. The skies the limits. 

Turn the page,

Anna Michelle

   

For more advice on writing, read posts by Steven Pressfield https://stevenpressfield.com/2021/12/lessons-from-the-killer-angels/, or read The Writer's Journey Mythic Structure for Writers Third Edition by Christopher Vogler

Send your work to: ampage18@gmail.com and risk revealing your story, poem or article on the Page.  After a painless critique, learn basic tools for improvement.  Right here.  On the Page.