Friday’s Fantasies

Sit in reverie and watch the changing color of the waves that break upon the idle seashore of the mind.

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Topical Thursday

Most important to any fake story is a plausible, realistic edge with a satirical twist that is topical. ~ Joey Skaggs

Wishes for Wednesdays

“Life affords no higher pleasure than that of surmounting difficulties, passing from one step of success to another, forming new wishes and seeing them gratified.”

~ Samuel Johnson

Tuesday Teasers

We have forty million reasons for failure, but not a single excuse.  ~ Rudyard Kipling

Editing Perfection

Substitute “damn” every time you’re inclined to write “very;” your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.

~ Mark Twain

Thoughts lightly share their moments, like the nectar for the butterfly.

Branching Out

Welcome to Pen, Paper and Prose. The desire to put pen to paper and write our stories is  innate for many. Beginners often wonder where ideas come from, yet have them all day long, get them every day. Dialogue is created whenever you have a conversation. And who hasn’t left a meeting or consultation recreating the message just given? We write our stories every day.

The actual writing is what blocks most of us. Sitting alone at a keyboard, faced with a blank page, the process of beginning the story, the writing of dialogue, can be intimidating. The thoughts seem to dry up or jump off in different directions than what we planned. Focus on the process increases our anxiety.

Daily practice helps avoid this blank page panic. Journal writing, morning pages, diaries and carrying a notebook keeps us mindful of the practice. Take the time to write. Every day. Soon the dialogue will flow, the scenes will be set, the plot will thicken. You know you create stories. Now put pen to paper, and share your prose or poem.

The journey begins with the first step, the book begins with the first word. Write it down. Every day.