Love these ideas Mary. For me I have had "shoulds" all my life. Now in my later writing time, I write what I am truly thinking, feeling, unfiltered. I may not share everything publically, but it helps me go to the edges where I have not visited in a while. Right after I write, I think that my writing is trash but after the second read, I accept it. My technique is the second read.
This was an interesting exercise. I loved the part about reading backwards. I think I love suspense too much. But I get what you are saying. Thanks for sharing.
Another gift of a post from you! Having a bit of trouble visualizing the mosaic technique…. would you mind showing what this technique would look like on the page?
Ah, I wish I could, Elsa. Substack doesn't have the ability to insert images in the comments. But you could visualize a spread of cards on a table, each card containing one word or phrase, as in my example, from a list you've already made. Then you scan the cards (words) to see what pops out. And consider the words in cards adjacent. It's quite intuitive, I've found. Kind of a mind leap when I realize the associated words create a new meaning.
Love these ideas Mary. For me I have had "shoulds" all my life. Now in my later writing time, I write what I am truly thinking, feeling, unfiltered. I may not share everything publically, but it helps me go to the edges where I have not visited in a while. Right after I write, I think that my writing is trash but after the second read, I accept it. My technique is the second read.
Yes!! That’s excellent.
This was an interesting exercise. I loved the part about reading backwards. I think I love suspense too much. But I get what you are saying. Thanks for sharing.
I love the reading backwards technique too. Thanks for commenting, Bee!
You’re welcome!
Another gift of a post from you! Having a bit of trouble visualizing the mosaic technique…. would you mind showing what this technique would look like on the page?
Ah, I wish I could, Elsa. Substack doesn't have the ability to insert images in the comments. But you could visualize a spread of cards on a table, each card containing one word or phrase, as in my example, from a list you've already made. Then you scan the cards (words) to see what pops out. And consider the words in cards adjacent. It's quite intuitive, I've found. Kind of a mind leap when I realize the associated words create a new meaning.
Maybe that helps a little?
yes thanks!
Mary, I’m new here. Thank you for this insightful piece. It contributes to me and will impact my writing starting 30 minutes from now. :).
I especially appreciated the meander and mosaic:
“A new scene emerged that defined the difficult relationship between the protagonist, Molly, and her talented, distant father.”
🙏
Thanks, James. So glad it was helpful. I love these techniques.