How to Change: Love What You Hate

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cover-image-change-anything-by-kerry-patterson-and-team-04-19-111I’ve been reading this great book lately, Change Anything: the New Science of Personal Success, by Kerry Patterson & co. Thus far, I have to say I’m impressed—both because of the scientific research they reference (yeah, I’m a science geek) and because the tenets they propose feel true.

Love what you hate.

That’s one of the paths to change they describe. Sounds counterintuitive, right? Until I start thinking about my life and the places where I have successfully created a change. Never once did I succeed because I browbeat, shamed, badgered, or guilted myself into it.* Nope, change occurred when I started to focus on the positive.
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Tuesday Ten: Ways to Increase Story Tension

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lel4nd-4I frequently see advice to increase tension, up the stakes, or otherwise make things worse for our characters (poor things), but less often do I see advice on how to do this. Since this has always been a struggle for me, I figured some of you all might wonder, too <grin>. (And if you don’t wonder, don’t tell me—I like to think my foibles are part & parcel of being a writer…)

Here are some strategies I use to increase story tension:
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Writer’s Platform-Building Campaign: Challenge Fun!

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The second Campaign Challenge is:

CampaignerWrite a blog post in 200 words or less, excluding the title. It can be in any format, whether flash fiction, non-fiction, humorous blog musings, poem, etc. The blog post should:

 

  • include the word “imago” in the title
  • include the following 4 random words: “miasma,” “lacuna,” “oscitate,” “synchronicity,”

Who could resist the challenge to use so many fantabulous words in a single post? Here’s my entry, and I trust it will not elicitate any unwanted oscitation!

Imago of a Writer

She wades through a miasma
Of simile and metaphor
To find the perfect ornament,
To craft an image iridescent
In its symbolic synchronicity
Of language, sound, and meaning.
Poetically brilliant,
Stylistically lambent,
Linguistically without the least lacuna
To flaw its perfect form
Lest you, the reader,
Greet her woven words
With oscitation.

Click here to check out other creative solutions to this week’s challenge!

PS: I’m #27 if you want to vote for me :)