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Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

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Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » Writing Craft » Page 71

Writing Craft

Looking for a Brown Mule

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon May 2, 2013
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01 Looking For a Brown Mule 18x24

I am beyond proud of my uncle, Eldridge Bagley.

Uncle Eldridge is a professional artist. He paints in oil on canvas. Most of his scenes depict Southern rural life in the mid twentieth century. The picture above, from 2001, is entitled Looking for a Brown Mule. 

This picture speaks to me. Does it speak to you? Why? Why do you think he chose that title?

Now let’s have some fun. Use your imagination to write a sketch about this picture.

Your Turn

What kind of background do you give your characters?

Have your characters found worldly success after growing up in modest circumstances?

What is your favorite treat from your childhood that may be hard to find now?

Leave a Comment
Category: Art, Creativity, Tamela, Writing CraftTag: Characters, Creativity, Writing Craft

Focus from the Mountaintop: Career

By Karen Ballon May 1, 2013
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Focus. We all need it, in our careers, in our lives, even day to day. But as we discussed in previous blogs, there are different kinds of focus. Today we’ll take a look at how you can use Mountaintop Focus to guide you in your career as a writer.

As we discussed before, when you’re on the Mountaintop, you can see for miles and miles. So, first and foremost, Mountaintop Focus is big-picture …

Read moreFocus from the Mountaintop: Career
Category: Book Business, Career, Karen, Writing CraftTag: Career, Focus

Fancy Schmancy!

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon April 25, 2013
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I just saw a funny short video about how to go from boring to fancy. Examples included labeling the same bread as "bread" and then "artisan bread" and the identical "cheddar" as "aged cheddar." I would have gone with "artisan" cheddar, myself. The last time our family dined in a restaurant with my in-laws in Connecticut, "Cheese made by Vermont artisans," was offered as an appetizer.

How about …

Read moreFancy Schmancy!
Category: Craft, Creativity, Tamela, Writing CraftTag: Characters, Craft, Writing Craft

I DID Finish Your Book…and I Plan to Read it Again!

By Karen Ballon April 24, 2013
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After reading Steve’s and Tamela’s thought-provoking blogs on why they don’t finish books, I decided to talk about the flip-side. I totally agree with all that Steve and Tamela said. I’m not among the camp that has to finish a book once I've started it. But what a delight it is to find a book that I not only want to finish, but that I wish would never end. Those are rare treasures that live on my …

Read moreI DID Finish Your Book…and I Plan to Read it Again!
Category: Craft, Creativity, Karen, Writing CraftTag: Books, Craft, Writing Craft

I Didn’t Finish Reading Your Book, Either

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon April 18, 2013
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Followers of this blog know that on Monday, Steve Laube wrote a superb post on why he doesn't finish reading certain books.  I have stopped reading certain books for those same reasons. And for different reasons.

Beginnings

When I was in grade school, one of my mentors said always give a book at least one chapter, preferably three, before giving up. I have followed that rule on any book I …

Read moreI Didn’t Finish Reading Your Book, Either
Category: Craft, Tamela, Writing CraftTag: Books, Craft, Writing Craft

What Do You Do For a Living?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon April 11, 2013
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We have a new eye doctor and this past weekend I had my first appointment with him for my annual checkup.

He noted that I'm a literary agent. For one, I was impressed that he understood what a literary agent is. Most people have to ask. The conversation led to thoughts about professions as they are portrayed in books and on TV. Let me recap his thoughts:
"There are very few opthamologists in …

Read moreWhat Do You Do For a Living?
Category: Book Business, Career, Craft, TamelaTag: Career

Gotta Love Numbers

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon April 4, 2013
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I didn't attend kindergarten so my initial encounter with numbers happened in first grade. One day, we were working on math problems. As we finished, the teacher let each of us choose a stick of modeling clay. The colors were red, green, brown, and gray. I really, really wanted red. Green would have been OK, but definitely not brown and certainly not gray. I urgently scratched numbers on the ruled …

Read moreGotta Love Numbers
Category: Book Business, Career, TamelaTag: Book Business, Career

Focus (Part Three)

By Karen Ballon April 3, 2013
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I've always enjoyed photography. But it wasn't until I came to understand the power of focus that I loved taking pictures. Focus helps you tell the story that you see in the picture. Whether your focus is on what’s close to the camera:

Or what’s in the background:

Or on the minute, microscopic details:

Each aspect gives us a different story in the same picture.

Our careers in …

Read moreFocus (Part Three)
Category: Book Business, Career, Craft, Creativity, Karen, Marketing, Writing CraftTag: Career, Focus

The Beauty of Community

By Karen Ballon March 27, 2013
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As I write this blog, I’m sitting on a bench beneath towering California Redwoods. There’s a gentle breeze blowing, carrying with it the fragrance of evergreens and sunshine. But it carries something else. Something wondrous…

The sound of community.

All around me, people are walking and sitting and standing, and as their voices drift past me I hear a number of things:
Excitement
Shared …

Read moreThe Beauty of Community
Category: Conferences, Get Published, KarenTag: Community, writers conferences

When Your Agent Makes You Speed Up

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon March 21, 2013
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by Tamela Hancock Murray

Since I wrote last week about when your agent may make you slow down, I thought this week it might be fun to write about why your agent may make you speed up. Now, speeding up is never, never to occur at the risk of writing less than your best. Story craft, along with  care and attention to detail, are always musts for fiction and nonfiction. But there are times …

Read moreWhen Your Agent Makes You Speed Up
Category: Book Business, Career, Get Published, Tamela, Writing CraftTag: Agents, Get Published
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