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Warm-up exercise: Television weeping
Writing Exercises
Writer's Toolbox
MS
Start with this line by Dionne Brand, from
Inventory
, a book of poems, then freewrite for 10 minutes:
“One year she sat at the television weeping, no reason”
—MS
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In the toolbox
Sentences: A sentence is a thought, not a warehouse
Beware of getting involved
Issues—the word
The handy dandy 5-W sentence
Narrative: Six principles and some examples
Warm-up exercise: Scar
"And" or "but" at the start of a sentence
Trim those articles and prepositions
Living vs. being based
Sentence fragments
Lie, lay, laid, lain
Sentences: Simple, fragment, run-on
The order of things
Name your agent
Trump and trumpery
Narrative exercise: Birthday
Warm-up exercise: Television weeping
Warm-up exercise: Lunch
How does narrative die?
Convince/persuade and other fake synonyms
Going further with farther
Sentences: Long is beautiful
Function shift
Gerunds and participles: Avoid ING words
Morale exercise: Real writers
Interview with Mary Schendlinger
Dialogue: Keep it simple
Find yourself, but don’t say so
Warm-up exercise: Eyes shut
The sense of sight