Stretching Creative Muscles

At the most recent creative writing meeting of the LWC we had a mini-lesson on the meanings of and differences between analogy, metaphor and simile. Then we did an exercise to practice using these writing tools.
     It seems there is an effective four-step process to creating and using analogies in various forms. Who knew?
    At first I wondered if creating good analogies and solid metaphors was worth the effort of having learn a four-step process and practice working with it. If analogy is not something that comes naturally for you in your writing, why force it?
     I appreciate a good analogy as much as I do good description, even though I my descriptive writing skills are poor (as are my skills with metaphors). Of course, analogy is a form of description; in my mind, an elevated form. And though I struggle with sensory description in my writing (and in my posts on Elmore Leonard's writing advice I supported the idea that it wasn't necessary to have description to produce good writing), I am always in favor of working to improve any and all writing skills.
     As with my experience in writing poetry - that I don't and have no wish to write - creative exercises with various forms and aspects of poetry can positively affect how you use words and language in whatever kind of writing you do. I noticed this same effect in learning about and working with analogy.
   The exercises we did in our creative writing meeting was fun as well as enlightening. Learning new writing skills and techniques, even ones you may think you have no use for or any desire to use, is  a good thing.
     Stepping outside your usual milieu and working with types of  writing that are new and unfamiliar may bring new perspective to your work. Expanding your knowledge can help you find unexpected ways to enhance all your writing.

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What My Animals Have Taught Me About Writing

     My horses don't write, nor do they read. They do often get to listen to me plotting, questioning, and revising out loud while riding, grooming or doing barn chores. They don't comment on any of that either. 
     One way I support my horses is by teaching riding lessons. Like any sport or activity, participants improve by having a teacher, mentor, coach, trainer or fellow athlete critique their performance.
     Among writers, the word 'critique', even to those of us that know better, evokes the image of being told what is wrong and what needs improvement.   I know from taking riding lessons that I progress better with encouragement than criticism.  Therefore, that is how I teach my students - and my horses.
     Of course, no one can improve in what they do with only encouragement. Problems need to be addressed and corrected, new practices and methods have to have to be tried, what isn't right needs to be changed.
     But if a rider's leg position is great and someone only tells them that their upper body is out of balance, concentrating only on keeping their back straight might make the rider not keep their heels down as well, or forget to keep their hands even, etc. When giving lessons, I always remind and encourage students about what they are doing right before mentioning what needs improvement. "Your hands are exactly where they need to be. You need to stretch up taller in the saddle, but keep your hands where you have them because they are just right", sounds better to me than, "You're not looking up and your lower leg is loose and you need to hold your fingers tighter on the reins! Will you ever learn to sit back properly...?"
      Consider how we teach animals. Horses and dogs in training would get sour very quickly if they were only corrected for mistakes and never praised for acomplishments. Most animals will do as much or  more to earn praise than to avoid punishment.
     Something my two critique buddies do very well - that I am SO grateful for - is to always comment on things they love about my work. They will point out where and how characterization needs improvement, but praise how good the dialogue is. This encourages me to fix the issue with my characters AND encourages me to keep writing effective dialogue. 
     We need to always keep this in mind when critiquing others work.  Hearing nothing but criticism, however neccessary or gently delivered, is disheartening to anyone. Make sure others know where their strengths are so they keep them strong.
     Writers need this. We are very anxious about having our work shared with others only to have the flaws made clear to us.  Knowing we can expect praise as well lessens the sting.
     In most things, letting people (and animals) know what they are doing right is as important as telling them what needs to be done better.

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What Character Names Tell Us. Or Don't.

At a recent creative writing meeting, our group did an exercise in choosing character names using a dictionary and thesaurus. We were given a brief description of a setting, as well as personalities and professions of various characters. The idea was to use words that were not proper nouns to fit different characters.
     A person's given name doesn't neccessarily tell anything about their personality, but it can offer some hints. If someone named Walter chooses to use his childhood nickname, "Pee Wee", or prefers others to call him "Bear", that indicates something about him.  If a man named Robert Covington Smith wants to be called Covington, but is called Bobby by all his friends and family, that says something about  his self-image and how he is seen by others. A girl whose family has always called her Princess might have always been treated like one, and that may have affected who she is as an adult. Or not.
     Names can indirectly give information, particularly about characters' families and upbringing. Families that favor ethinic or tradtional names may  have a different world view and values than a family that favors names from ancient myths or classic literature.
     A daughter being given a grandmother's maiden name shows strong roots in the culture of the Old South.   A biblical name might mean the person was raised by highly religous people.  A child could be named after a famous person that the parents respected, illuminating values and traits the parents consider important. Or not.
     A name might be chosen simply because it was great uncle Fester's name, or because parents thought it sounded pretty or dignified. Even this shows something about the character's environment and the influence it might have had.
     While a writer can use names to offer background information about characters, it may seem contrived for a  saintly character to be named Serenity or Patience, or the town's biggest flirt to have the name Chastity. Or not.

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