WRITERS INK

Costa Blanca News’ weekly feature supporting local writers, in conjunction with Writers' Ink

WELCOME to our Writers’ Ink group’s weekly words. We provide news, views, tips and examples of writing by authors and poets, local and beyond.

Founded in 2010 by WordPlay, our purpose is to encourage writers to write and get them published and read. Keep writing!

Warm greetings,

This and that…

The things people say:

“It isn’t pollution that’s harming the environment; it’s the impurities in our air and water that are doing it.” Al Gore, Vice President US.

“Your food stamps will be stopped effective March 22 because we received notice that you passed away. May God bless you. You may apply if there is any change in your circumstances!?” Charity office.

“We don’t discriminate; we simply exclude a certain type of people.” A Rote instructor.

How to write good

Avoid alliteration always.

Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.

Be more or less specific. Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.

People and persons’ are ‘who’, ‘things’ are ‘that.’

Anyone familiar with the internet, who writes, will know how often ’Advice’ pops up in one form or another. If you are prepared to pay for such advice, all well and good and there are some excellent courses on offer too at a reasonable price. There are also myriads of books on the subject of writing and, of course, actual ’schools’. Workshops and modest groups like ours: Writers’ Ink, eager and willing to assist. Sadly, due to the virus, our actual meetings have been curtailed and we look forward to our regular get-togethers again soon.

Meanwhile, it is so easy to just sit down and write. Don’t, if you are unfamiliar with writing, worry about what you write, or even how you write, for the pleasure will come when you start editing and making your bare, basic piece of prose into something beautiful! Don’t believe it? Just try. Pace yourself, don’t rush, and be aware constantly of the words you are dealing with. Treat them with care. To a careful, clever writer, words can be gold!

As has been mentioned many times, opening sentences or paragraphs can be so important. They can suggest a happening, ease a way, or firmly set a scene, or they can tease and suggest, or create atmosphere.

And who doesn’t like original? Warren Kent started his short story The Fall Guy thus:“I was half way through a pork burrito when it happened…” (Wow! What happened?

Then there’s some simple ‘fill-in’ and then the explanation…)

“We both saw it happen. It was like time stood still out in the street. For a brief second, which seemed like an hour, everything fell silent. Nothing moved. Everything was dead. Like the guy who had just fallen from a fifth floor window opposite.” Bravo!

All for now, folks.

Take good care.

Joy Lennick