If so, then learning poetry terms will help you identify the techniques you’re using and put a name to them.

Today, I’d like to talk about enjambment. It’s not a term you hear often, and I am going to guess that there are a lot of writers (and poets) out there who have never heard of it. And a few who’ve heard the term but don’t know what it means.

At first glance, enjambment looks like a device that would only be useful in poetry, but I found that it has other applications as well.

Enjambment

In traditional poems, the end of a complete thought or idea usually coincides with the end of a line. But what happens when you break the line in an unexpected place? And how does a poet make decisions about where to place a line break?

As it turns out, this practice is called enjambment. Here’s how Wikipedia defines it:

Enjambment is the breaking of a syntactic unit (a phrase, clause, or sentence) by the end of a line or between two verses. It is to be contrasted with end-stopping, where each linguistic unit corresponds with a single line, and caesura, in which the linguistic unit ends mid-line. The term is directly borrowed from the French enjambement, meaning “straddling” or “bestriding.”

You can identify end-stopping because the lines will have commas, periods, colons, or semicolons (or some other terminal punctuation marks) at their endpoints — or — the lines could have these punctuation marks and would still read the same.

Enjambment, on the other hand, is when you break up your lines in unexpected ways. This is a bit more interesting because it requires putting some thought into where to put the line breaks.

In the following example from Robert Browning’s “My Last Duchess,” the first line is end-stopped and the second line is enjambed:

That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall,
Looking as if she were alive. I call
That piece a wonder, now….

Note how the second and third line are connected by a single action: “I call / That piece a wonder…” By placing “I call” at the end of the second line, the reader is nudged a little more forcefully to the third line. It also inspires some thought, a brief moment in which the reader can consider and question: I call? I call what? What does this poet call? Whom does the poet call? Where is this going? By rousing curiosity, even if for just an instant, the poet lures us onward through the rest of the poem.

Here’s an example of enjambment from Keats’ poem “Endymion.” Note where the lines break off:

A thing of beauty is a joy forever:
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness but still will keep
A bower quiet for us, and asleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.

Note in particular “…will still keep / A bower quiet for us, and asleep…” Here, you can see that enjambment keeps the meaning flowing to the following line while creating an opportunity to rhyme keep and asleep.

Here are some other effects that enjambment can have:

• Cause the reader to feel uncomfortable or anxious (if enjambment is used to evoke urgency or disorder)
• Surprise the reader by taking an unexpected twist (set up expectation on first line, surprise in second line)
• Imbue a poem with a stream-of-consciousness sensibility

Applications

I frequently use enjambment in my own poetry. Doing so (for many years) has made me think about where lines end in other types of writing. In fact, I’ve used enjambment so much that I’m constantly aware of line breaks and their implications. This has come in handy when I’m working on copywriting projects for my clients.

For example, I’ve been hired to write web advertisements. They are usually short — just two lines of text with about five or six words on each line. Applying a technique like enjambment allows me to write an ad that breaks off in just the right place. I’ve also used this technique in creating taglines and other short blurbs, often telling my clients “Be sure to always break this phrase into two lines!”

That’s enjambment. Have you used enjambment in your writing? Just in poetry writing? Have any other poetry terms made their way into your prose? Are there any other poetry terms you’d like to learn more about?

Keep on writing!

What, exactly, is an autobiography?

The Autobiography

The terms for autobiography and memoir are often used interchangeably and with good reason. They are similar in concept. However, an autobiography is generally an account of the writer’s life whereas a memoir has a narrower focus. Memoirs often cover a specific time period or experience, and often emphasize the writer’s inner life (thoughts, ideas, and emotions) whereas an autobiography emphasizes the exterior (experiences).

What’s a Biography?

It’s worthwhile to note that biography (as opposed to an autobiography) is written by someone other than the subject of the book. In short, if you write the story of your own life, it’s an autobiography. If you write the story of someone else’s life, it’s a biography.

How to remember this? Have you seen the Biography Channel? They do biographies – not on themselves, but on others (on famous people, actually).

History of Autobiographies

According to Wikipedia, “The word autobiography was first used by the poet Robert Southey in 1809 in the English periodical Quarterly Review.”

It would take several volumes to cover the entire history of autobiographies, but there are some that stand out as worth noting.

During the Renaissance, a sculptor and goldsmith named Benvenuty Cellini (1500-1571) wrote one of the earliest known autobiographies. It was called Vita (Life).

Vita is particularly notable because it set forth a standard for autobiographies with its opening lines: “No matter what sort he is, everyone who has to his credit what are or really seem great achievements, if he cares for truth and goodness, ought to write the story of his own life in his own hand; but no one should venture on such a splendid undertaking before he is over forty.”

In recent times, that standard has changed drastically. Today, we often see autobiographies that are written by people under forty. We also often see autobiographies the are written by ghostwriters.

The Book of Margery Kempe is the oldest known autobiography written in the English language. It covers Margery’s pilgrimage to the Holy Land and her trip to Rome. Though written in the 15th century, it was not published until 1936.

Creative Nonfiction Becomes a Claim to Fame

As printing became cheaper, autobiographies became more accessible. The cultural phenomenon of fame and celebrity evolved, and eventually it became expected of celebrities to produce autobiographies. This was the rule for all who were in the public eye – writers, performers, politicians.

Eventually, everyone who was anyone was busily pattering away at a typewriter, deeply immersed in the creative nonfiction of self. It was a good way to cash in on one’s fame (an autobiography might render a fortune) and set in motion the vehicle to grow one’s celebrity by bringing it to a wider audience.

Today, autobiographies serve much the same purpose (as do memoirs). They are often used to help build celebrity branding, to generate income, and even to win elections (an autobiography or memoir is almost essential in many political arenas). While some are truly authored by the celebrity in question, many (if not most) are actually written by ghostwriters, who are hired to craft the manuscript.

Versions and Sub-classes

Autobiographies, like many forms, can be further divided into a number of sub-classes. These include the following:

• Diaries (personal, chronological accounts)
• Political Critiques (especially in totalitarian societies)
• Sensationalist (often scandalous, for public consumption) [Note: These are usually written by ghostwriters.]
• Fictional (this is basically a novel written in first person)
• Memoirs may be considered by some to be a sub-class of autobiographies. Though they are both creative nonfiction and have many similarities, they are actually different forms.

Have you read any interesting autobiographies? Do you dabble in creative nonfiction? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment.

This time of year inspires a lot of love stories and romantic poetry as well as seasonal reflections. I like February because it’s often a rainy month, and the sound of rain pattering against the rooftops and windowpanes makes me very happy.

Some folks don’t like the weather that winter brings. No worries! Spring is right around the corner — it starts next month!

With spring on the horizon, I’m eagerly plowing through several big projects. I’ve made good on my goal to write more poetry, although I still need to work on submitting it to print publications. Sometimes I think the internet has made me lazy. After all, I can always publish my own poetry. Do I really need to try and get it published elsewhere?

The answer is yes and no. Indeed, I can publish my own work (and I already have a website primed for just that), but there is a definite validation that comes from someone else (preferably someone reputable) choosing to publish it. I don’t know if I need that kind of validation. I mean, it couldn’t hurt, right? On the other hand, there’s something inherently rebellious about intentionally circumventing the whole process of getting published.

Clearly, I need to spend more time thinking about this. Any thoughts?

This Month at Writing Forward

As I mentioned, I’ve been writing poetry. As a result, there will be a couple of posts this month that deal with poetry writing. We’ll learn some new poetry terms (also known as literary devices for you fiction and nonfiction writers) and we’ll also explore new types of poems. Tanka, perhaps, as it would be a good follow up to the recent post on haiku.

I also want to get back to the basics of inspired writing and journaling. Lately, a few lovely readers have commented on innovative ways to use journals, which has inspired me to get back into my own journal writing.

You can also expect the usual fare: writing tips, creative ideas, and a dose of good grammar.

What are your writing plans for February? Do you have any big projects in development? Is anyone still recovering from NaNoWriMo? Maybe some of you are still recovering from the holidays?

Let’s all stay warm this month, and keep on writing!

Not every word deserves to be capitalized. It’s an honor that must be warranted, and in writing, capitalization is designated only for very special words.

Capitalization of Titles

Keep in mind that there are several contexts in which we can examine capitalization. For example, when writing a title (of a blog post, for example), almost all of the words in the title are capitalized. This is called title case.

Title case is used for titles of books, articles, songs, albums, television shows, magazines, movies… you get the idea.

Capitalization isn’t normally applied to every word in a title. Smaller words, such as a, an, and the are not capitalized. Some writers use a capitalization rule for only those words longer than three letters. Others stretch it to four. There’s no fixed grammar rule for which words are capitalized in a title and you should check your style guide for specific guidelines.

Capitalization of Acronyms and Abbreviations

Acronyms and many abbreviations are capitalized, regardless of whether the words they stand for warrant capital letters.

First Word of a Sentence

As I’m sure you know, the first word in a sentence is always capitalized.

Capitalization of Proper Nouns

In a recent post on parts of speech, I explained what constitutes as a noun. To keep things simple here today, we’ll refer to a noun as a person, place, or thing. You need not worry about the other parts of speech because only nouns are eligible for perennial capitalization.

There are two types of nouns that matter in terms of capitalization: proper nouns and common nouns. Proper nouns are the names of specific people, places, and things. Common nouns are all the other, nonspecific people, places, and things.

When considering whether to capitalize, ask whether the noun in question is specific. This will tell you if it’s a proper noun, which should be capitalized, or a common noun, which remains in all lowercase letters.

Proper Noun Capitalization Example

The word country is not specific. It could be any country. Even if you’re talking about the country in which you live, which is a specific country, the word itself could indicate any number of nations. So keep it lowercase because it’s a common noun.

Conversely, Chile is a very specific country. You can tell because Chile is actually the name of a particular land in which people reside. When you discuss the people of that land, you won’t capitalize the word people. However, if you’re talking about Chileans, you definitely capitalize because Chileans are a very specific people, from a very specific country, Chile.

Hopefully that makes sense. If not, keep reading because I’m about to confuse you even more.

Capitalization of Web and Internet

Have you ever noticed the word Internet capitalized? How about the word Web? The linguistic jury is still out on these newfangled technology terms, but generally speaking, the Internet is one great big and specific place. The Web is just another word for that same place.

Wait — what about websites? Do they get capitalized? Only if you’re referring to the name of an actual site, like Writing Forward. A website can be any number of pages online. Think of it like a city in Chile, which is similar to a website on the Web or Internet.

Capitalization of Web and Internet is not a hard and fast grammar rule. Lots of people write these words in all lowercase letters. Do note, however, that when these terms are used as adjectives (also known as modifiers or descriptive words), they should never be capitalized:

I was accessing the Internet from an internet cafe.

The first occurrence of “Internet” uses capitalization because it refers to the (specific) Internet. But an internet cafe is a type of cafe and in this example, internet is used as an adjective rather than as a proper noun, and is therefore not capitalized.

Again, capitalizing Web and Internet is optional.

Common Capitalization Errors

Folks often think that capitalization should be applied to any word that’s deemed important. Here’s an example:

We sent the Product to the local Market in our last shipment. Have the Sales Force check to see if our Widgets are properly packaged.

It’s not uncommon, especially in business writing, to see nouns that are crucial to a company’s business capitalized. This is absolutely incorrect. Here’s correct capitalization of our example:

We sent the product to the local market in our last shipment. Have the sales force check to see if our widgets are properly packaged.

Now, in a rewrite of the example, some of the words will be again capitalized, but only if they are changed into proper nouns – names or titles of things and people.

We sent the Widgetbusters (TM) to WidgetMart in our last shipment. Have our Sales Manager check to see if our widgets are properly packaged.

What about Capitalization for job titles?

Ah, this one’s tricky. Job titles are only capitalized when used as part of a specific person’s title:

• Have you ever met a president?
• Did you vote for president?
• Do you want to become the president?
• Nice to meet you Mr. President.
• He once saw President Obama in a restaurant.

Again, this has to do with specificity. “The president” or “a president” could be any president, even if in using the phrase, it’s obvious by context who you mean. However “Mr. President” or “President Obama” are absolutely specific individuals and they call for capitalization.

That’s it for Capitalization

Do you have questions? Need clarification on capitalization or good grammar? Do you have your own capitalization capers that need to be addressed or do you have more capitalization rules to add? Leave a comment!

Haiku

Haiku is rooted in a much older form of traditional Japanese poetry called renga. A renga is a collaborative (or linked) poem that is composed by two or more people. The opening verse of a renga is called a hokku (starting verse), and it is made up of three metrical units with a pattern of 5-7-5 syllabic units. The hokku evolved into a standalone poem, which we know today as haiku.

Although haiku appears to be one of the simplest types of poems, it’s actually quite complex. To truly understand haiku, you need to know a little bit about the Japanese language, or more specifically, some key differences between Japanese and English. Also, traditional haiku adhere to a few pretty strict rules regarding form and content.

Before we delve into the structure of these types of poems, let’s look at the history of haiku, get to know the four great masters of the form, and read a couple of traditional haiku poems.

The Four Masters of Haiku

Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902) is partially credited with coining the term haiku. Shiki was a Japanese writer who was dedicated to modernizing poetry and who is considered a revolutionary poet because he popularized two types of poems: haiku and tanka. Shiki is considered one of the four great masters of haiku. Here is one of his haiku:

I eat a persimmon
and a bell starts booming –
Hôryû-ji

Haiku were written long before Shiki popularized the form. Matsuo Bashō (1644-1694) is perhaps the most celebrated haiku writer of all time. He penned the following hokku, known as “Old Pond,” which became famous as a stand-alone poem:

An ancient pond
A frog jumps in
The splash of water

The other two masters of haiku are Yosa Buson (1716-1783) and Kobayashi Issa (1763-1827).

Traditional Haiku Structure

A haiku consists of seventeen moras or phonetic units. In Japanese, these moras were originally called onji (singular: on), which can loosely be translated as “syllable:”

The word onji (音字; “sound symbol”) is sometimes used in referring to Japanese sound units in English although this word is archaic and no longer current in Japanese… One on is counted for a short syllable, an additional one for an elongated vowel, diphthong, or doubled consonant, and one for an “n” at the end of a syllable. Thus, the word “haibun”, though counted as two syllables in English, is counted as four on in Japanese (ha-i-bu-n). -Wikipedia

As mentioned, a haiku is seventeen-syllable verse. Traditionally, a haiku was written on a single line, but modern haiku occupies three lines of 5-7-5 syllables.

Haiku also use a device called kireji (cutting word). This word breaks the haiku into two parts, which are distinctly different but also inherently connected. The kireji is not a concept used in English, so poets writing haiku in English often use punctuation marks instead of kireji, usually a hyphen or ellipses.

The kireji provides structure to the verse and emphasizes imagery used on either side. It may not always be easy to identify the kireji in a haiku, but if you look for a word or punctuation mark that abruptly breaks the train of thought and severs the haiku into two parts, you’ve probably found it.

Another basic element of haiku is the kigo (season word). A true haiku is set in a particular season and is fundamentally concerned with nature. The kigo might be an obvious word like snow (indicating winter) or it could be vague as with a word like leaves.

Contemporary Haiku

There is much debate (and some controversy) over what technically qualifies as a haiku. Some poets merely adhere to the 5-7-5 syllabic and line structure and disregard the kireji and kigo elements. Other poets insist that a poem is not a haiku if it does not meet all of the traditional requirements.

Jack Kerouac (1922-1969) was an American writer, perhaps best known for his novel On the Road. He was also a poet who wrote and popularized Western haiku. Kerouac explained that American and Japanese haiku couldn’t be exactly the same because of the differences in how the two languages are structured. He didn’t believe it was necessary for American haiku to concern themselves with syllables. Nor did he, in his own haiku, always concern himself with kireji or kigo. You can listen to some examples of Kerouac’s haiku by visiting YouTube.

Additionally, many modern poets do not write haiku that exclusively focus on nature. Contemporary haiku explore just about any subject matter you can imagine.

Types of Poems

If you decide to try your hand at haiku, you’ll have to decide just how closely you want to stick with tradition. The most well written haiku are quite lovely and use imagery that is almost tangible. I’ve noticed that many haiku have an element of surprise or use turns of phrase that are clever, reminiscent of puns.

Haiku is one of the most fascinating types of poems in the literary arsenal. It’s incredible that a form so concise and so seemingly simple is actually so complex. Haiku also have a well documented history, and there are plenty of authors to choose from if you decide to explore haiku.

Haiku just might be the poem form for the twenty-first century. Why? Because if you’re using Twitter, you can publish an entire haiku in a single tweet. Use the Twitter search feature or the hashtag to look for “haiku” on Twitter, and you’ll find some great examples of modern haiku. Maybe we should call this haiku 3.0?

Have you every tried writing haiku? Why not try writing one right now? You can post it in the comments. And if you have any favorite haiku books, websites, or resources, please do share! Finally, if there are any other types of poems you’d like to learn about, just say so. And keep on writing!

Sources:

Haiku (Wikipedia)
The Haiku Foundation
Masaoka Shiki: Selected Poems (Google Books):

To join a community of haiku writers and read published haiku, check out The Haiku Society.

It happens to most artists from time to time, this disconnect from the muse. Yet there are creative people who seem to have overcome creative roadblocks — authors who publish one or two novels a year, filmmakers who produce annual blockbusters, and entertainers who are on the top hits list week after week. How do they do it? Have they tapped into a secret, endless stream of inspiration?

How can you tap into that stream?

I always say look to the source. So, when I see successful artists and innovators who are consistently producing creative work, I find myself wanting to learn more about where they get all their great ideas.

The Keepers of Writing Ideas (and Other Ideas, Too)

It makes sense that as a writer, you would look first to other writers to find out what inspires them. So go ahead and do that. Read biographies of your favorite authors and listen to interviews with writers to see where some of the best ideas are hiding (there are excellent writer interviews on podcasts such as The Writing Show and Writers on Writing). Often, if you look hard enough (or listen closely enough), these writers will explain where they get their ideas.

But don’t limit yourself to writers. Inspiration is similar across all of the arts. So check in with folks from other disciplines too. And don’t limit yourself to only those artists whose work you enjoy and appreciate. You might find that a movie director whose films you don’t care for has a creativity technique that would work perfectly for you.

I recently heard a musician talking about inspiration and he said it was like the music came through him rather than to him. He explained that his source is unknown and outside of himself. Other artists will talk about “the zone,” a state of mind in which concentration and focus are absolute and intense. In this zen-like state, creativity can reach an all-time high. In fact, in this state, creativity is the high.

The Idea Zone

How do artists get into the zone? Some meditate, others use rituals, which might include praying, dancing, or even listening to music. There are countless ways to get into the zone. Sometimes, you might find yourself slipping into it by sheer coincidence or by accident.

There does seem to be this space that all creative people share. It’s not a physical place that you can visit, but it’s a place in our minds (though some believe it’s outside of ourselves, and that certainly is plausible).

The point is that by stretching your own boundaries and reaching out to other people who have creative passions, you can find new ways to keep creativity flowing. The writing community is one you should belong to, as a writer, but that doesn’t mean you can’t engage with other types of creative people. Nothing is more valuable than the exchange of ideas and knowledge, and you never know — the next street musician you meet might have a little bit of wisdom that will open doors to a whole new world of writing ideas for you.

Do you ever exchange creative writing ideas with other writers? What about other artists who are not writers? How often do you think about the source of your creativity? Share your thoughts and experiences by leaving a comment.

photo credit: threefingeredlord

One of the most exciting and challenging aspects of being a writer is creating characters. It is an opportunity to step outside of your own reality and take on a completely different persona.

Unless you’re an actor, an undercover agent, or just plain crazy, you don’t get many chances in life to do that.

With fiction writing exercises that focus on character creation, you can start building skills that allow you get under your character’s skin and get inside his head. These types of fiction writing exercises will take you beyond writing character sketches and descriptions and will truly help you understand your characters and all their deep complexities.

Realistic Characters

For characters to truly resonate with readers, they must be vibrant and stir the audience. Readers have to become attached to the characters, feel sympathy, compassion, even love (or hate) them. It’s not easy to fabricate people (or other beings) that don’t really exist, have never existed, and yet make them real. But it can be done.

So how do writers achieve this great feat?

Well, much credence has been given to the old adage write what you know. Base a character on a friend or family member, or yourself. But what fun is that? If you’re an accountant by day, do you really want to play an accountant in your fantasy world too? Probably not. And when you create a character, that’s pretty much what you’re doing, playing a role. You have to get into the character’s mind, live the life, absorb the environment in which the character lives. You have to be your character.

Character Writing Exercises

So, here’s a challenge: write a character you know nothing about. If you grew up in the big city, write as a farm hand. If you grew up on a farm or small town all your life, write about an army brat who was raised living in dozens of towns, going to different schools each year. Are you a stay-at-home, married mom? Write as a single woman making it big in the big apple. If you’re a successful businessman, write as a prison inmate who grew up on the wrong side of the tracks.

The idea is to get outside your comfort zone, and explore a different life than the one you know. Even if this is not the type of character you’d normally create, fiction writing exercises like this one will help you when you have to come up with a secondary character who’s not from the world with which you’re familiar. It will also expand the types of characters you’ll feel comfortable bringing into your stories.

This is not a character sketch. It’s more like a monologue. Write a one-page essay in first person from the perspective of a character you’ve created who is totally outside your realm of experience. Think about your wildest dreams or the most incredible adventure you’d like to have, and be that character. Or, if you’re really brave, try something that intimidates you. If you have a fear of flying, write as an airline pilot. Fear of drowning? Write as a SCUBA diver. Does math make you squirm? Write as a mathematics professor at university.

Fiction Writing Exercises for Fun and Focus

It’s just one page and one character, so this shouldn’t take too long. If it sticks and you get really into it, write several pages, or try doing this exercise with different characters. You might unveil a new side to yourself that you didn’t know about before. You might find it completely uncomfortable and decide to go back to writing what you know, but at least you will have tried something new.

Remember, fiction writing exercises are supposed to be fun, but their purpose is to challenge you to try new things and think in new ways, so be sure to focus on your character and make a conscious effort to get inside the character’s head as you work your way through this exercise.

Feel free to post comments about your character, or post the whole page. Who or what will you become? What shoes are you going to step into when you step out of your own?

Good luck and have a great weekend! Keep on writing!

If you have any fiction writing exercises to share, feel free to post them in the comments.

While whom may sound outdated, it can pose a problem, especially if you’re writing for an erudite audience, or if you are a stickler for using words properly and adhering to the rules of grammar.

In the example above, the second sentence (Who did you send those letters to?) breaches the standards set forth by proper grammar, and it breaks the rule in the ongoing battle of who vs. whom.

Here are the two grammar rules violated by our example sentence:

1. It ends with a preposition
2. Uses who where whom is the correct interrogative pronoun

Interrogative Pronoun! Are You Kidding?

Yeah, I guess it sounds pretty fancy, and no, I’m not kidding. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not one of those grammar sticklers. I do, however, believe that writers who learn the rules can better get away with breaking them. If you are a writer, then it couldn’t possibly hurt to know what an interrogative pronoun is, and how to use it in a sentence, correctly.

Plus, learning about interrogative pronouns will help you know the difference between who vs. whom.

Interrogative Pronoun

Simply put, an interrogative pronoun is a pronoun that is used in a question. You know these words: who, what, where, when, why, and how. Whence and whither are also interrogative pronouns, but I’ll spare you on those. For now.

Who Uses Whom Nowadays?

The word whom seems to have fallen out of favor, although some crotchety old aunt or anal-retentive English teacher might force it into your vocabulary at some point. For all I know, whom could still be used in British English, Canadian English, or Aussie speak. It’s safe to assume that a high profile writing assignment (Ph.D, anyone?) would require you to adhere to strict rules, and to use whom where it would be expected. Also, if you were writing an historical novel, or perhaps a fantasy tale with a medieval flair, you’d want to know such things so your characters would have realistic dialogue.

So, What’s the Difference between Who and Whom?

First I’ll give you the technical answer, then a trick to help you remember which one to use in your own sentence crafting.

Who refers to the subject of a sentence, while whom refers to the object.

Yep, it’s that simple.

Example:

I see you.

In the sentence above, I is the subject and you is the object. I always remember subject as the giver and object as the receiver.

Since who is the proper interrogative pronoun for representing a sentence’s subject, you could say:

Who sees you?
(I do. I see you.)

The object of a sentence is represented with whom, so you would say the following:

I see whom? or Whom do I see?
(I see you.)

Tip for Remember Who vs. Whom

Some months ago, while listening to Grammar Girl (one of my favorite podcasts), I picked up a neat little trick for remembering when to use who vs. whom. Both whom and him are pronouns that end with the letter m. If the sentence can be constructed with him in place of whom, you’re on the right track.

I see whom?

Whom did I see?

I see him.

Grammar sure is fun.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in January, 2008, but has been updated with more information and therefore republished for your reading (and learning) pleasure.

What do you think is more perplexing, the fact that authors continue to use this rule of magic (even though it’s tired and ready to be retired) or the astounding number of unique names that writers come up with for all the characters in these stories?

Dubworthy or Dubless?

I have been known to spend hours pondering names and wondering how a writer managed to choose a name that so perfectly fit a character, especially those characters that are iconic. Holden Caulfield. Harry Potter. Hamlet. Hanibal Lechter. And they don’t all start with the letter H. Ebenezer Scrooge. Mary Poppins. Sherlock Holmes. Gollum. Cinderella. Willy Wonka. The list goes on and on. And it doesn’t stop with literary characters. Remarkable character names can also be found in movies, comic books, and on TV.

Think about the most famous, unforgettable, and compelling characters. They have names that are memorable. Names that resonate with the character’s energy: Bond. James Bond. How do you forget a guy like that?

You don’t.

But here’s a better question. How does a writer come up with a name like that?

The Name is the Game

Let me be blunt. I suck at coming up with names. I can’t begin to tell you how many hours I’ve spent pondering great names and trying to come up with handles for my poor, nameless characters. But names elude me. They do. So, what do I do when my fiction writing antics require me to name a character? Well, if I’m already in the throes of writing, I generally write the characters’ names generically and in all caps:

GIRL is walking down the street and freezes when she spots ANIMAL sitting in the middle of the road as if it were perfectly ordinary for a tiger to be cleaning its paws smack dab in the center of a suburban middle-class neighborhood.

But I can’t avoid naming forever. The story is never finished until everybody is named, and I find that I can’t get very deep into the tale when I’m working with nameless characters. So, I do what any resourceful writer does. I turn to my handy dandy writing resources.

Enter, Internet

The internet is always my first choice for research. I use an online dictionary and thesaurus. When I need a quick fact, I’ve been known to obtain it from Wikipedia (judiciously, of course) and I also use the open-source, online encyclopedia as a starting place to look for more credible research (they often have excellent annotations). And when I need a name, I’ve engaged the power of Google (a search engine that happens to have a fantastic name of its own).

I’ve googled boy names and girl names, exotic names, and androgynous names. I’ve done it in reverse too, and searched for names by their meaning. I’ve gotten lucky a few times and found just the right name for a character I had in mind. I’ve even found a nifty tool that generates a character name, which is awesome if you can use a name like Magaga Dawntracker.

But looking for a name on the web is like looking for a song in your iPod when you can’t remember the title or artist. It takes forever. And you find yourself endlessly perusing, clicking, and nodding your head (or shaking it, as the case may be). I guess the benefit is that all those names you skim through might spark ideas for other characters, but what about the character you’ve already created? The one whose name launched you into this quest in the first place?

It’s not like this was a one-time ordeal. Name searching became a time suck for me. And fiction writing started to feel more like climbing a Mount Everest of names than a writing experience. I went through this ridiculous cycle more times than I care to recall.

And then one day, I was happily browsing through my favorite bookstore, a local and independent bookstore, and this book popped out at me:

A World of Baby Character Names

Okay, so technically, the title of this book is A World of Baby Names. But I’m not naming any babies. Nope. I’m strictly about naming characters.

Even though this was the first name book that I noticed, I checked out several others before buying this one. It had some features I thought might be useful. Turns out I was right. I’ve used this book a lot. A whole lot.

What I like best about it is that the names are separated by country of origin. And there are tons of names in this book that my American self has never heard before. I can look at the Hindu names and the Polish names, and then I can get creative and start combining them.

The names are also sorted by gender. That makes looking for an androgynous name a little challenging, but on the other hand, there’s a nice index, so I can scroll through every single name in a few minutes — a great method for finding a name that pops out at me. I can then navigate to the name page and find out what it means.

Each section also includes a written introduction about names in various cultures, which is pretty cool.

If you suck at names the way I do, then you should seriously consider getting this book or one like it.

A Rose By Any Other Name

As you can imagine, this post contains affiliate links, which means if you click on the baby name book and buy it, I’ll get a kickback, which would be cool. But what would be cooler would be for you to tell me how you come up with character names. Do you have a name book? Is there a website you use? Do you have a knack for names using nothing more than your own brilliant imagination? And what are some of your all time favorite character names? And finally (here’s a question for the most creative souls out there), can you think of any other good uses for a baby name book, other than naming babies and fictional characters?

You can do just about anything in a poem. That’s why poetry is so wild; there are no rules. Poets have complete liberty to build something out of nothing simply by stringing words together.

All of this makes poetry writing alluring to writers who are burning with creativity. A poet’s process is magical and mesmerizing. But all that freedom and creativity can be a little overwhelming. If you can travel in any direction, which way should you go? Where are the guideposts?

The truth is that there are no real guideposts, but there are ideas that a poet can follow, and they might lead to poetry writing breakthroughs. Below, you’ll find thirty-six tips for traveling through the realms of word craft. See which ones appeal to you, give them a whirl, and they will lead you on a fantastic journey.

36 Poetry Writing Tips

1. Read lots of poetry.
2. Write poetry as often as you can.
3. Designate a special notebook (or space in your notebook) for poetry writing.
4. Try writing in form (sonnets, haiku, etc.).
5. Use imagery.
6. Embrace metaphors but stay away from cliches.
7. Sign up for a poetry writing workshop.
8. Expand your vocabulary.
9. Read poems over and over (and aloud). Consider them, analyze them.
10. Join a poetry forum online.
11. Study musicality in writing (rhythm and meter).
12. Use poetry prompts when you’re stuck.
13. Be funny. Make a funny poem.
14. Notice what makes others’ poetry memorable. Capture it, mix it up, and make it your own.
15. Try poetry writing exercises when you’ve got writer’s block.
16. Study biographies of famous (or not-so-famous) poets.
17. Memorize a poem (or two, or three, or more).
18. Revise and rewrite your poems to make them stronger and more compelling.
19. Have fun with puns.
20. Don’t be afraid to write a bad poem. You can write a better one later.
21. Find unusual subject matter — a teapot, a shelf, a wall.
22. Use language that people can understand.
23. Meditate before writing poetry to clear your mind and gain focus.
24. Keep a notebook with you at all times so you can write whenever (and wherever) inspiration strikes.
25. Submit your poetry to literary magazines and journals.
26. When you submit work, accept rejection and try again and again. You can do it and you will.
27. Get a website or blog and publish your own poetry.
28. Connect with other poets to share and discuss the craft that is poetry writing.
29. Attend a poetry reading or slam poetry event.
30. Subscribe to a poetry podcast and listen to poetry.
31. Support poets and poetry by buying books and magazines that feature poetry.
32. Write with honesty. Don’t back away from your thoughts or feelings. Express them!
33. Don’t be afraid to experiment. Mix art and music with your poetry. Publish it.
34. Eliminate all unnecessary words, phrases, and lines. Make every word count.
35. Write a poem every single day.
36. Read a poem every single day.

Have you written a poem lately?

I believe that poetry is the most exquisite form of writing. And anyone can write a poem if only they want to. In today’s world of fast, moving images, poetry has lost much of its appeal to the masses. But there are those of us who feed on language and who still appreciate a poem and its power to move us emotionally. It’s our job to keep great poetry writing alive. And it’s our job to keep writing poetry.

Now, we can all put 2009 behind us and look forward to 2010. According to science fiction literature, this is the year we make contact. But contact with whom?

Every new year, predictions and premonitions abound. This year is no exception, especially since in addition to starting a new year, we’re also entering a new decade. One trend I’ve seen predicted is, in fact, contact: real-world contact and community-building. Will we put more space between ourselves and the Internet to engage in more offline interactions both professionally and personally? Will we focus less on me or I and focus more on we and us?

I certainly don’t think it would hurt.

This Year at Writing Forward

Everyone’s making resolutions and setting new annual goals. I’m still working on goals I set this past fall. It’s tempting to get caught up in the resolution-making, but I find that if I set goals at more natural intervals rather than the ones dictated by the calendar, I have a much better chance at actually reaching them. Resolutions always seem to fade away by February or March, so, I have decided to forgo them altogether this year.

Last year at this time, Writing Forward’s editorial calendar for 2009 was complete. It was flexible, and I managed to stick with it for the most part. The cycle continues into 2010 with a mix of articles about creative writing. There will be more tips, ideas, and resources for writers that deal both with creativity and with skill-building.

Last year was heavy on fiction writing and light on poetry, so I’m going to flip that and work on articles for poets and poetry lovers. Finally, there will be more writing exercises and prompts, which were a big hit this year. They didn’t get a lot of comments but people were sure clicking all over those posts!

If you have any requests or suggestions for topics at Writing Forward, feel free to share your ideas by leaving a comment or sending me a message. I welcome all of your feedback, so don’t be shy!

News Update: mifiction Contest Winners Announced

In November, mifiction announced their Interactive Fiction Competition. Did you enter? If so, you should know that the winners have been announced:

Surrey, UK, December 15, 2009: The winners of mifiction’s competition to find new and talented writers of interactive fiction have been announced. The first prize of £300 was awarded to William Dunn of Barcelona, with a Victorian Vampire story entitled Dead Flowers. Chosen because of its tight plot and gripping story line, judges thought Dead Flowers was well written and full of intrigue.

Who won second and third places? For a full list of winners visit www.mifiction.co.uk.

What Will You Write in 2010?

I’d love to hear from all of you about your hopes and expectations for 2010. Will you write a novel? A memoir? Submit short stories or poems to literary journals? Start a blog? And what’s on your reading list for this year?

Finally, Happy New Year!

I hope you all have a wonderful, healthy, happy, and prosperous year. Keep on writing all through 2010!

On the world stage, it’s been a whirlwind year. Is it just me or does it seem like there was an inordinate amount of bad news in 2009? My hopes for 2010 include more positivity, more good news, and more peace, love, and understanding.

And more reading and writing!

I love change and fresh beginnings. Even though I think New Year’s is an arbitrary occasion (we humans created it), it’s good to mark time, take a step back, and examine one’s life and ask Where have I been? Where am I going?

They say that to know where you’re going, you have to know where you’ve been. Before I think about what 2010 has in store for Writing Forward, I’d like to take a look at the milestones of the past year and share with you some of the best articles that were featured here throughout 2009.

Milestones

Milestones are a great way to mark our accomplishments. The best ones come unexpectedly, like when I found out that Writing Forward had been named one of the “101 Best Websites for Writers” by Writer’s Digest. My hope is that the site will receive the same honor in 2010.

Another milestone for the site was crossing both its two-year anniversary and the 200-post mark. September marked the beginning of Writing Forward’s third year of publication and sometime in November, the 200th post was published.

Top 10 Posts

Here is a mix of my favorite posts from the past year along with those that have been most popular.

1. It turns out the entire writing exercises section has been one of the most visited links on the entire site over the past twelve months.
2. 25 Creative Writing Prompts (from October) got lots of visits, beating out most posts from the past year that had been up for much longer.
3. In keeping with writing exercises and activities and moving into fiction writing, Getting Into Character was a big hit. I guess people like to play-act while they write fiction!
4. Fiction Writing: The Elements of Plot was also well-read by fiction writers, who also got a kick out of…
5. …Five Ways to Break Through a Fiction Writing Block
6. For grammar geeks and words nerds, Homophones: Two, Too, and To got into the nitty gritty of how to spell words that sound the same.
7. I was happy to see that one of my personal favorites, How Poetry Writing Improves All Other Writing made this list! I’m a believer in poetry as a way to increase creativity and improve your writing skills.
8. 18 Do-It-Yourself Proofreading Tips made a splash with readers. The post got a lot of comments, and I received several complimentary emails, thanking me for the useful tips the article provided.
9. Writers are always looking for more sources of inspiration, so it’s no surprise that 12 Places to Find Awesome Writing Ideas and…
10. Where to Get the Best Creative Writing Ideas both made the list.

Did I miss any? If there was a post from the past year that you loved, please feel free to leave a comment and share a link. And it doesn’t have to be from Writing Forward. Please leave a link to any of your favorite articles on the web from the past year, as long as they’re writing-related.

Finally, I want to thank everyone who has read, commented, and subscribed to Writing Forward in the past year. You guys have been great and I appreciate your support and readership.

Happy New Year!

I hope you all have a happy, prosperous, and productive 2010. Keep on writing!