Writing Craft Archives - Words For Writers

Let’s Get Crafty!

We often hear “Show rather than tell.” But sometimes, showing becomes a distraction for the reader as they attempt to picture something as they read. This is especially true when attempting to show common physical actions. For example:

Showing: The corners of her mouth lifted revealing her teeth as the skin around her eyes crinkled.

Telling: She smiled.

Telling for the win!

Your turn. Leave your best (or silliest) example of when telling is better than showing. One lucky writer will win the badge of honor, the Words for Writers I’m Crafty sticker!

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Do You Have Your Novel Map?

In All Circumstances

by Ginny L. Yttrup | October 30, 2022 | Desire, Discouragement, Thanksgiving | 18 Comments

Do you sometimes wish for things you don’t possess? Do you long for gifts you haven’t received? Each morning, I set out from my house in search of unobstructed views. I walk, hoping to find vistas where beauty beckons. Where the breeze whispers reminders. Of purpose...

Five Lessons from the Road to Publication

by Ginny L. Yttrup | September 30, 2022 | Publication, Rejection, Surrender | 9 Comments

I pulled into the cabin’s driveway, put my car in park, and turned off the ignition. I stared into the inky night. The giant redwoods that surrounded the cabin, boughs stretched wide, offered strength and steadfastness in the light of day. But at night, they loomed. ...

Rest + Community

by Ginny L. Yttrup | September 4, 2022 | Community, Creativity | 4 Comments

Last week marked the end of a very long, busy summer of packing up my house and moving. Finally mostly settled, I put my to-do list aside and hopped in my car for a 45-minute drive across town to meet two other busy writers for lunch. A long lunch. A lunch that...

When the Words Refuse to Cooperate

by Ginny L. Yttrup | July 30, 2022 | Surrender, Writer's Block | 5 Comments

I’ve just closed a Word doc, a summary I was attempting to write for a client who hired me to edit his manuscript—to offer my insights, to guide with suggested changes, to teach by crafting examples. But as I participated in the familiar write-and-delete dance,...

Our Hope

by Ginny L. Yttrup | June 1, 2022 | Discouragement, Hope | 8 Comments

Division, war, plagues, famine, death. Disregard for human life. A people who’ve turned their faces from God. This is the suffering recounted in the Old Testament. Job, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah… Their written words were a path for their pain. Their laments a cry to...

The Plague of Perfectionism

by Ginny L. Yttrup | March 31, 2022 | Coaching 101, Perfectionism | 1 Comment

Several Tuesday mornings ago, following a restless night, I woke late to face an overfull day. I got up, poured my cup of coffee, then climbed back into bed and reached for my phone with the intent of opening my Bible app. But instead, I opened my email app....

Produce. Perform. Perfect.

by Ginny L. Yttrup | March 5, 2022 | Perfectionism, Surrender | 26 Comments

There is no need to produce or perform or perfect—simply become a place for God. Ann Voskamp, The Greatest Gift Produce. Perform. Perfect. Produce your daily word count. Craft your message. Plot your novel. Create content: blog posts, podcast episodes, newsletters,...

Another Mindset that Keeps Writers Stuck

by Ginny L. Yttrup | June 30, 2020 | Discouragement, Motivation | 14 Comments

Don’t you hate it when a sentence slips out of your mouth before you’ve run it through the wisdom filter? I hate it when that happens. And it happened not long ago. I'll set the scene for you: A writers’ conference. A panel of esteemed agents. And a comment from one...

The Comparison Crash

by Ginny L. Yttrup | May 7, 2020 | Comparison, Discouragement, Surrender | 24 Comments

In January 2010, I sold my first book to a publisher. Since then, I’ve written six additional full-length novels, and I’ve built a business. But over the last decade I also endured a MAJOR back surgery, seven additional surgeries, the breakup of my 29-year marriage,...

How Will You Use Your Writers Voice?

by Ginny L. Yttrup | March 16, 2020 | Coaching 101, Motivation | 1 Comment

Dear Writer, How will you use your writer’s voice during this unprecedented time of global concern? Perhaps, like me, you’ve hesitated to add to the conversation—the din of information is nearly deafening. In fact, the MIT Review declared an “infodemic” at the...