Word Associations and Inspiration

Boosting Creativity with Word Associations by Debbie Roome

There are many ways to prompt inspiration and I’ve found that word associations work well for me. This is particularly true when writing on a given topic.

How does Word Association Work
Word association is a simple principle. Write the key word or topic on a blank page and jot down any words that spring to mind in connection with it. Here is an example of words I associated with the word “free”.

Free
Liberty
Spirit
Land
Long-haired girl
War
Fighting
Jail
New life
Chemicals
Freedom
Radicals
Oxygen

Writing down Word Associations
Although I’ve displayed the example above as one long list, I don’t do this when writing on paper. I tend to fill the whole page and use arrows, speech bubbles and building blocks to join similar thoughts and ideas. It often looks like a unorganized mess when I’m done but it’s amazing what inspiration pops up.

Allow the Ideas to Develop
Once I’ve run out of words and associations, I read through what I’ve jotted down. Sometimes a story will pop straight into my mind; other times I’ll put the paper away and go and do something else and allow my mind to work on the ideas. By the time I return to the list a few hours later, I normally have a couple of thoughts about what to write.

Word associations work well for me and if I’m stuck on a topic, they normally get inspiration flowing again. Next time you’re writing an article, a devotional, a competition entry or a short story on a given theme, give this method a try and see what ideas you come up with.


Debbie Roome works as a freelance writer from her home in New Zealand. Visit her at Debbie Roome or read some of her work at Suite 101 , Take Root and Write and Faithwriters.

Battered Wife

Reviewed by Phee Paradise

Life in Defiance
By Mary DeMuth

I’ve read two of the three books in the Defiance Texas Trilogy. My only regret is that I haven’t read all three. Life in Defiance is the third and it is Ouisie Pepper’s heart wrenching story of abuse. Her husband is controlling, angry and violent. He’s also the pastor of the church. As Ouisie tells her story, the two themes of her life emerge – she loves beauty and she believes she is inadequate. She blames all of her suffering on her inadequacy, but finds occasional release in the beauty of nature.

Ouisie’s story takes place in the months after the murder of Daisy Chance, her teenage son’s best friend. She knows something about the murder, but refuses to tell anyone, even Daisy’s mother who is her best friend. But, although the murder is a dominant story line, this book is about Ouisie. Other characters from previous books are important, but her life is dominated by her husband.

I think this must be one of the best treatments in fiction of this awful violence. I’ve always wondered why a battered woman doesn’t just leave. Ouisie is afraid for her children and doesn’t know how she could provide for them, but she also believes she provokes her husband’s anger, and she remembers when he was loving toward her. She tries to be a better wife so she can save her marriage and give her children a safe and loving home. She receives bad counsel about being a Christian wife that only makes her situation worse. But through it all, she sees evidence of God’s love and He uses unexpected people to guide her.

Defiance is a small town in Texas where all the people are somewhat crazy. This is one of the things about DeMuth’s books that intrigues me. She opens a window into the depths of people who are in extreme pain and then brings some very strange people into their lives. Their healing does not follow the expected pattern, but God is present and His love runs through the books. Even Ouisie, in the depths of her pain, hears His voice.

I highly recommend Life in Defiance, and if you haven’t read Daisy Chain and A Slow Burn, read them too.

Pros: Agonizing and honest story of a battered wife and her victory over suffering. It’s very well told and has fascinating themes, sub-plots and characters.

Cons: This is a very difficult subject and you will find yourself experiencing many complex emotions.

About the book

In a town she personifies, Ouisie Pepper wrestles with her own defiance. Desperate to become the wife and mother her husband Hap demands, Ouisie pours over a simple book about womanhood, constantly falling short, but determined to improve.

Through all that self-improvement, Ouisie carries a terrible secret: she knows who killed Daisy Chance. As her children inch closer to uncovering the killer’s identity and Hap’s rages roar louder and become increasingly violent, Ouisie has to make a decision. Will she protect her children by telling her secret? Or will Hap’s violence silence them all?

Set on the backdrop of Defiance, Texas, Ouisie’s journey typifies the choices we all face—whether to tell the truth about secrets and fight for the truth or bury them forever and live with the violent consequences.

About the author

Author and speaker Mary DeMuth helps people turn their trials to triumph. Her books include Ordinary Mom, Extraordinary God; Building the Christian Family You Never Had; Watching the Tree Limbs; Wishing on Dandelions; Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture and the first two books in the Defiance, Texas Trilogy: Daisy Chain and A Slow Burn.
National media regularly seek Mary’s candid ability to connect with their listeners. Her radio appearances include FamilyLife Today, Moody Midday Connection, Point of View and U.S.A. Radio Network and is frequently featured on Chuck Colson’s BreakPoint. She has published articles in In Touch, HomeLife, Writer’s Digest and The Writer.
Mary lives with her husband Patrick and their three children in Texas.

Learn more about Mary at http://marydemuth.com.

Editing Tip #32: Book Publishing Options (part two)

Kathy Ide’s Editing Tips
© Kathy Ide, 2010

In this column, freelance author, editor, and speaker Kathy Ide shares tips on self-editing your manuscript.

~ Book Publishing Options (part two) ~

Last week I outlined the steps required to get your manuscript commercially published. If that lengthy, difficult process isn’t your cup of tea, there are alternatives. Here’s one of them.


Subsidy Publishing
In the past, writers who couldn’t get their books commercially published paid companies to print their manuscripts. These printers came to be known as “vanity presses.” Because they did little if any screening of manuscripts, much less editing or proofreading, these companies (and the books they printed) garnered a reputation for a severe lack of quality.

In recent years, however, many authors—especially those with speaking platforms or a strong media presence—have realized that printing their own books has some advantages over commercial publishing. In response, legitimate subsidy publishers have helped these authors get their books in print.

There are still a lot of scams out there. But if you’re cautious, you can get your book published in a format that looks just like what a commercial publisher would put out (or at least close) . . . for a fee.

There are pros and cons to subsidy publishing:

Benefits:
1. You make more money per book than with royalties.
2. You have more control over the final manuscript than with a commercial publisher.
3. You don’t have to convince an acquisitions editor and two or three publishing committees to accept your book.
4. You can get the book published in three to six months instead of two or three years.

Disadvantages:
1. You have to bear the up-front costs.
2. You probably won’t get the same level of editing/proofing as with a royalty house.
3. Most magazine editors won’t review subsidy-published books.
4. Few bookstores will stock subsidy-published books.
5. You’re totally responsible for marketing and distribution. (Some subsidy publishers offer these services, but you have to pay for them.)

Some subsidy publishers offer editing and/or proofreading, professional cover design, a few options for interior layouts, and a variety of marketing plans to choose from . . . all for various fees. Others will simply print whatever you send them, and you can design a cover yourself or choose from a standard template.

Some subsidy publishers require that you purchase a minimum number of copies. Many, however, now offer “print-on-demand publishing,” which means the publisher keeps your manuscript in an electronic file, and you can order as few or as many copies as you wish and have them shipped wherever you want.

Books printed by a subsidy publisher become the property of the publishing house. The publisher will purchase for your book an International Standard Book Number. This ISBN and the associated barcode will be printed on the back cover along with the publishing house’s imprint.

Some subsidy publishers allow the author to set the retail price; others will set the price based on page count.

The publisher pays you royalties on books sold (other than books you purchase yourself).

For a flyer with more details on self-publishing, including a list of reputable subsidy publishers, e-mail me.

Next week, I’ll discuss another book-publishing alternative.

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NOTE: It is an infringement of copyright law to reproduce this
publication, in part or in whole, without the express permission of the
author. To request permission, please e-mail Kathy@KathyIde.com.

**********

AUTHOR BIO:
Kathy Ide has written books, articles, play and movie scripts, short stories, devotionals, and curriculum. Her books include Polishing the PUGS and Fiction and Truth. Kathy is a full-time freelance editor, offering a wide range of editorial services for authors and publishers. She also speaks at writers’ conferences across the country. She is the founder and coordinator of The Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network (www.TheChristianPEN.com) and the Christian Editor Network (www.ChristianEditor.com). To find out more, please visit www.KathyIde.com.

Filters

BY SUZANNE WILLIAMS

Lens filters are used to take your image from just "okay" to excellent. There are many types of filters out there for many purposes, but I have four that I use the most: neutral density, split neutral density, polarizing, and infrared.

Filters come in two types - circular or square. I have always used circular filters. However, both achieve excellent results. Do some research to find out which shape will work best for your camera and your style of photography. Be sure before purchasing to consider the size of your lens, and always shop around for the best price and product. New filters are great, but I have found top-of-the-line used filters at my local camera store for a much cheaper price. Also, keep in mind that filters are glass and so they are breakable. You will want some type of padded camera bag to store them in.


NEUTRAL DENSITY

Neutral density filters lower the intensity of the surrounding light. They come in a range of strengths, typically 2x, 4x, or 8x. The higher the strength, the more light it removes. The strength you need depends on what you are using it for. Most commonly, I am trying to slow down running water. For this I use an 8x strength filter.

Notice I said "slow down". Neutral density filters enable you to use a longer shutter speed in bright light. The longer shutter speed allows the movement of your subject to appear blurred, as in the water image above. But always remember that longer shutter speeds require some form of steady support for your camera.


POLARIZING

I wanted to introduce the polarizing filter at this point because I often use it in conjunction with a neutral density filter, especially in photographs with water. Polarizing filters do a number of things. They remove the glare of sunlight. They also magnify colors, especially green tones. They enhance contrast in the sky. They remove reflections from water. (If you want to know how these filters work, Wikipedia has an excellent article.) For this reason I often combine a neutral density filter and a polarizing filter. But remember, the additional weight of a polarizing filter reduces the light even more. This will require an even greater adjustment to your shutter speed.

Part of the greatest effect of a polarizing filter comes from knowing when to use it. When the light is at certain angles in the sky, you will see little if any effect at all. It can be a detriment at these times, so I caution against overuse. Always be sure you truly need one before you use it. Otherwise, a good photograph can be lost.


SPLIT NEUTRAL DENSITY

Split neutral density filters, like neutral density filters, come in a range of strengths. The difference between them is the lower half of a split filter is clear. The advantage of this comes into effect with images where you have a lot of sky. They prevent "white sky syndrome". This happens when the range of light in a photograph, such as the mountain image above, is too great for a camera. If you were to meter for the darker mountains, your sky detail would be lost. If you meter for the sky, your mountains appear too dark. A split neutral density filter counters this. It allows less light into the camera on the upper portion of the image and more at the bottom, thus evening out the light in more difficult scenes.


INFRARED

Truthfully, infrared filters are more for entertainment than anything else. I enjoy using them because the results can be so startling. They work by filtering out all but the infrared light spectrum. They work best in the brightest sunlight, in fact, in scenes where ordinarily you wouldn't take a picture. This, of course, means that you will have really long shutter speeds. A tripod is required. It also means your subject needs to either be still or you will have a blurred effect. In the bald cypress tree picture above, the longer shutter speed had a nice effect on the water of the lake.

Taking infrared photographs alters your visual perception. Green leaves become white, whereas skies and water turn almost black. They work great for capturing the shape of limbs and trees or in architecture images. Depending on your camera, the initial resulting image is a shade of red or pink. I always prefer to convert the photograph to black and white.

These four filters help to compensate for the natural deficiencies all cameras have. They also cause you to learn more because you must think harder about adjustments to aperture, ISO, or shutter speed. In the end, with their use you will find yourself better capturing and greater enhancing your photographs. The viewer in return will more enjoy your results.


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Suzanne Williams Photography
Florida, USA

Suzanne Williams is a native Floridian, wife, and mother, with a penchant for spelling anything, who happens to love photography.

Learning the Rhythm of Writing

The Musical Sounds of Writing
Every writer has their own rhythm that flows through a story like the beat in a song. It is hard to define rhythm is as it is more than good grammar or sentence construction. Here are a few tips on how to listen for rhythm and improve it.

Read a Paragraph out Loud
Take a piece of your writing and read it out loud. Listen to where the emphasis falls and how the sentences fit together. Does it flow easily or does it have a beat? Does it sound like a love song or a politician’s speech? There is room for many different rhythms in writing and it helps to be able to identify them.

Vary Sentence Length
New writers often make the mistake of writing extra long sentences. These can often be improved by trimming words or making them into two sentences. A story that is comprised of similar length sentences will often sound boring as the rhythm is limited. Use short and longer sentences and don’t be afraid of sentence fragments. The grammar checker may object to them but fragments can be an effective writing tool.

Consider the Genre of the Writing
Different genres often work well with certain types of rhythm. Romance lends itself to a light tone that flows easily. Suspense and drama work better with a shorter sharper construction that creates expectancy. Read other writers’ work out loud to see what kind of rhythm they have created and try and imitate it.

Use Punctuation Wisely
Punctuation can add to or detract from rhythm. A carefully placed comma, dash or exclamation mark can add to the cadence of a piece of writing.

Just as a song is appealing because of its rhythm, a style of writing can be popular because of the way it flows and moves the story along. Improved rhythm comes with practice so work on it and note how other writers use it. This can be a daily process when reading a devotion, a newspaper article or a magazine. Find out what rhythm you use naturally and then work on improving it.

Debbie Roome works as a freelance writer from her home in New Zealand. Visit her at Debbie Roome or read some of her work at Suite 101 , Take Root and Write and Faithwriters.