USE THIS NEW BLOG COLUMN TO JUMP START YOUR WRITING!

I often find it hard to get going, so I often have to play a game or trick myself into writing.  On Fridays, I’ll post whatever it is that I’m trying out for the week.  Feel free to share your results on the site.  We’d love to see them!

Today’s trick: Steal a myth.
Some of the best stories have been told over and over again.  Shakespeare’s King Lear was the basis for the book A Thousand Acres and is itself a combination of various versions of historical accounts and myths.  If Shakespeare did it, why can’t you? Start by finding a myth.  You can even steal Shakespeare’s sources and check out Plutarch’s Lives or Ovid’s Metamorphoses.  Bullfinch’s Mythology is also a good place to start. Figure out what that story is REALLY about and re-write it, focusing on the part that is important or interesting to you.

Remember, the key is how you tell the story.  That’s what set Shakespeare apart from those people who had already told his stories.  Think to yourself: if I was reading this, what I be interested in.

Happy writing!!