Robert Liparulo, an inspiration for writers at the GLVWG Write Stuff™ Conference

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Bestselling Author, GLVWG, GLVWG "Write Stuff", Robert Liparulo, Writing, Writing Advice, Writing Inspiration

By DT Krippene

 

At the recent GLVWG Write Stuff™ Conference, I had the pleasure of attending Robert Liparulo’s seminars. What made his presentation so rewarding, was how approachable he was. His light-hearted, easy-going style was infectious, with ample inspiration from his journey as an author.

We spent Thursday, April 7, with how to take a story from Mind to Manuscript – The Making of Your Masterpiece. Robert borrowed on his own experience in writing his first novel, “Comes a Horseman”, which took him years to perfect before he felt confident to publish. After hitting the bestseller lists, he knocked out one story after another, no longer questioning his ability to write. He went on to publish a bestselling YA series, Dreamhouse Kings, as well as other thriller novels.

He reminded us that writing is an art, and like any artistic venture, it’s subjective. Robert admits to being a maverick in the industry, in that he rarely does extensive rewrites of his books. He said the author’s voice is how a good story is told, and extensive editing can kill that voice if an author isn’t careful. Same applies for the use of critique groups, and finds them potentially dangerous to a budding author when too many “opinions” muck up the voice. Finding a good critique partner is like gold, valuable yet hard to find. Stories are all about the character, but he was quick to point out that too much detail on the character can suppress a reader’s natural inclination to imagine what the character looks like. He demonstrated this with a review of his book covers, where you never see the character’s face.

Searching for Light

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Holiday Spirit, Human Spirit, Josh Groban, Light in the Darkness, Thankful, Writing Inspiration

From: Erhlif – Depositphotos.com

DT Krippene offers a holiday message with his favorite subject, searching for light in the darkness, and how it seeps into the stories we write. He likes to collect images on a Pinterest page of foreboding dark and light’s heartening beacon to inspire story scenes. Then sit back and listen to Josh Groban’s holiday song, “Thankful”.

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As a writer, I have always been fascinated with how light and dark invade each other’s boundaries. We equate light with warm, dark with cold.  Storm clouds brashly veil the sun with physical violence that can tear apart whole cities.  Heavily shadowed forest trails make us think twice if we should enter. Specters and ghosts do their evil in the dark, feeding a fear we cannot see. Darkness blinds us. Darkness scares us. Darkness hides that which goes bump in the night. It is why our stories give darkness the black hat, so the hero in white can save us.

It’s kind of what many of us do here at the Greater Lehigh Writer’s Group. We write about the light of human existence in a world that is often mired in chaotic darkness.  It could be characters who search for each other against extreme odds; enlightening prose in a sonnet; a biography that offers the light of wisdom gleaned from life’s lessons, or humor to make you smile (smiling BTW, is one of the best forms of human light). It’s that contrast of light and dark that feeds so much of what we write.

Where Do You Find Inspiration

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Battling Writer's Block, Brainstorming Stories, Creative Writing, Dianna Sinovic, Stimulating the Muse, Writing, Writing Inspiration

Dianna Sinovic, former President of the Greater Lehigh Valley Writer’s Group, offers her unique perspective on finding inspiration for stories.

From: Sergey Nivens – DepositPhotos.com

The scariest moment is always just before you start. – Stephen King

Even if you don’t write horror, you most likely can relate to King’s sentiment. Your fingers are poised over the keyboard, ready to write that first sentence – as the minutes tick by. Or you’ve put off starting that story one more day because the blank screen stares back at you, waiting, like one of King’s monsters, giving you pause.

Take a step back even farther in the writing process. What serves as your inspiration? Do you wait for inspiration to arrive? Or do you plunge into a project, not know where you are going, but trusting that the story will bubble up as you proceed?