Dragons are bad. Guys in black are the enemy. Kids that are chewing bubble gum are rude. Being out in the moonlight is romantic. People with glasses are smart and read a lot. These are clichés, something that has been used so much to represent or convey something that virtually everyone knows it.


Most people think clichés are a bad thing. The prevailing advice among authors today is to avoid clichés at just about any cost. No one picks up a book to read the same old things that they have always read, do they? We as authors need to be creative, change things around, and never use clichés. I disagree with this, at least in part. Please, allow me to explain.


In today’s culture there is a lot of blurring of the lines between good and bad. Things that always represent evil such as dragons, witches, men in black, and the like are being made out to be our helpers, friends, and the good guys. Things that have always represented “good” are made out to be stupid, boring, and the bad guys. Sometimes clichés define right from wrong, good from evil, and those clichés should not be messed with often.


Clichés are not always a good thing. I know that, but if we don’t want to use them, we have to be careful. I cannot tell the number of books I have had to put down because the author was so interested in breaking clichés that they became dangers. They were so intent on making their story new and different that they put their characters in moral dilemmas where there was no right thing left to do.


Now with that said, we have to be careful how much we use clichés. What we do want are books and stories to be unique and different so that people will read them. No one wants to read the same story just in different settings. We as readers want something new, something exciting, something to captivate us and carry us off to some far and different place.


What do you think about clichés? I haven’t exhausted the subject by any means, so what is something important that I missed?


Would you like to write for Writing Saturday? Just send our submissions to me at thedestinyofone@yahoo.com and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

By:Jessica

From...http://younghomemakers.blogspot.com/ http://jessica-literarypursuits.blogspot.com/ and http://meditationsofhislove.blogspot.com/

I have a list printed out for me which my wonderful mother found on the internet and gave to me a few years back. It is a list of Writing Warm-Ups. Although I rarely use it before I begin to write, a lot of people find writing warm-ups very helpful.

It's kind of hard to explain exactly what a writing warm-up is. It's like warming up your voice before singing, or warming up before you play the piano by doing your scales and such. Or when you stretch before you go jogging. It gets you to warm-up your brain before you write.

Most people do writing warm-ups before writing. This is good for what I wrote above... getting your mind active before you sit down to write. It helps you to think about things. Some are warm-ups like *describing what a knight from old would buy in a modern day supermarket. Or writing a short news article about a pair of pink fuzzy socks that have gone missing*. It could be absolute nonsense! It doesn't matter. It just gets you writing and using your brain in a way that will help you when you write.

* I came up with these myself spur of the moment just as I was writing this. You can do them if you want and your can modify them to be whatever you want. Like changing the supermarket one to a man in a mascott chicken suit instead of a knight! LOL!

For me, I tend to use writing warm-ups on days when I either don't feel much like writing, or when I am in a creative dry spell. There is no rule as to when or what you have to do as a writing warm up. It is there simply to get those creative juices flowing. Do whatever works best for you.

Here are some writing warm-ups off my sheet and some that I made up myself. You don't have to stick only to the ones I list below. In fact, try to come up with some of your own. You can even do some writing warm-ups with another person.

Writing warm-ups are there, just for the fun of it. So let your imagination go wild!

1. The two minute drill- Write as many words as you can relating to a certain category such as flavors of ice cream, colors, states, presidents, restaurants, etc. (do this one with a friend and see who can think of more in the span of two minutes)

2. Unrelated words- Write two unrelated words down on a piece of paper and then write a few sentences using these words. example: Turkey and basketball. (weird, huh!) ( you can also do this with another person. Write down the words and then switch and write sentences for the words the other person came up with.)

3. Write a silly want add for a pretend newspaper- "Boy to trace gasoline lines with lighted candle. Must be willing to travel" (I didn't come up with this one, it was on the paper)

4. Write a silly home remedy for... Baldness, a common cold, etc.

5. Find and cut out a headline from a newspaper- write your own article using the headline you cut out.

6. Write a sentence that has at least four t's- or any other letter!

7. Write a tongue twister

8. Make up a news headline and then write an article for it.

( This one is really fun with other people. I have done it with my two younger brothers and we had a blast. We each wrote a headline and then handed it off to the person next to us. Then we wrote an article for the headline we had received. My younger brother came up with this hilarious one... "Nuclear Fallout in a Closet!" At the time, I didn't really know what nuclear fallout was [but my younger brother did. LOL!] It was really funny because I made up a whole story about what I guessed it was! We cracked up laughing!)

9. Describe something in nature. Go into details by using the senses. Smell, taste, touch...etc.

example. A waterfall. write about the noise it makes, how it makes you feel, what it reminds you of...etc.

10. Pick a letter in the alphabet and write as many words as you can think of that start with that letter. (I do this all the time when I am practicing my handwriting- something I do to slow myself down and relax. Not to mention it gets my creative juices flowing because it helps me with my writing and also helps me with my handwriting.)

So there you have it! Some ideas to get you started. You could probably look up "Writing Warm-Ups" on the internet and find a bunch of different lists and ideas.

Hope this helps both with your writing and creativity!

Happy Writing,

Jessica

Do you have a great idea for a writing Saturday post? Send it to me!

Today is my last post. It’s been fun bloging for Sarah.
Thank you all so much for the comments and encouragement. You made posting a blast.
May God bless you all.
I now turn the blog back over to you Sarah.
Learning to live in His love,
Rose

By Rose H.

When I graduated from high school, I knew that God had called me to work with some kind of ministries. The first ministry that God brought my way was a ministry called the Linus Connection. They give homemade blankets to kids in troubled situations.
Through them I became aware of the need for preemie baby items. I began to crochet preemie gowns and little dresses. Then I began to research on how to donate them.
I found out that there are a lot of ministries and that need preemie items. I also found ministries that need everything from baby items, to hats, to granny squares, to blankets. I started compiling a list of these for my personal reference.
I also came up with an idea to start a website to put out the word about ministries that distribute homemade items. I would only post links to ministries that I know are still working (so that hopefully you girls won’t have to sort through all of it on your own). I thought about calling it Homemade Ministry
Now I’d like you thoughts. Do you think that this would be helpful? Or do you think that it wouldn’t make a difference?
Please I would love some feedback.

This week in addition to filling in for Sarah at her blog post, I have been taking over teaching my two younger sisters for Sarah.

Ever since Sarah was about 13 she has been teaching something in our house. She started out with a medieval study. She not only taught us about the kings and knights, she had crafts that would go along with it.

She was so mature for her age that we would tease her that at the mature age of four she renounced all childish things and began to be reading Ivanhoe.

When I was younger I thought Sarah was perfect. She had everything a girl could want. She was beautiful, she could teach with grace, she played piano, and she always knew what to say and how to say it. I tried to copy everything she did and said. I held her in high honor.

Then there was me, Rose. I was clumsy, and wasn’t very pretty, and I had trouble speaking in normal situations (I seemed to always say the wrong thing).

When I was younger I was always comparing myself to Sarah, therefore I always came up as short, less than her, and not as good.
But as I got older, I realized that I couldn’t be like Sarah. I couldn’t possibly be who Sarah is. I was hard for me to realize this, but it finally sunk in.

Then a hard question came to mind: Who is Rose? I had been trying to be like Sarah for so long I didn’t know who I was.

Then bit by bit God showed me who Rose was. I found out I liked to crochet, bake, cross stitch, sing, and write poems and short stories. I found out who I was.

But over the years I’ve wondered at some things. I wondered if I could ever learn to speak like Sarah does. I wondered if I could watch the kids and keep order like Sarah does. I wondered if I could ever teach like Sarah does.

This week I was able to test out my skills. With Dad away at work and Mom and Sarah, working elections, I’ve been in charge of the kids and school.

I’ve learned three things this week.

1 I can be very uptight and controlling when I think I have to be.

2 I need to relax and love my family, even when I feel like I need to be controlling.

3 I love teaching. I’ve been learning so much by teaching my younger sisters. It’s so fun to help them learn.

I’ve learned that I can’t be Sarah, but I’m learning even more who Rose is. That is the best discovery I’ve made this week.

The brush, the pin, and the needle.
All these can be used to tell a story.
One can paint a masterpiece to be admired,
One can write a tale that holds readers in awe,
Or stitch thread to make a picture.
On their own these things can do nothing,
But when they are surrendered to the hands of the Master,
They can be used to make beautiful things.
So it is with us.
We can never write a story like God can,
We can never paint a picture like He can,
We can never guide the thread as masterfully as God can.
But if we surrender ourselves to the Master,
He will do wonders with us.
Just relax.

Learning To Relax,
Rose

    Hello everyone. This is Rose H, sister of Sarah H. I’m pleased to announce that after much decoding and hard work I have…No, I’m kidding.
    Sarah is working elections and will be unable to post for the next two weeks. In her absence, she gave me permission to post on her blog.
    I’m actually looking forward to it, since I don’t have a blog of my own.
    Have a great day and talk to you all tomorrow.

By:Jessica
From...http://younghomemakers.blogspot.com/

I have a list printed out for me which my wonderful mother found on the internet and gave to me a few years back. It is a list of Writing Warm-Ups. Although I rarely use it before I begin to write, a lot of people find writing warm-ups very helpful.

It's kind of hard to explain exactly what a writing warm-up is. It's like warming up your voice before singing, or warming up before you play the piano by doing your scales and such. Or when you stretch before you go jogging. It gets you to warm-up your brain before you write.

Most people do writing warm-ups before writing. This is good for what I wrote above... getting your mind active before you sit down to write. It helps you to think about things. Some are warm-ups like *describing what a knight from old would buy in a modern day supermarket. Or writing a short news article about a pair of pink fuzzy socks that have gone missing*. It could be absolute nonsense! It doesn't matter. It just gets you writing and using your brain in a way that will help you when you write.
* I came up with these myself spur of the moment just as I was writing this. You can do them if you want and your can modify them to be whatever you want. Like changing the supermarket one to a man in a mascott chicken suit instead of a knight! LOL!

For me, I tend to use writing warm-ups on days when I either don't feel much like writing, or when I am in a creative dry spell. There is no rule as to when or what you have to do as a writing warm up. It is there simply to get those creative juices flowing. Do whatever works best for you.


Here are some writing warm-ups off my sheet and some that I made up myself. You don't have to stick only to the ones I list below. In fact, try to come up with some of your own. You can even do some writing warm-ups with another person.

Writing warm-ups are there, just for the fun of it. So let your imagination go wild!

1. The two minute drill- Write as many words as you can relating to a certain category such as flavors of ice cream, colors, states, presidents, restaurants, etc. (do this one with a friend and see who can think of more in the span of two minutes)

2. Unrelated words- Write two unrelated words down on a piece of paper and then write a few sentences using these words. example: Turkey and basketball. (weird, huh!) ( you can also do this with another person. Write down the words and then switch and write sentences for the words the other person came up with.)

3. Write a silly want add for a pretend newspaper- "Boy to trace gasoline lines with lighted candle. Must be willing to travel" (I didn't come up with this one, it was on the paper)

4. Write a silly home remedy for... Baldness, a common cold, etc.

5. Find and cut out a headline from a newspaper- write your own article using the headline you cut out.

6. Write a sentence that has at least four t's- or any other letter!

7. Write a tongue twister

8. Make up a news headline and then write an article for it.
( This one is really fun with other people. I have done it with my two younger brothers and we had a blast. We each wrote a headline and then handed it off to the person next to us. Then we wrote an article for the headline we had received. My younger brother came up with this hilarious one... "Nuclear Fallout in a Closet!" At the time, I didn't really know what nuclear fallout was [but my younger brother did. LOL!] It was really funny because I made up a whole story about what I guessed it was! We cracked up laughing!)

9. Describe something in nature. Go into details by using the senses. Smell, taste, touch...etc.
example. A waterfall. write about the noise it makes, how it makes you feel, what it reminds you of...etc.

10. Pick a letter in the alphabet and write as many words as you can think of that start with that letter. (I do this all the time when I am practicing my handwriting- something I do to slow myself down and relax. Not to mention it gets my creative juices flowing because it helps me with my writing and also helps me with my handwriting.)

So there you have it! Some ideas to get you started. You could probably look up "Writing Warm-Ups" on the internet and find a bunch of different lists and ideas.

Hope this helps both with your writing and creativity!

Happy Writing,
Jessica

Hello Y'all!
My name is Jessica from over at Younghomemakers.blogspot.com.
This is my first article for the "Writing Saturday" which Sarah is holding. I am starting off with the subject of story leads. For those of you who are unfamiliar with these, I'll tell you what they are.
A lead is the first sentence of a book, article, essay, etc. which has the main purpose of grabbing the readers attention right off the bat and making them want to keep reading to find out what happens next.

Here are some examples of leads...
1. The question- "What is going on over there?"
2. The statement- Katy is very sad.
3. The exclamation- "Oh No!"
4. The problem- Amanda's foot was caught between two beams.
5. Use a quote- '"Do you believe?" He cried."' (this was taken from the book "Peter Pan" by:James M. Barry)
6. Show Action- Thomas pulled hard on the thick rope.
7. Start with dialogue where characters are talking about a specific problem- "If we don't do it, the cave will fall in on us." Willis said. "But I'm scared." Ruby whined.
8.create a sense of foreboding. Like something important is about to happen.- Mandy walked the the silent halls with chills running down her back. Something didn't feel right. She couldn't put a finger on it, but something was out of place.
9. Make something funny happen.- Caroline ran to the laundry room only to discover the washer was overflowing with soap suds.

This is what the lead should do...
1.Capture the readers interest.
2.Introduce your subject or problem
3.Move smoothly into the body of your piece.

Depending on what you are writing, you will want to pick different leads. Different leads will grab your attention more than others and make your piece have different vibes to them.


Now let's look at the same story with several different leads versus not having one at all.

1. (Exclamation)
Amazing! Derek had never seen Mount Rushmore, and the thrills it brought him were beyond imagination. He just loved history. Derek had been saving for this trip for three years. Now that he was here, he had a hard time putting it all into perspective.

2. (The Question)
"Are you a tour guide?" A woman wearing a red hat asked him.
"No." Derek replied politely. "I believe that they stop doing tours around five o'clock. It's 6:30 now."
"oh, well thank you."
Derek looked back at Mount Rushmore to let it sink in once more. He was finally here. After three years of saving, he had finally saved enough money to make the trip. He sighed with sadness. He should be getting back to the hotel. It was getting late, and He had a flight to catch in the morning.

3. (Showing action)
Derek leaned over the rail to get a better view. Mount Rushmore. No matter how many times he had wished to come here in the past, Derek had never actually believed it would come true. He sighed with contentment. It felt so good to be here.

4. (None)
--- This one turned out to be really difficult for me. I am so used to writing with leads, that even just trying to make one boring with a simple statement was considered a lead. Here is my attempt.

Derek visited Mount Rushmore. He had saved for three years. even though he had dreamed of coming for years, he hadn't actually ever believed it would come true. A nice lady in a red hat asked him if he was a tour guide. Derek answered, no. Soon it would be time for him to get back to his hotel. He had a plane to catch in the morning.

Do you see the differences? Which one did you enjoy reading the most? Which one made you want to keep reading to find out what happened next?

Did you notice how boring number four was compared to numbers one-three? Also, did you notice how different leads can tell different sides of a story?

So that is the basics of a lead. Grabbing a readers attention, no matter what you are writing, is very important. A lot of times, the lead is what makes a person unconsciously decide whether they are going to continue reading. Some people may pick up a book read a few sentences and put it back down. They probably don't really know why they don't want to read it, they just know that it doesn't interest them or grab them in a way that they can't put it back down until they find out what happens next. They aren't curious about it.

Hope this gave you all some great insight and ideas!

Blessings,
Jessica P.

Hello friends and strangers. My name is Rose, Sarah’s almost seventeen year old sister and I’m filling in for my sister Sarah who isn’t feeling well today.

As I pondered what to tell you today I thought of all the differences between Sarah and me. Although sisters we are as different as night and day. Sarah is the leader, I want to follower. Sarah thinks of organization as piles of stuff around the room, I think of it as specific places for everything. Sarah is heavily involved in politics, I like to stay home. Sarah has a talent for writing; I am only now beginning to catch up to her. Sarah can play piano well and teach it, the only things I have learned to play so far are my voice and the radio. But we have a common faith that binds us together in love.

But how do we love each other even with all these differences? Because we both know that were different and allow each other to be different.

God blessed me so much when He gave me Sarah. She helps balance me out, but allows me to be who I am. She understands me like no one else can, and always has gentle advice (or what I need to hear). She knows when I’m not feeling well and knows exactly what to do. I could ramble on and on, but you get the point.

So God made us both different, but He put us together. Why? Because He saw that we would need each other.

I Love You, Sarah.