It all starts with an image… This is a short excerpt from Gabriel García Márquez‘s El olor a la guayaba (The Smell of Guava), a series of interviews/conversations with Plinio Apuleyo Mendoza (Tunja, 1932), Colombian politician, journalist and writer. The translation is mine: Mendoza: What is, in your case, the starting point of a book? García […]
Category Archives: On Writing
October
08
Writing Advice from Abelardo Castillo
posted by lasesana
Abelardo Castillo (Buenos Aires, 1935) is an Argentinian writer, novelist, essayist, and playwright. He is also well known for his short stories including “Ernesto’s Mother“. An amateur boxer in his youth, Castillo worked as director of several literary magazines including El Escarabajo de Oro and El Ornitorrinco. Following are a few tips from his book Ser Escritor (Being […]
September
29
10 Great Writing Prompts
posted by lasesana
This is a sample of some of the writing prompts available at lasesanaonwriting.wordpress.com Writing Prompt # 001 Picture prompt: Start a story or scene from a description of the picture above. Writing Prompt # 002 Art prompt: Write a story about what is going in the painting. Go back and write the story from the […]
September
27
“A Few Words About Short Stories,” Augusto Monterroso
posted by lasesana
“A Few Words About Short Stories,” Augusto Monterroso Born in Teguscigalpa, Honduras, Augusto Monterroso (1921- 2003) is mainly known as a Guatemalan writer. In his early life in Guatemala city, where his family relocated in 1936, Monterroso began to publish his short stories and was one of the founders of El Espectador with several other […]
September
17
2012 Library of Congress National Book Festival
posted by lasesana
It looks like this year’s 2012 Library of Congress National Book festival on National Mall in DC will be nothing short of a book lover’s paradise! President Obama and the First Lady will be honorary chairs of the event, and writers like Mario Vargas Llosa, Junot Diaz, TC Boyle, Patricia Cromwell, Geraldine Brooks, Sandra Cisneros […]
Mario Vargas Llosa Internet Resources
posted by lasesana
Mario Vargas Llosa Bio English Español Nobelprize.orgWikipedia Biography.com Wikipedia.es Mundolatino.org Novels/ Novelas English Español The Time of the Hero, (la ciudad y los perros) The Green House, (La casa verde) Conversation in the Cathedral (Conversación en la catedral) Captain Pantoja and the Special Service, (Pantaleón y las visitadoras) Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter , (La […]
Using Colorful Adjectives When Writing Fiction or Non-Fiction
posted by lasesana
Using Colorful Adjectives When Writing Fiction or Non-Fiction By using more descriptive words for colors, you will paint a more accurate picture for your readers. Instead of saying the sea was “blue,” you can say it was cerulean with streaks of slate. YELLOW RED BLUE PURPLE GREEN BROWN Gold Crimson Midnight Violet Olive Chocolate Citrine Magenta Navy Lavender Moss […]
Use more precise adjectives in your writing
posted by lasesana
Use more precise adjectives in your writing In writing, you can more accurate adjectives than “pretty” or “ugly” to describe people and things. Use these adjectives to better paint a picture for your readers. Pretty Ugly Large Small Intensity Strong Gorgeous Repulsive Huge Minute Splendid Hideous […]
Warnings to a Writer, Advice to a Writer, Gabriel García Márquez
posted by lasesana
Gabriel García Márquez (1927, Aracataca, Colombia), “one of the most significant writers of the 20th century,” pioneer of magic realism, creator of Macondo, Nobel Prize winner, needs little introduction. García Márquez has excelled as a journalist, novelist, and short story writer. His stories transport the reader far from reality but root him or her to […]
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