This is my first blog post. I intend to post either once a week or once a fortnight on matters related to creative writing. Probably each Sunday evening.
So here goes.
I was listening to someone talk about the craft of creative writing the other day and she was speaking about the necessity of forward momentum in narrative in order to keep the reader engaged.
The speaker suggested keeping in mind the words: “but then …”
Using those two words, either on the page, or in your head, gives a twist or complication to the story.
Seems a good idea to me.
Libby Sommer, Author 
Hi Libby. That’s a great idea: But then… I’ll try it in one of my posts. Welcome to WordPress.
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thanks for your comment, Anne. and thanks so much for facilitating my new status as a blogger.
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Hi Libby
Yes, it’s fine. You could post your own photo onto the About page for practice, even before you decide what to write there. Yes, the Media tab is the one to click on. It takes you to a window that says “Upload”. I usually drag a photo from my desktop onto that window. Then on the right-hand side column (bottom) you can decide on how big you want it. Once you’re happy with it, click “Insert into post”. Save and Publish when you’re ready. Kee fiddling… It’s the only way to learn.
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i’ve added my photo to About page. phew. took me a long time to find the media tab.
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Welcome to the world of blogging, Libby. I’m eternally grateful to Anne, my Blog Guru, for generously sharing her expertise. Will your blog include excerpts of your writing?
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yes, Dina, I’m eternally grateful to Anne too. she pointed me in the right direction. i’m not quite properly set up yet though. i’m not sure what to do about including excerpts of my writing. am conscious of the fact that once things are published online, they are ‘published’. i want to put my published short stories up one at a time and then have a reference to craft. but if i do that, don’t know if that means i can’t get them published as a collection. also the posts would probably be too long. maybe excerpts from the published short stories are better.
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Libby, thanks for the narrative signpost of “But then…” which worked well in my latest post on my blog.
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Nice blog post! Short and sweet. Looking forward to seeing what more you do and how you develop into this crazy world of blogging!
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thanks so much for your comment Charlotte. much appreciated. it’s been a few months now. am on a steep learning curve. what about you? how long have you been blogging?
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I’ve been blogging off for a couple of years now about different things but had a few months break to concentrate on dissertation and university!
Glad to be back in it and communicating with my fellow bloggers. X
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what is your dissertation about? x
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A whole world lies behind two little words! I’ve been using “what if…?” up to now, but then…
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perhaps ‘what if …’ is what you’d say in your head, but ‘but then …’ is what you’d write on the page. do you agree?
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I find “what if…” is useful for generating lots of ideas, from the initially obvious, to the more obscure. I’ll start following it up with “but then…” when I’m ready to throw a spanner in the works!
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that’s a good easy way to remember it – a spin on ‘then the worst happened’?
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yes, exactly. and better than, and then.
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