The Writer's Toolbox

Today I am pleased to publish my fifth guest blog post. You too can have a post published on my blog. Just read the guidelines HERE. In the meantime, enjoy...

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The Writer's Toolbox

By: Dee Rayson

Every writer has their own toolbox that they use to create their stories or articles. I have a library full of books on writing and have gathered information from all of them, but the most useful tool for my writing has been my life experiences. Mostly, the tools I use have no correlation to good writing practices, but they are uniquely mine. In fact these tools will probably be useless to the majority of you, but I hope to inspire you to create your own writing toolbox.

Tool 1: Color personalities.

I enjoy books with diverse characters that are well developed, and who stay true to their character throughout the novel. This is often difficult and I become frustrated if I’m reading and start thinking, ‘Oh come on, as if she would do that!’ So I wanted to ensure my characters remained true to themselves throughout.

Over the years, working in a completely different field, I created a color personality profiling system. I used it to inspire others to reach their potential. So I divided all my characters into colors, knowing the personality traits of each. This made it easy to keep them in character; all I had to do is remember the color they represented.

This is my tool, but you can find an equally viable way of making your characters diverse. The important thing is that you are aware that it is paramount to any story to have strong characters that are uniquely yours.

Tool 2:Visual Cues

I’m a visual person and I find it hard to write if I can’t instantly bring a character or scene to mind. I had been doing intuitive art for several years and it suddenly occurred to me that I should draw my characters’ faces, because they each have very unique attributes. I did them over months and put them on my wall. Whenever I got stuck I would stare at the faces until they gave me an answer. This worked brilliantly for me. Strangely, I only ever intended the pictures for me, as I’m not an artist, but recently I decided to post a picture each week so the readers may connect to my characters also. You see, you just never know where your simple tools could take you.

I encourage you to look at any part of your life, no matter how far removed it seems from writing and include it in your toolbox. If you are passionate about something it will shine through in your writing.

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About Dee Rayson: Dee Rayson is a retired dance instructor, mentor and intuitive specialist with the goal to inspire others to reach their full potential. Her new book, Arkrealm: The Apprentice, is part of a larger scale Arkrealm Project. Rayson's keen interest in youth development led her to write this novel. It introduces readers to the concepts of color personality types and focuses on a group of environmental superheroes, called Arketykes, training teenager Sandy Miller. Rayson says, 'What better way to inspire readers to embrace their individuality and care for the environment than through a story that is full of emotion, adventure and thought-provoking twists. That's Arkrealm The Apprentice in a nutshell.'

Dee's website: Arkrealm
Dee on Facebook: Arkrealm
Dee on Twitter: @DeeRayson
Dee's Latest Novel: Arkrealm - The Apprentice

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