|
Chapter 1: The Most Important Writing Lesson
Writing Lesson Number One
First Exercise
Second Exercise
Chapter 2: The Fieldstone Method in Brief
Learning to Care About What You Have to Write
What You Learned in School Doesn't Work
The Fieldstone Method Does Work
Exercise: Looking at Walls
Chapter 3: Banishing Writer's Block
The Structure of Creation versus the Structure
of Presentation
Writer's Block and the Goldilocks Questions
A Day in the Life of a Fieldstone Writer
Exercise: Observing Your Writing Activities
Chapter 4: Prospecting: Gathering Explained
Writing versus Writing Down
Why I Am Not Quite As Rich and Famous As Scott
Adams
The Energy Principle
Exercise: Learning by Copying
Are There Enough Stones for Me?
But My Stones Are Not That Significant!
The Most Important Book for All Writers
Gathering During Interactions
Gathering Exercise
Excuses Exercise
Chapter 5: Recycling Stones from Literature
Gathering from Nonfiction
Gathering Exercise: Nonfiction
Gathering from (Unreadable) Classics
Gathering Exercise: Required Reading
Gathering from Fiction
Gathering Exercise: Fiction
Chapter 6: Stealing Stones Safely
When Is It Plagiarism?
Stealing Words
Gathering Exercise: Words
Gathering Exercise: Laundering Words
Stealing Phrases
Gathering Exercise: Phrases
Stealing Sentences
Gathering Exercise: Sentences
Becoming a Professional Thief
Gathering Exercise: Conversations
Gathering Exercise: Conferences
Gathering Exercise: Any Time
Gathering Exercise: In Nature
Chapter 7: Tools to Assist Your Gathering
My Computer
Notecards and Pens
Highlighters and Sticky Notes
Typing Skill
Other Technological Aids
The Internet
Keeping the References
Gathering Exercise: Internet Resources
Typing Exercise: Any Time
Gathering Exercise: Highlighting
Chapter 8: Gathering Fieldstones from Memory
Memory
Triggers
Gathering Exercise: Looking for Energy
Test Your Memory
Stimulate Your Memory
Gathering Exercise: Discovering What Triggers
Your Memory
Gathering Exercise: Combining Triggers
Chapter 9: Discarding Stones That Don't Fit
Carrying the Raft
Getting Off On the Wrong Foot
Exercise: New Starts
Rules and Habits
The Perfection Rule
Maybe I'll Discard Something Important
Exercise: Practice with Your For-Later-Use Bin
Chapter 10: Criteria for Discarding Stones
Sound Tests
Exercise: Read Aloud
Vision Tests
Touch Tests
Taste Tests
The Life Test
The Torpor Test
Quality Is Personal
Exercise: Developing Your Own Quality Criteria
Problems with Meaning 86 Exercise: Do You
Mean . . . ?
Playing With Your Words
Exercise: Word Play
Chapter 11: Decimating Your Work
The Decimation of the Abecedarian
Exercise: Less Is More (Dani's Decimation)
Applying Dani's Decimation
Cotton Candy Bricklaying
Exercise: Decimating Fiction and Other Literary
Forms
Chapter 12: Beginning to Get Organized
Practice, Practice, Practice
Gather First, Gather Last
Use an Organizing Principle
Use Organizing Tools
Use the Power of Rearrangement
Exercise: Fieldstone Solitaire
Exercise: Anchor Stones
Chapter 13: Outlining with Fieldstone Solitaire
Use the Solitaire Model
Use an Outliner
Make Every Stone Action-Oriented
Work Inside-Out or Outside-In
Pull Out the Wrong Rocks
Be Patient
Exercise: Pulling Stones
Chapter 14: Organizing Your Work Space
Assignment: Writing Journal
Assignment: Feelings About Taking Care of Yourself
Creating Your Environment
Exercise: Your Writing Environment
Writing to Music
Exercise: Writing to Music
Where Am I Now in the Organizing Process?
Chapter 15: Keep Moving Until You Have Enough
Where Am I Now in the Organizing Process?
When You Get Stuck, Center, Enter, and Turn
Center
Exercise: Re-centering Breaks
Enter
Turn
Exercise: Blah Blah
An Example of the Center-Enter-Turn Process
Exercise: Center, Enter, Turn
Where Am I Now in the Organizing Process?
Chapter 16: Putting Your Subconscious to Work
Look for What's Missing
Exercise: What's Missing?
Use Quotes
Sweet Are the Uses of Solitaire
Use the Power of Combination
Exercise: Cut Ups
Fantasize
Where Am I Now in the Organizing Process?
Chapter 17: Shaping Stones to Fit
Making Your Writing Memorable
Making It Simple and Specific
Writing for Rapport
Exercise: Writing for Rapport
Shaping Quotes
Exercise: Varying Styles for Varying Effects
Where Am I Now in the Organizing Process?
Chapter 18: Filling the Cracks
Associating the Stones
Exercise: Transitions
Mortaring with Words
Building on the Underlying Ideas
Where Am I Now in the Organizing Process?
Chapter 19: Knowing When to Stop
The Bingo-Card Effect
The Need to Be Perfect
The Need to Be Loved
How Do I Know When I'm Done?
The Last Few Stones
How It Turns Out
Chapter 20: What Happens After You Finish?
Getting Published
Literary Agents
Life After Publishing: The Matthew Effect
It's Not All Sweetness and Light
Notes
References
Fundamentals
Craft
Tools
Exercises
Emotional Issues
Nonfiction
Fiction
Publishing
The Writing Life
Index
Return to Book Page
|
