Mon, 07 Jul 2008 12:07:55 +0000 paper doll, mixed media, www.carolineallen.com I received several emails about the Product vs Process blog, where I discussed the need to focus more on the writing process than on the product. Each person asked for clarity on what process really means. When you're writing a short story, an essay, or a chapter of a novel or memoir, as you are doing so, you learn how…

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 17:40:42 +0000 Purple nude, acrylic on board, 30x20, www.carolineallen.com As writers, sometimes we tap inadvertantly (and sometimes consciously) into collective thought. As we're writing, we become channelers. We're not in control. I think it's an artist job to channel, not only our own truths, but those affecting society. Sometimes, the collective thought we tap into is one of great negative force. We write a terrorist scene in…

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:53:49 +0000 Missouri, 2008, digital photography, www.carolineallen.com The single most important aspect of being a new writer is setting and sticking to a regular writing discipline. To fully engage the process of writing, one must be doing it regularly, in a room of their own, without interruption. What does a writing discipline mean? It means setting the same time each day, the same days each week, to…

Sun, 27 Jul 2008 15:09:22 +0000 Cuban Dancer detail, from the Stream of Consciousness Series, acrylic and house paint on canvas, 2'x3', www.carolineallen.com I recently taught a writing class at my art studio, and am including here the overview sheet I provided to students. Listed below are the various elements involved in writing Fiction/Memoir. The list, of course, is only the beginning. Learning how to successfully pull off the following elements,…

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:47:36 +0000 What was that noise, acrylic and modeling medium with palette knife on canvas, 24x36, www.carolineallen.com As a writer and writing coach, I stress the importance of well-written, well-integrated setting. Afterall, settings are people, too! Good setting adds to characterization, it grounds the story and people in it in a place and time, and it provides a solid structure for the reader to depend upon. Minimalist…

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 20:28:51 +0000Pearl, pre-fleas, 2008 My kitten contracted fleas from god knows where (she's an indoor cat and has not been outside, nor has she had any kind of contact with other animals). At any rate, I had to take everything I own to the local laundromat. I sat in the nondescript laundromat in a strip mall that boasts a Walgreens and an auto parts store, and read…

Thu, 05 Apr 2007 17:45:49 +0000 painting: Caroline Allen, 2006, acrylic on canvas, Enchanted Forest, Cape Alava, Washington Blogger: Caroline Allen Title: Art of Storytelling, owner Bio: see www.artofstorytellingonline.com for bio Last year, 47-year-old Sulley Keehnel came to an evening writing class in Seattle. A serious quiet student, he sat in the back. I am always amazed by which two to three students in every class of approximately 20 I teach…

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 12:46:46 +0000 Man in sunny courtyard, Budapest, photograph by caroline allen, 2007 How do you begin a story? There are lots of ways writers throughout time have used to build a story. You can begin with a concept, a philosophical idea, a sketchy plot. You can start with a newspaper clipping, a story from your childhood, gossip you’ve heard. A lot of authors begin by developing character,…