This week: Brains...brains... Edited by: Legerdemain  
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Brains...brains
Nope, this is not a newsletter about zombies. It's about your brain and writing. Which side of your brain are you using? I'm hoping you're using both for such things as body function and subconscious work, but as a writer, which side do you write from? The conscious mind often favors one side over the other.
“Rabbit's clever," said Pooh thoughtfully.
"Yes," said Piglet, "Rabbit's clever."
"And he has Brain."
"Yes," said Piglet, "Rabbit has Brain."
There was a long silence.
"I suppose," said Pooh, "that that's why he never understands anything.”
― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
Right brainers write with feelings, emotions and imagination. From the right side, they play with language and emotion. Right-brain writers usually write on the fly. They create as they go, unfortunately right-brain writers often become disorganized and lose their way. They often know what they want to write or say, but have trouble expressing it. The right-brain is generally weaker than the left, but necessary for creativity and imagination. The right side recognizes patterns from apparent random universal experiences and sorts them into unique personal meaning.
“I like living in my head because in there, everyone is kind and innocent. Once you start integrating yourself into the world, you realize that people are nasty, mean creatures. They're worse than zombies. People try to crush your soul and destroy your happiness, but zombies just want to have a little nibble of your brain.”
― J. Cornell Michel, Jordan's Brains: A Zombie Evolution
Left-brainers prefer action-based writing. They write plot, outline and plan their story as a sequence of scenes like cars on a train chugging down the track. Lefties are more able to create more complicated stories with twist and turns. If you're a more logical, analytical and rational writer, your strengths are in your left-brain. From the left-brain, you have no trouble expressing words or feelings. The left side of your brain also governs detail memory, sequencing and retrieval.
Using this knowledge as a writer can be helpful. If your strength is action and plot, try to quiet the left part of your brain when you need your right-brain's imagination and emotion. If you are good with emotions and language, encourage your left by trying outlines and plot diagrams.
Now, if we can walk and chew gum at the same time...
“There's someone in my head, but it's not me."
― David Eagleman, Pink Floyd
Thanks for letting me stop in and rattle around inside your head for this week's newsletter. Hopefully I've spurred a little insight into our creativity as writers.
This month's question: What side of the brain do you use to write? Send in your answer below!  Editors love feedback!
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Excerpt: Sigmund Meerschaum sighed.
He stood at the lectern, tall and gaunt, sporting his horn-rimmed glasses and graying goatee, holding his Peterson pipe while peering out across the stage at the hushed audience--an audience of fellow professors and researchers from all over the world.
All waited with breathless anticipation to hear this respected man of renown, the foremost authority on both brain chemistry and geophysics, give his talk and present his novel hypothesis.
Excerpt: The radio woke me. I smiled when I heard the song playing. They’re coming to take you away, haa, haa, hee, hee . . .
Excerpt: THERE ARE SEVEN DOGS on my street. One day they started barking and they haven’t stopped since. I can hear them wherever I go. It does not matter if they appear to be barking or not; Inside of my head they never stop.
Excerpt: I’m you, Angus. I’m that little voice inside your head.
Excerpt: Repressed anger. Its unhealthy. It leads to unhealthy thoughts, unhealthy behavior. As someone who’s dealt with it on a constant, I am someone who knows. Repressed anger is like a bomb just waiting to explode.
Excerpt: "Why the glum face, kiddo?" William Hargrove leaned across the back seat of the limousine to slap Philip van Eyck on the knee. "You're now so far ahead of the game you're practically out of the running! Ahead!" His three chins wobbled as he chuckled over the word. "That's a good one!"
| |  | Tardy Zombies (E)
One week after Halloween, our bike ride is beset by zombies. A zombie story for children!
#1619895 by TheNoMonster  |
Excerpt: Like all good zombie stories, this one starts during a bike ride.
It was late and my daughter and I were riding north on Greenwood Avenue, leaving Blue Island Illinois. Yes, Blue Island, where zombie stories always seem to begin. Unsure what it is about Blue Island that attracts zombies, but there you have it.
| |  | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#2232123 by Not Available. |
Excerpt: When you walk out of your house, you know anything can happen. You look down your street and the lights aren't as well lit like it once did before. As you and your friends are walking, you noticed an old house at a carnival and you wanted to go inside to see if you are scared or not. What would you do? Write a story about it and post it in the forum.
Excerpt: YOU HAVE UNTIL MIDNIGHT OF OCTOBER 31ST, 2020 TO WRITE A HORRIFYING, SPOOKY, TERRIFYING, GHOULISH, MIND-BLOWING, FRIGHTENING, SPINE-TINGLING, HAIR-RAISING, CREEPY, BONE-CHILLING, REALLY, REALLY SCARY STORY ABOUT HALLOWEEN!
Excerpt: The task is simple: Write a short story using the prompt as inspiration!
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This month's question: What side of the brain do you use to write? Send in your answer below! Editors love feedback!
Last month's request: Send in your suggestions for earning gift points!
Odessa Molinari  : I've done quite well this year by participating in "I Write in 2020" [E].
hullabaloo22 : The "'SCREAMS!!!' HALLOWEEN CONTEST!" [GC] competition runs six days a week, with a prize of 6,666 points up for grabs. Great for any horror fans!
jolanh : Im not really in it for the gift points. I am in it for the improvement.
Writer_Mike  : Well, there's the WDC Anniversary GP gift, but it doesn't come around too often, and sometimes, a reviewer will send along some GPs with their kind words. Oh, yeah - that sneaky Mr. / Mrs. / Ms. Anonymous drops by from time to time, too!
Lilith of House Martell  : Great question! There are a few ways and here are three of them:
1. Review members you've not reviewed before. The system automatically rewards and encourages us to do so by giving gift points to the reviewer and the writer.
2. Under the "Community" tab on the left-hand sidebar, you'll find an option called 'Auto-Reward Items'. These are items that the writer has automatically set up to give the reviewer gift points for a qualified review.
3. Join a Review Group! Review groups award review credits to their members for qualified reviews. Some review groups also give awards for reaching certain milestones.
Cubby~Cheering House Florent!  : I always post my goals and updates on "Weekly Goals" .
I review as part of a review group and receive gps for that.
I enter contests in "Writing Contests @ Writing.Com" and sometimes win gps.
And because of all of the above, I paid my September 15th Premium Membership this year all in gift points! 
Ned : I enter contests and may occasionally win. I do reviews. I do the weekly goals. I do the occasional WDC Media Prompt. I occasionally try to catch some games on the Messenger. I try to keep the number ticking upwards. The Birthday Bash on the first week of September was outrageous and has me over my original goal and shooting for another. Might go Premium some day... you never know. In any case, I have enough to renew my upgraded which doesn't even expire until March.
Andy~hating university : I sometimes do the Read & Review (under Community), and you get a random number of GPs if you complete your review in the allotted time.
bryanmchunter: Contributing to interactive stories.
TheBusmanPoet : I do what I can but since I run an online business it usually consumes a lot of my time. I get onto Wdc when I can.
s : I review very occasionally. Play games in Messenger. Some things I do occasionally. Used to do interactives, but a lot of time the promised gps don't come, and I'm very bad at it, or... other reasons. If I need to self-motivate, I'll do weekly goals. But, really, not much.
Xiea : Wait, logging in gives you gift point. I had no idea!
Anna Marie Carlson : By doing reviews and sending gift points to the authors for the wonderful stories that they have written, and by entering contests.
Thanks for all the replies! Your responses are very much appreciated!
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Action/Adventure: October 21, 2020 Issue [#10431]
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