| 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
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