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There's nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein. ~Walter Wellesley "Red" Smith
It is necessary to write, if the days are not to slip emptily by. How else, indeed, to clap the net over the butterfly of the moment? For the moment passes, it is forgotten; the mood is gone; life itself is gone. That is where the writer scores over his fellows: he catches the changes of his mind on the hop. ~Vita Sackville-West
Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart. ~William Wordsworth
The pages are still blank, but there is a miraculous feeling of the words being there, written in invisible ink and clamoring to become visible. ~Vladimir Nabakov
Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass. ~Anton Chekhov
Easy reading is damn hard writing. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne
Detail makes the difference between boring and terrific writing. It’s the difference between a pencil sketch and a lush oil painting. As a writer, words are your paint. Use all the colors.
~Rhys Alexander
Imagination is more important than knowledge.
~Albert Einstein
If you start with a bang, you won't end with a whimper.
~T. S. Eliot
Suit the action to the word, the word to the action.
~William Shakespeare
I'm not the God of the worlds I create--just a visitor with a pen.
~Noe
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I've gotten quite a few emails recently concerning the whys and hows of beginning writing. 'How do I begin?' or 'I want to write a story but I don't know where/how to start.' or 'I've always wanted to write/be a writer - where do you get your ideas from?'
For the beginning writer, I offer some suggestions. First and foremost, to be a writer, you should also be a reader. Read everything...classics, best sellers, poetry, short stories. Read the 'great' writers. Read books about writing. Secondly, take some writing classes. As both a teacher of writing and as a student of writing, I've learned that no two classes are the same. I've taken many writing classes and I've learned new things from every class.
There are quite a few schools of thought about the writing process. Personally, I write pretty much every day. I do that, because I can't not write. No matter how busy my schedule or how chaotic my world, I find writing time. But that's just me. Getting into the habit of writing everyday is just that--develop the habit by doing. Keep a journal. The what you write isn't as important as the act of writing. Do it everyday and one day, you will realize that it has become a habit.
What you write in the journal may vary from a funny incident you saw happen to how you felt when it began to pour three blocks away from your car. Details about the birds on your feeder one day and exactly how your four year old's forehead felt when she had a fever. Write of moments and create a verbal photograph. Just write.
Personally as for when I get an idea for a poem or short story, I let the idea simmer in my mind. I toss the main ideas in with details and characters, spice 'em up with flaws and attributes and just let it simmer, stirring in an occasional trauma and wait until it boils over at which point the stove is clean, but I am writing furiously.
Some folks get their ideas and create an outline of the general 'what will happen' along with detailed character notes. I do that as well, especially if I don't want to confuse myself or if it is a story where I must draw from research about a specific locale or point in history. Sometimes research can make or break a story. The old maxim about 'write what you know.' is absolutely true. Thus, if you don't know it, research it until you do.
One of the best compliments I get is when someone tells me that 'This must be a true story, because it reads that way.' Depending upon the heartstrings tugged, I may or may not tell them whether it is or isn't. But I love it when it is pure fiction and the reader perceived it as total truth.
Where the ideas flow from is another thing. In my journal I note down odd words or phrases I hear. Or people. Or events. Anything can spark a story or poem. I have started something that I thought would be a poem, only to have it morph into a story. That's fine.
I remember chastising my five year old about the fact that it was really silly to cry because I wouldn't play 'one more game' of something or other. I told her that she was wasting her tears and then one day she'd have something 'important' to cry about but wouldn't be able to because she'd have used up all her tears. She'd stopped crying and was actually listening (!) to me and then I completely ruined the moment. Right in the middle of this mother-daughter moment, I broke the mood by saying, 'What a great idea for a children's story.' Alyndoria was published a couple of years later. Bottom line: ideas can sprout anywhere.
So you have your core idea. Try and write everyday, at least 600-1000 words. Don't edit. Write. This is only the first of many drafts and a draft is imperfect by definition!
Write the first thoughts that come to mind. Go with the flow. And keep going. If you find yourself in the deep water, write faster. If you are going over the falls, don't worry...you will be gushing with words. If you end up taking a side stream, follow it. The editing comes later. For now, let your characters become and take a stranglehold on you and you will write what and where the story takes you.
Three months of this and you'll have your first draft complete. It will be ugly, misshapen, or in other words: a total mess. But you'll have it! Then comes the fun part. You have the heart. Now you get to flesh out characters, scenes, places, history and...and...and! Now you get to add the muscle and sinew. Here is when the details truly rise and you get to show all the things you told. Here is where you, the writer/surgeon, gets to hack and chop, delete and rework.
Writing is a joy, a compulsion and a lot of hard work! You'll have good days and bad. Gee. . .just like life! You'll tear out your hair one day and be dancing around the living room the next. And I promise you: There is nothing quite like seeing your first copy of your book in print. Not unlike giving birth to a child, except this child is officially born with all the diapers, teen angst and trials already finished.
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Some offerings on writing:
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and some writing!
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hidden :how can i write a good story?
i always wanted to become a writer, but i have no opportunities.
--one of the folks prompting this particular newsletter...hope this helped!
esprit : I enjoyed the letter, fyndorian. Umm, real maple syrup - lucky kids!
KimChi : Awesome newsletter! I was beside you, strolling through the first, perfect day of spring. Thank you for the birdsong and the barbecue.
fleckgirl :LOVE the First Day of Spring piece! Hooray for warmer weather... or at least the promise of it!
katiedoyle100: I just wanted to comment on the "Letter from the Editor" article. It was so well-written I couldn't stop reading! I adore how the author- well, author- gets into the characters he/she casually mentioned.
Great article
Apondia  :It was good to read the hope comments. Our country did go through high gas prices and no jobs before in the late 70's or early 80's. It was not as severe at that time but still not fun. It is all about rearranging some priorities to suit lifestyles. This was a very good and up to date comment on a worthwhile subject.
Thanking you all for the nice comments! *smile*
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For Authors: April 22, 2009 Issue [#3012]
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