Give me your thoughts and input on my stories and books and share your views on writing. |
Do you think Shakespeare didn't put a quill to parchment before he had worked out what theme (or any other of the seven elements) he was writing to? Quite frankly, I doubt it. The same goes for any of the great writers whose names we all revere. They sat down and wrote what they wrote and it's only later generations who have picked through their works, trying to work out how they did it. And that's how some bright spark came up with the idea of themes and elements. They are only attempts by poor writers to produce a formula for creating great writing and it will never work. The terrible fact is that, if you ain't got it, you ain't got it. Sure, you can learn how to follow a formula that will allow you to play in the minor leagues. You might even become popular. But, the writers who live forever don't spend their time thinking, "Wait a minute - I haven't got this element into the story yet - hang on while I insert it." No, they just sat down and wrote what demanded to be written. There's no secret formula, guys, and the best we can do is write what we write, practise like mad, and hope to hell something halfway decent comes out. |