For Authors
This week: Wrap Up Your Writing! Edited by: Fyn More Newsletters By This Editor
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You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give. ~Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet
A wise lover values not so much the gift of the lover as the love of the giver. ~Thomas รก Kempis
The only gift is a portion of thyself. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
We should give as we would receive, cheerfully, quickly, and without hesitation; for there is no grace in a benefit that sticks to the fingers. ~Seneca
If instead of a gem, or even a flower, we should cast the gift of a loving thought into the heart of a friend, that would be giving as the angels give. ~George MacDonald
The manner of giving is worth more than the gift. ~Pierre Corneille, Le Menteur
God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say "thank you?" ~William A. Ward
It isn't the size of the gift that matters, but the size of the heart that gives it. ~Quoted in The Angels' Little Instruction Book by Eileen Elias Freeman, 1994
Each day comes bearing its own gifts. Untie the ribbons. ~Ruth Ann Schabacker
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I often enjoy the wrapping of the presents I give at this time of year even more than I do the decisions leading up to a particular present, and I put a bunch of thought into each and every one of them. I find the perfect paper, perhaps one that in some way is indicative of the receiver. I fold and tape carefully. I often use cloth ribbons, creating my own bows as I go along. I write something special on the tag; not a simple To/From. I take time. I refuse to tear through 'all the wrapping' as if it were some kind of a chore. I may not have much to give, but the giving is reflected every step of the way! I fuss that the bows look 'just right' and the presents sitting under the tree are every bit as pretty as the tree I spend hours decorating. The presents are for others, the tree is a gift I give myself for I'll spend hours, sitting and just enjoying it as I think about the various people here and gone who have given those ornaments.
Writing is a gift we share with others. How sad if given with little thought or effort. "I bought you this. Here's your present" Still in the bag, complete with tag and receipt. Not wrapped "Didn't have time." It takes away from the concept. In this case, it is not the thought that counts, for there was little, if any.
So to when writing is not wrapped and presented.
By this I mean the presentation. Writing is an intensely personal art. We pour our hearts and souls into it. But when it isn't proofread, reread, revised and edited before the presentation, it is if the giver is being arrogant. 'Here's what I wrote. Surely you are intelligent enough to see past all the typos, grammatical mistakes and errors to the sheer genius beneath.'
No.
Too many folks finish a piece, put down the pen or click the last letter and think, "It is finished." No. It is not. The hard work now begins. The ability to step back and look at it with a fresh eye. The time to read it aloud and see where you stumble for the reader will as well. The time to notice the repeated words that serve no higher purpose, the 'it's' instead of 'its' and the run-on sentences. It's time to fix the torn paper, the crooked bows and the misspelled tag! The art of writing is all in the presentation. That which means nothing, is worth nothing.
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A.T.B: It'sWhatWeDo responds: My mom thinks you hung the moon, which is pretty damn skippy for a northerner. *Heart* Well done, my dear friend. Very well done indeed. =)
awww, thanks. Sheer joy!
Ducttape Knight writes: I wanted to say that reading your interview and your transactions with that author's son here on WDC, that was just what I needed to get going on my second day of nano. Thank you!
Thank YOU!
BIG BAD WOLF is Howling says: Sometimes, favorite authors inspire us to write.
Indeed, they do!
tophattimelord questions: Hi, it seems all my life I've had a problem getting noticed among the millions. I've never had many followers on twitter or subscribers on YouTube, but whenever I do get noticed for writing people say its really good. When it comes to publishing my work will I have the same problem? I know my work is called good, but will it amount to anything if I don't get noticed?
Writing and 'being noticed' is really all about self-promotion. Unfortunately we can't just write and expect the world to beat a path to our door. Primarily, I think we writers need to write because we can't NOT write. Then it is a matter of doing all we can to get noticed. Here at wdc, a good way is to review others in hopes they will return the favor. Word of mouth helps. Small circles of readers interact with others and the word spreads much like the rings a pebble makes when dropped into a pond. No one ever said it was easy, but we do it because we want to share our words with others. Write because you must, not to get rich, noticed or published and you may well find that your writing attracts others and the word will spread!
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