I've been reaching out to other writers lately (mainly on Twitter- hi all!). It's struck me how much we have in common. Whenever anyone details something regarding their work, or the writing process, just about all of us other writers know exactly what that person is talking about. It's delightful. To be able to feel part of a community without leaving your house: it's the writer's dream. :)
Not every writer works the same way, however. There are some differences. I've said before how there are many "rules" to writing handed down by experts (a word which here means any writer who feels like spouting off). This may be helpful to the beginning writer, but basically (in my own limited experience) I can find no tip better than to, simply, write. The more you write, the better you get. And the more you find what works for you. That said, here's my own personal thoughts on writing. :) Writing is like any other thing we experience in life: dependent on perspective. Something I've been noticing more and more is the tendency of many a writer to refer to their writing as an "art". And herein lies the point I've been making my typically roundabout way toward. (Disclaimer, all too often necessary on the internet: my perspective. Mine. Feel free to disregard it. As I said, we all have one [perspectives are like...], and mine is what works for me. Yours may work better for you. To each their own.) Writing is not an art. It is a craft. Here's the difference. Art carries the connotation of something free-spirited, flowing, difficult to pin down. If you do happen to pin it down, it will land splotched on the page much as it is, because you haven't changed it whatsoever. You haven't crafted it. What makes it art is its purity. The unformed thought, the dream, put to page in its original form. But that's not writing, is it? One might almost think so. I've read many stories that seem to have undergone few to no changes, as if they were just placed there. And the stories are very good. Some of them are very, very good. But they suffer for lack of crafting. Grammar is helpful. A well-placed comma can make all the difference. But crafting is not just grammar. It's going through your story and thinking about it critically. What would you think if you were reading this story for the first time? Does it make sense? This is another issue I find more often than I'd like. I'll be going along enjoying the spin of the tale, when suddenly I'm somewhere and I don't know how I got there. Then I have to go back and figure out if I missed something, of if that something just got left out. It's usually the latter. Many (many) writers bemoan having to edit. Many (many!) writers give the advice not to edit until your piece is done. This makes no sense to me. I'm a natural editor. I cannot go through a story or play without editing as I go along. If a sentence does not make sense, I usually don't continue until I fix it. This doesn't mean I'm done at the first draft. It does mean that I don't have a first draft. The way I see it, the piece is a continually evolving beast, in a constant state of flux. The first draft has (or hopefully has) well-crafted sentences and grammar. Once I'm all the way through, I go back and find what doesn't make sense (particularly as when I get to the end of a story I'm usually in a very different place than where I started), and try to fix it. I change. I cut. I do what needs to be done. Editing is the craft. Your piece needs editing. If you want to make your story the best that it is- all that it has the potential to be, and to help other people see that potential- you will put in the work. You will perform the necessary craftsmanship. The good news is, like most things, crafting gets easier the more you do it. Soon, you'll have a feel for a well-crafted sentence. You'll find yourself looking for discrepancies. You'll recognize what is superfluous. And, the good news? You'll also notice parts that flow well. You'll see when you've done something clever and didn't even realize it. You'll have an easier time keeping the entire work, and all its issues, organized in your head, and that is no easy feat. You'll have become a craftsperson. And you will be a better writer for it.
1 Comment
12/6/2015 05:50:06 am
I agree with everything. That makes us both experts, I guess. Sometimes the writing flows ans sometimes I need to pull it out of my brain, like pulling a tooth, but with the help of my writing group, I usually get there. Like the Beatles and Joe Cocker sang 'I get by with little help from my friends' . I couldn't write without the feedback from the members of my group. I've even had to edit this comment post.
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Rebecca FrohlingWriter, dancer, actress, mother, me. Archives
February 2019
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