At one time or another, writers are challenged to explain why they do what they do. It can be an icebreaker at a writers retreat, an inquiry by a friend or family member, maybe even a self-examination or, if they are lucky, a media interviewer. Depending on our maturity and experience at the craft, the answer can change. If your favorite writer is Gresham or Patterson, you might be inclined to dreams about fame and fortune. If your ambition is literary legacy, you might be more interested in reading Roth or Irving.
When a person thinks about writing, they have a story to tell. It might be a love story, an adventure or a journey. Detectives, space travelers, and ordinary people have these experiences. So there are a number of ways to tell your story.
If you get this far, it soon becomes apparent to you that all of these stories have been told. It's hard to admit, but admit this you must, or you would never go to the next level.
I tried to sell my photography. I matted and framed my best stuff. I got past the, 'it doesn't go with the other things in my room' and "I don't like the frame' excuses not to buy. But the one I didn't let pass was, 'I could take my camera and take the same picture.' To that excuse, I diplomatically say, "Of course you can. And if you like your version of the image, you should mat, frame and enjoy it. But it will be different than mine." And it's the same thing with writing stories about love, adventure, and journies. The theme might be the same as the timeless examples in literature, but the story is your interpretation of that theme.
At this point, you have a completed manuscript in hand, and you try and get it published. I could write another blog about how that is done and how discouraging it is and why the odds of success are the lowest percentage of something you will try unless you think you're going to be a 'Top Gun Air Force Pilot, an NFL quarterback, a Broadway star, or President of The United States.
Your first problem is, you think you have a completed manuscript. At best, you have a second or third draft which has been edited by the worst person you can find. You. The person who will look at your work is searching for a reason to say no. And you serve it up to them on the first page with a spelling or usage error, which confirms their belief that they need not read further. If you're lucky, they send you a note saying in diplomatic terms, "Nice try."
Now the real reason we write comes to the surface. That is if you are still onboard. Nobody but your mother will read your work and give you an opinion. And frankly, she is appalled by sex, or the violence or, what she reads as, the conduct of a character she thinks is based on her. You've tried honestly to find an agent. They all know you and throw your manuscript in the trash the moment they see your name on the email submission. At least that is what you think.
But, for some reason, this idea comes into your head as you lay awake before dawn, or are driving to work. It's a character you form in your mind, and you want that character to have a life experience.
Or maybe it's a situation. How would people react if (fill in the blank) happened to them? What if their happy, full filling lives were interrupted by (the possibilities are numerous)?
A writer can only take so much pressure. You not going to bother, you say to yourself. It's a waste of time. No one is going to read it anyway. But that character, that story hangs around in your head like an unwanted house guest. It won't go away. As a matter of fact, that image is rather foggy when it first appears. With its persistent ability to occupy your thoughts, it takes form. It grows in your mind to it's fuller more describable image. It develops from its heroic presence to a more real person with the flaws and problems that many people have.
So you write this story. You drive him or her out of your mind by giving your characters life on a page. You don't do it for money. You don't do it for fame. You don't even do it because you want to. You do it because you have to.
When a person thinks about writing, they have a story to tell. It might be a love story, an adventure or a journey. Detectives, space travelers, and ordinary people have these experiences. So there are a number of ways to tell your story.
If you get this far, it soon becomes apparent to you that all of these stories have been told. It's hard to admit, but admit this you must, or you would never go to the next level.
I tried to sell my photography. I matted and framed my best stuff. I got past the, 'it doesn't go with the other things in my room' and "I don't like the frame' excuses not to buy. But the one I didn't let pass was, 'I could take my camera and take the same picture.' To that excuse, I diplomatically say, "Of course you can. And if you like your version of the image, you should mat, frame and enjoy it. But it will be different than mine." And it's the same thing with writing stories about love, adventure, and journies. The theme might be the same as the timeless examples in literature, but the story is your interpretation of that theme.
At this point, you have a completed manuscript in hand, and you try and get it published. I could write another blog about how that is done and how discouraging it is and why the odds of success are the lowest percentage of something you will try unless you think you're going to be a 'Top Gun Air Force Pilot, an NFL quarterback, a Broadway star, or President of The United States.
Your first problem is, you think you have a completed manuscript. At best, you have a second or third draft which has been edited by the worst person you can find. You. The person who will look at your work is searching for a reason to say no. And you serve it up to them on the first page with a spelling or usage error, which confirms their belief that they need not read further. If you're lucky, they send you a note saying in diplomatic terms, "Nice try."
Now the real reason we write comes to the surface. That is if you are still onboard. Nobody but your mother will read your work and give you an opinion. And frankly, she is appalled by sex, or the violence or, what she reads as, the conduct of a character she thinks is based on her. You've tried honestly to find an agent. They all know you and throw your manuscript in the trash the moment they see your name on the email submission. At least that is what you think.
But, for some reason, this idea comes into your head as you lay awake before dawn, or are driving to work. It's a character you form in your mind, and you want that character to have a life experience.
Or maybe it's a situation. How would people react if (fill in the blank) happened to them? What if their happy, full filling lives were interrupted by (the possibilities are numerous)?
A writer can only take so much pressure. You not going to bother, you say to yourself. It's a waste of time. No one is going to read it anyway. But that character, that story hangs around in your head like an unwanted house guest. It won't go away. As a matter of fact, that image is rather foggy when it first appears. With its persistent ability to occupy your thoughts, it takes form. It grows in your mind to it's fuller more describable image. It develops from its heroic presence to a more real person with the flaws and problems that many people have.
So you write this story. You drive him or her out of your mind by giving your characters life on a page. You don't do it for money. You don't do it for fame. You don't even do it because you want to. You do it because you have to.
BTW - they are laying rail on Ogden Ave in front of our house today for the streetcar. The Ogden part of the project is planned to be completed by the end of September.
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