SO, YOU WANT TO BE A WRITER?

Ha! Youse a masochist?

Seems that a few folks has mentioned wantin' ter write...ain't shure what all ya'll is thinkin' ter write ABOUT, but no matter iffin' it is fiction, fantasy, romance, sci-fi....


Here is somethin' to think on: this here is a blog com from a fella who is a "Slushpile" diver....yep, that species of writer who also moonlights as an editor's diver...that poor clod who wades through the unsolicited mass of writin' that arrives at every publishin' house every day. This is what he said:


"...most attempts at writing fiction suck because writing is a craft that few people, particularly those who vomit forth their half-baked stories and immediately send them out for publication, appreciate. After all, most people who encounter published fiction are seeing the final product, with the blood of the writer and the sweat of the editor washed off. Thus, the hard work--the three drafts that the writer painstakingly produced before he showed the editor, the two rewrites that the writer endured at the request of his editor, and the countless editorial and copyediting passes that the "final" text went through at the publishers--is invisible to the reader.

Most people have this romantic notion that writers isolate themselves, drinking endless amounts of coffee (or booze), thinking deep thoughts, and waiting for that muse to arrive. Once the muse sprinkles her magic on the writer, he just needs to start typing and then immediately send off his manuscript for inclusion on a bestseller list. The reality is that writing is hard work--every day. Writers of fiction must spend a great deal of time on things like creating plots, subplots, and character arcs, building a cast of three-dimensional characters, creating a world that is unique (or at least engaging), and then they must convey those things. Tone, voice, sentence structure, word choice, all of these things must be chosen intentionally, with great care--much like that of any other craftsman or artist.

The reality is that most people struck with the "romance" of writing see a book, say to themselves "If so-and-so can do it, so can I," throw out some words, and them send it off to a publisher, expecting publication and accolades and riches. That's why most slush pile entries read like a fourth grader's language arts project after that fourth grader watched The Lord of the Rings (while eating 7 bags of Sour Patch Kids). "

Ouch! Well, Okay.....s'true. mah point in copying this to mah post is to make a BIG note to aspirin' writers: BE PREPARED TO WRITE/WORK EVERY DAY.

Folks in the "artist" category --music, poetry, fiction, painting, even dance--sometimes we forgits the key term: "craft". Iffin' ya got talent, it is worthless unless ya train it, groom it, polish it....I'se amused by a former star Gator football cry-baby who now pouts he has to work hard in the Pros. LOL!! Yep, he done found out that before he jes' showed up wif' his talent, an now--EVRY'body on the field has plenty of raw talent and so the postions go to those who WORK at it.

Same fer artists, sweet thangs, same fer artists .

One of mah favorite writers is Annie Dillard. She wrote a book on seein' (Pilgrim at Tinker Creek) and on writin' called The Writing Life.

She said:

" When you write, you lay out a line of words. The line of words is a miner's pick, a wood-carver's gouge, a surgeon's probe. You wield it, and it digs a path you follow. Soon, you find yourself deep in new territory. Is it dead end, or have you located the real subject? You will know tomorrow, or this time next year. "


It is a manifesto fer writers of all stripes. Check her out here.

http://books.google.com/books?id=YhajT5vnTVAC&printsec=frontcover#PPA3,M1o