| SOME THINGS WORTH THINKING ABOUT... Many people seem to think being a good writer means one must have excellent grammar, spelling and punctuation skills. This isn't necessarily the case. Editors are paid to edit, you know. One meaning of the word "edit" is: "to revise and prepare for publication". So, although it is of course good to know the technical side of writing, it would not be right to think one couldn't become a good author without such knowledge. Many computers have word processing programs that include spelling and grammar-sense checks, as well as dictionary and thesaurus helps. While we shouldn't rely entirely on these, their presence can be a great benefit to the writer who has not had a great deal of training in the so-called "proper" use of language. By all means, you should study the way words interact, and the sometimes many uses of particular words and phrases. However, you do want to get that story out, and the study of how to do it shouldn't get too much in the way or you'll wind up with a perfectly- crafted text that may not convey what you started out to say at all. Learn as you write, but don't become too anxious if you mis-spell words or don't know why a comma is a comma except when it doesn't come after the bottom part of a letter, or why it has a different name when it's at the top, or when it's an apostrophe indicating ownership or a contraction shortening a verb. Who the heck cares! That's the editor's job! Never forget this - although there are hard and fast rules in grammar, and although news services and major magazines publish guidebooks to follow (when writing for them!) - really, it's up to you... as long as it makes sense. An elementary knowledge should be enough for any person wanting to write. If you offered the world's most perfect piece for publication, chances are quite good the editor would make changes in it anyway. So, let them do their job - you do yours. Get that story out! Mark Twain wrote a newspaper column and, if I remember the story right, often had letters of complaint about his use of punctuation sent to the, paper by presumably overly-bored armchair editors. Twain, who always had an eye for the ridiculous way people went about their affairs, replied with a column completely devoid of any punctuation whatever. At the end, he typed out commas, periods, hypens, question and exclamation marks, etc. and, noting their inclusion, told his readers to insert them at their own risk. He got his point across, so don't be intimidated by rules or those who believe you must always comply with them. The first storytellers had no paper, no pens, no fancy computer programs. They sat around the fire and told their tales, and people listened because the stories were interesting. Today we may have a lot of perfection and rule-following in the writing field, but why not let the critics criticize if it makes them feel good (or important?)? Tell your tale, write your story. Or, if you find you'd rather become an editor - learn to look past the sometimes all-too-obvious flaws in an author's work, and go to the core of what he or she is trying to tell you (and anyone else who should have the chance to read it). You might have to do a bit of work on the manuscript, but if you're really suited to your job, you'll enjoy the doing of it. "Words, like glasses, obscure everything which they do not make clear." -- Joseph Joubert "The difference between literature and journalism is that journalism is unreadable, and literature is not read". -- Oscar Wilde For more small press materials, try: http://home.echo-on.net/~castraughan/ NOW FOR SOME EXERCISES: The following may be useful to you in your writing pursuits, especially those just beginning to put their thoughts to paper or disk. The reason we've put this together is because so many people have asked, "How can I learn to write better?" I honestly don't know the answer to that question, except to say it has something to do with both imagination and concentration - both "skills" that are not always easily learned. Hopefully, though - some of the following, at least, will be of some value to readers. These are notes from actual sessions or workshops on writing held with people attending a community program, so readers will have to pretend they're in a group setting while doing some of these exercises. If a group can be formed, all the better. You'll not only learn from one another, but you'll most likely make new friends, and tune into sources of information you had perhaps never thought of before. Good luck. FIRST, TRY A SIMPLE EXERCISE In the first part of this exercise, we will write down a dream we have had that has left an impression on us. When everyone is finished, the papers will be folded and mixed together. Each person will then choose one, but if you select your own, please put it back and take another. Someone will then begin, by reading (aloud) the dream he or she has chosen, and everyone will in turn say something about how they would feel if the dream had been theirs, and how they might incorporate it into a story, poem or article. When we have discussed the first dream in this manner, we will move on to the next one, and so on, until all have been read and discussed. There is no purpose in knowing who has had these dreams, but if you do not want others to know a particular dream has been yours, you should mention this before we begin.... Errors? Who - Us?? There are many ways to improve both your vocabulary and writing skills. One way is, whenever you are reading and come across a word you aren't sure of, circle it, write it down and look it up. Often you can get the sense of a word by its use in a sentence, but not always. A good dictionary is essential to a writer. However, never make the mistake many people do, of writing (or trying to write) using words they have heard just because they like the sound of them, or thinking their writing will be somehow enhanced simply because of the use of fancy-sounding words. Learn the meaning of the words, even search out their roots. Become familiar with it, then it will be at your disposal, if the need for it arises as you write. It's good to become with how a thesauris works, too, but don't rely on it too much. A great help at times, it also can promote a habit of laziness; you won't write your best then, because you won't truly be using your imagination. A plot is a plot is a plot, but some are more exiting than others. Some, also, are more intresting. While a writer may think he or she is writing the finest story ever written, others may think the opposite. If you're not superstitious, run it by someone you can trust will honestly tell you what they think. Having someone pat you on the back simply because you're their friend may be encouraging, but is it constructive? It's better to know a little of the truth than to believe the truth to be something other than what it is. You might be surprised how helpful another opinion can be at times. Don't be afraid to make misstakes -- that's how we learn, isn't it? ** How many errors are there in the above text? ** NOW TRY THIS... Since we do not all have the same schedules, some of these exercises will carr over from time to time, for those who have not yet done them. This should not present a problem, as we are all working at different speeds anyway. Everyone, however, should carry out the exercises so that feedback will be available to all. The following exercise is meant to increase your self-awareness, and to help you see how a character in a story may be seen by a reader in many ways. To illustrate this, one person will volunteer to describe to the group, in writing, what he or she would like to be, if it were possible to become anything at all. The rest of the group will, at the same time, write down what the person makes them think of. Then, we will compare notes. You must be honest -- if you see the person as a four-legged chicken, for example, say so. Try to be positive in your approach. We are not doing this to make anyone feel bad. Therefore, if someone really does "see" a four-legged chicken, tell us why, but also how having four legs might prove to be beneficial, etc. (That is a poor example, though, and it is expected we will hear much better ones). You may see (or want to be) anything at all -- an animal, plant, object, element, force, you name it! In fact, your imagination is the only limit. SOMETHING YOU MIGHT WANT TO TRY ON YOUR OWN What is your favourite word? Why? What does it make you think of? Write about it. Use it in as many ways as you can. What are some other, similar words? A SMALL ASSIGNMENT: If you were a plant (flower or weed), would you be best described as FLORA or FAUNA? What sort of plant would you like to be? Why? If you were that plant, where would you be living? Write a little about your place in the world, in your plant persona. SOME NOTES Those of you who have been attending more or less regularly will remember we have gone through the exercise of writing about what we might like to be, if we could be anything at all. We'll describe, in writing, how we actually see ourselves. Do you see yourself as a tree, a river, a fog, building or what? You can be anything you like, but please try to be realistic. What might you be compared with? For example, I remember one lady who described herself as being a bird in a cage. When we have finished, someone will read what he or she has written, and the rest of us will discuss what how we would feel if we saw ourselves that way. Everyone will have the chance to be heard. Be honest, and give yourself and others some positive input. AN EXERCISE Today we are going to try to write something using words we may not be familiar with. You will be given a dictionary, which the person next to you will open at random. Without looking, put your finger somewhere on the page. Write down the word the finger is closest to. The person next to you will do this three more times, and you will choose three more words in the same way, writing them down. Look at the four words, and make sure you know their meanings. If you're uncertain, all the better. In this case, check the dictionary. Now, write a sentence using all four words in it. The sentence must make sense. Remember, sometimes words have more than one meaning. This exercise teaches us not to take words for granted. It also reminds us, at times, a writer must do a bit of research. |
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