Humorous chart

Hope you can open this article: http://www.boingboing.net/2011/03/31/what-the-writing-pro.html

If not, at least the graphic writing chart.

Ellen Gilchrist

Although Ellen Gilchrist has already been covered, I enjoyed Chelseas post on her and thought I could benefit observing her specific writing skills as well.I would like to start of with a little about her. Ellen was a creative writing teacher at the University of Arkansas and has been quoted as saying, "I have learned much from my students and hope they have learned from me." Critics say she has subtle perceptions and unique characters with a strong sense of the writers voice.

Her first book of poetry named "The Land Surveyor's Daughter" in 1979 followed with "Riding out the Tropical Depression" but most of the attention came from her writing of fiction. "In the Land of Dreamy Dreams" which sold 10,000 copies in the southwest alone, and later followed it up with "Victory Over Japan" which won the 1984 American Book Award for fiction. Ellen kept some of the characters alive from "In the Land of Dreamy Dreams" and continued their journeys but in a different direction which i find very interesting. I must say I love the chapter in her book entitled, "Breaking the Rules" because it almost gives me , what I feel to be, a greater range to write in without worrying some imaginary alarm is going to go off if my writing doesn't follow to the letter of what some may call standard rules of writing. In any event, I hope to learn much from her.

I'm back!

I truly enjoyed Janet Evanovich! She will continue to be a mentor to me. But on to something new. Not sure what, but I had thought about using Bird to Bird. I will see. But this week I will leave this: A freebee from Kindle How I Write Novels, by Margaret Wolfe Hamilton (1855-1897).

I love the following excerpt from her: To sit down in cold blood and deliberately set to cudgel one's brains with a view to dragging from them a plot wherewith to make a book is (I have been told) the habit of some writers, and those of no small reputation. Happy people! What powers of concentration must be theirs! What a belief in themselves--that most desirable of all beliefs, that sweet propeller toward the temple of fame. Have faith in yourself, and all me, will have faith in you.

Doesn't that define the magic of writing!

Anne Lamott's, "Bird by Bird"

In starting my new book to read, I’ve chosen Anne Lamott’s, “Bird by Bird.” Starting off she talks about the process of getting started in your writing and how you should go about it. The best way to get started when trying to write Lamott says was to think about your childhood. This really made sense to me because there were so many experiences that one had of that time period. Then she goes on to give examples of just what instances one could further write on. To be really serious about writing, she says that you should schedule a set time for each day in which you will focus all your energy on writing. In her words she states, “This is how you train your unconscious to kick in for you creatively.” Writing no doubt at times can be a very challenging thing to do, but sometimes one can exert too much energy in trying to do so. To make the idea of writing easier and not as stressful, she says that she just writes one paragraph This paragraph is nothing more than a description of whatever you are going to write about whether it is the setting of the story, or something about the main character. For this to be the beginning of this book, she is giving some good pointers already and I’m eager to read more lol!

Annie Dillard

Well I've began my reading of Annie Dillard's 'The Writing Life' and in the very beginning she speaks of a hard truth some of us have already experienced. We've had to get rid of many things in our own stories and have to leave behind the tracks. She says when you write a book you can either get over the deleting of some of your work now or waste a whole year thinking about it. She describes writing by first describing painting. A painter can go over older versions and pretty much get rid of them easily (Obviously she hasn't tried certain types of paint. *laughs*) but a writer must right left to right, on the left is the discardable beginning chapters while in the middle we have the begginings of the latest versions and they harden at the end. She is indeed right when she says that we love our stories. We go over them so many times that they seem like poerty too us-- almost like every word fits together, but the key is reading from another person's point of view. Does it make sense if you were reading for the first time?

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

Just read it; appalled by it; saw little literary merit despite reading several reviews. Picked up the following, which suggests, in my humble opinion, literary snobbery as a possible reason for its fame (or notoriety):

Fritz Oehlshlaeger, in "The Stoning of Mistress Hutchinson Meaning of Context in 'The Lottery'" (Essays in Literature, 1988), wrote:

The name of Jackson's victim links her to Anne Hutchinson, whose Antinomian beliefs, found to be heretical by the Puritan hierarchy, resulted in her banishment from Massachusetts in 1638. While Tessie Hutchinson is no spiritual rebel, to be sure, Jackson's allusion to Anne Hutchinson reinforces her suggestions of a rebellion lurking within the women of her imaginary village. Since Tessie Hutchinson is the protagonist of "The Lottery", there is every indication that her name is indeed an allusion to Anne Hutchinson, the American religious dissenter. She was excommunicated despite an unfair trial, while Tessie questions the tradition and correctness of the lottery as well as her humble status as a wife. It might as well be this insubordination that leads to her selection by the lottery and stoning by the angry mob of villagers.

Each to his (or her) own, I guess. Perhaps the key to success is to shock: I can do that.

She Writes! She Writes Ad!

Reading through the magazine that I was given to look through, I finally ran across this little brief ad that actually sounded interesting. This ad was letting readers know of a website that has now been created (www.shewrites.com) that is beneficial to all writers. This website sounds awesome because it states that it is just like having a fellow writer right there in your presence while writing. On this site there are people ready to answer whatever questions you may have, boost your efforts, and pick you up when you feel your writing is going downhill. This is a hell lot different than these social sites out there because this website is strictly about writing matters. It is a place where there are different writing and reading groups, public forums for you to interact in and even chat in private rooms. If you happen to not like the groups or forums already put forth, then you have the ability to create your own. That was really cool to hear to me. On this site as well there is a service page with a huge list of businesses that can offer you professional author’s assistance in doing things such as writing, editing, reading, public speaking and so forth. Even though the name of the site seems to be for only females, it clearly states to pay no mind to that because both male and female writers are welcome there. The only thing asked of to become a member is that you must consider yourself to be a writer. I definitely think I might check this site out to see if it is as helpful as it seems lol..

"On Writing"

Stephen King spoke at this point of his book about the crisis that he feels every writer has faced, which is writer’s block. His experience with writer’s block was when writing his book, “The Stand.” King said to get his thoughts back on track he would often take long walks. This was the time he would just enjoy the sites (birds chirping, view of trees, etc.) and think about what he was writing. He made it known that it truly isn’t an option to abandon your writing work because you into a block. This was especially true if you have put so much time and energy into your work. I know myself I have encountered writer’s block too many times and yes it is very frustrating. I guess I should have read this book a little earlier in life because I threw away a lot of work that I had started working on lol.

He also speak of the importance of a theme. King spoke of his struggle while writing, "The Stand" also. It involves a lot of thinking, and he says that you have to look back over your whole story to see what the basis of your story is about.

The Writer - Advice & inspiration for today's writer

I finally picked up one of the writers' magazines & have enjoyed perusing it. I was excited to see an interview with John Berendt who wrote Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil which I have read, & I also saw the movie again recently.

He stresses what seems to be a recurring theme from the writers I have read about and that is the importance of listening. I would assume most writers wag around a little notebook or one of the newer electronic devices to jot things down as they hear them. I certainly would not be able to remember much without writing things down.

Berendt also stressed the importance of setting, saying that "each city has a personality, a mood, a history." Of course Midnight was set in Savannah, & his descriptions are very charming & colorful & really draw the reader in.

Another article which piqued my interest was storySouth, "an online literary journal devoted to 'provocative meditations on the Southern experience.'" I'm on my way to that website now & will report back later.

I was amused by an ad for Robert McKee's "storylogue"--an ongoing, online community for writers. For a free preview go to: www.storylogue.com. I haven't been there yet either. Seems to me that writers need to be unencumbered by family of any kind. One could spend every waking hour in writing pursuits. This writing thing seems addictive!

Congratulations (I hope)

Terron--If you are the Terron who's on the Merit's List honor roll, congratulations! If you're NOT the Terron on the list, I hope you'll be on it next time. Betty

Holy Advertisements, Batman!

I was amazed that spirituality, church, faith-based and Christian writing were featured in so many ads. The only other content-based genres were adult and children's' writing. Hmmm. There is a whole category of "New Age/Spiritual" Markets ranging from "The Mountain Astrologer" to "Fate" -accounts of the weird and unknown. The next two and a half pages are asking for submissions on "Religion." Catholics, Buddhists, Quakers, Pentecostals...what a list!
I am spiritually awakened.

Short Story Article

Short story writers, this is for you! Robert Papinchak writes an analysis of stories by D.H. Lawrence and John Updike showing how each author introduces setting, time, a main character and a theme in the beginning of a story. (Lawrence and Updike are in my pantheon of divine writers, so I found the article even more interesting.)
Both stories take place over the course of a few hours, but each describes a long emotional journey. Lawrence's "Odour of Chrysanthemums" follows the pregnant wife of a coal miner from waiting for her husband to come home at dusk to preparing his body for burial. Her emotions move from disdain and dislike for him to an acceptance of the fact that she really never knew him. Lawrence captures the dreary life of the miner's family and the fact that the miner's life and his home life are two separate arenas. His descriptions of the gritty, noisy coal mine and the cozy, homey world of the mother and children foreshadow the wife's emotional insight at the end. Updike, in "A Sense of Shelter," uses description to bring a high school senior to life showing him as comfortable in the surroundings of his school. When he confesses his love to a girl he worships, he finds that she wants only to graduate and never come back. Again, two characters living in separate worlds.
The article made me want to go back and read Lawrence and Updike with a more critical eye.
("Laying the Groundwork." Robert Papinchak, "The Writer," May, 2009.)

bird by bird

I finished Anne Lamott's book on writing. Woohoo! I'm a writer. Although I have written and been published (a little), I was not able to call myself a writer. It sounded pretentious. "Real" writers were something much more exalted and important. Reading Lamott's descriptions of writing gave me more perspective. No, I am not a professional writier, but I can call myself a writer. Thank you Anne Lamott! If any of you are looking for a second book, "bird by bird" is great.

Goodbye and Hello

As I say goodboye to Booca, I must give him credit for making such an easy book to read. He gives step by step his approach to writing. He would know since he has had several books on the best sellers list. His books starts off with the rules of writing then continues to the act of writing then talks of plot, going into details and feelings, action and dialogue, and then putting it all together. Bocca says, "when you have the last draft of your novel done, the real hard work begins." Bocca's You Can Write A Novel would be a book that I would recommend to everyone. The next book is a self help book entitled Writing Clearly. This book is basically going to talk about writing clearly. The first section How to Use This Book, details how you can use the book as a guide. One of the first things that I saw to catch my attention was how to communicate effectively. This is what I have a problem with sometimes. So I will definately be looking at some of the things in here so I can understand how to be a more effective communicator.

On Writing, by Anthony Burgess

Deciding one day that his privileged students at the Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin College in Brunei simply did not want to be taught, Anthony Burgess abruptly abandoned the teaching profession - by lying face down on the classroom floor. It was, he said, "a willed collapse out of sheer boredom and frustration."

Two years later, in 1962, Burgess published his diabolic fable A Clockwork Orange - and set off on one of the most productive (and eccentric) careers in modern British literature.

From:http://grammar.about.com/od/writersonwriting/a/burgesslang07.htm

Posted for little other reason than that you might enjoy it. Burgess was one of my favorite writers for a while. Please enjoy one of his quotations:

“If you write fiction you are, in a sense, corrupted. There's a tremendous corruptibility for the fiction writer because you're dealing mainly with sex and violence. These remain the basic themes, they're the basic themes of Shakespeare whether you like it or not.”

On Reading Magazines for Writers

This whole 'Creative Writing' course is a voyage of self-discovery. I knew I wasn’t a magazine reader, I just didn’t realize how little interest I really have in reading them. I think I’m more of a ‘discussing’ person – some would say ‘arguing’ – and, probably due to my British background, that’s best undertaken in a British pub with a group of friends and with a couple of good pints already inside you. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the first few pages of “The Writer".
The article I’ve chosen to ‘review’ is called “Casting Words in Nature’s Best Light”, by Caitlin O’Connell. Ms. O’Connell is “a consulting professor at Stanford School of Medicine and teaches science writing…” online: she has written three non-fiction books and her novel is about to be published. She’s very much into photography and “…has been studying elephant ecology and behavior”, and one of her writing interests is getting science students really ‘turned on’ to their subject. One of her beautiful photographs of elephants in the magazine probably drew my interest. I really like elephants, too.
There is a line from a play or a movie I’ve seen where a writer is asked by a reporter what the book he has written is all about. The writer replies to the effect that if he could answer that question in a few short sentences then he wouldn’t have needed to write the book. I have the same difficulty summing up what Ms. O’Connell is saying in her article. However, I must try. I think it’s best summed up in the single quotation from the article: “How to look at what surrounds you – in some cases, what seems everyday, normal – and cast it in its most radiant form, to see with words that serve as a crutch for others, who, for whatever reason in their hurried life, may look but cannot see on their own.” Not grammatically correct, but that's another issue...
I think that’s what I believe – that everything I write should have the sole purpose of waking my reader up. That’s arrogant, of course - the assumption that I’m awake while everyone else is half asleep - and it’ll probably mean that I’ll never get published as long as I have that attitude. Are my readers paying to be woken up, or to be entertained? That’s rhetorical, by the way.
Seriously, though, Ms. O’Connell’s article has made me think that everything I write - every sentence – should have a purpose, the purpose being to convey to my reader an experience they perhaps have not previously had. A tall order, but a worthwhile goal to strive for?

Reaction to an ad

I had no idea in a writer's magazine they would advertise a place to rent.

The ad said:

Writer's Dream: summer breezes, fall foliage, quiet. Completely furnished cottage on the northern coast of Maine. By week or months. www.grayspointcottage.com - deann@busygal.org - 352-573-0013.

I actually went to the website to get a better idea. But I think it is a smart move to put an ad like that in a writer's magazine when often writer's seem to either want solitude, to clear their heads, or to get away so they can get organized and just sit and write. And after looking at the pictures on the website, I think it would definitely be a place that would be good to go to write or get ideas. If I was writing and needed to get away from all the clutter in my head and house, I would definitely go stay there. It looked peaceful. So I thought it was a surprise but interesting/smart move to do that because I'm sure they would get responses from writers.

My article reaction

The article I chose to share my thoughts on was in the Sell Your Own Work edition of The Writer magazine. The article was called "What Harper Lee taught me about writing and the writing life." I chose this article because when I saw it was about Harper Lee, I knew that was the one. Harper Lee wrote To Kill a Mockingbird. Out of all the books I've had to read in high school and college thus far, that is by far the best required text. It is such a vivid story with a great point and it tells about a time that I wasn't there for but the way Lee told the story, I felt like I experienced it. But anyways, about the article. I kind of thought it was ironic for another author that is not Lee to be writing a book about a young girl whose favorite book is To Kill a Mockingbird. But I did like that the author was using the book itself as a "writing tool." I think you can tell a lot about an author by looking at their work.

I actually found out a few things I didn't know in this article. I didn't know that Lee's father served as the model for Atticus, Dill resembled her friend Truman Capote and she was tomboyish like Scout. There was even a neighbor that left presents in a tree like Boo Radley did. All of this goes to show, you know your characters and you base things off your experiences. (I think some good advice because look what happened when she wrote what she knew.)

Lee actually started To Kill a Mockingbird as a series of short stories, then she took off two and a half years to revise it.

I love the quote they included that Lee said, "Writing is a process of self-discipline you must learn before you can call yourself a writer. There are people who write, but I think they're quite different from people who must write."

The author also learns from Lee that you should include an element of surprise. The example she picks is great because it is when Atticus takes one shot and kills the rabid dog. And How Scout and Jem learned something surprising about their father who is soft spoken. I remember reading that part of the book and being just as surprised as Scout and Jem were, which is why the book is so great because you feel like you're there.

She also says to let your characters grow in the novel, to hope for the best and expect nothing (I think is a great thing in life, not just writing) and to be humble.

I loved this article because for one, I learned a few things I didn't know, I felt it had good advice and supporting evidence as to how it works and I thought it was great to see an article that shows well written work and why especially from Harper Lee because I think everyone should read that book.

Final thoughts on The Writing Life

Since I had technical difficulties not being able to get on blog for a majority of the class so far, I wrote down little notes on parts of the book the stuck out to me. I'm going to try to sum up my thoughts. This book showed a different point of view on a person who is unlike anyone I've met but through Ellen Gilchrist's writing I feel like I know her and her crazy ways she gets things done when writing. She talks about she often would ditch her friends when she got going on a writing frenzy. What a dedicated writer.

She talks about how you don't have to have traveled around the world to be a writer. Although I think having more experience worldly helps, she says write about what you know. And if you're tired of writing and feeling forced, take a break. She repeated often in her book that writing is rewriting. Which I think Roy talked about in class how your story evolves and then you should go back and rewrite it. But Gilchrist talks about how you should write, edit, rewrite, edit again and keep repeating until you've got it.

She says you should know your characters. You should know who their great-grandparents were and where they lived. How many siblings did he have? What did he think about when he was a child? Did he play sports? Did he go to church? What is mother cooked for him? What is parents did? What he got for Christmas? She says you should know them in and out. You don't have to include all the information, just know it.

She also often said show don't tell which I know Ms. G tells us often.

She says you need to trust yourself. If you write something that you think is funny, don't second guess, the reader will think it is.

She says students often fear writing because they fear what they write won't be good. So they don't know until they write. So she says write!

All in all the best way I'd sum this up in lesser words is that Gilchrist's message is to trust yourself, write what you know, show it don't tell, and that writing is rewriting. I'm not exactly sure what specific thing I take away from this book, probably the idea of writing without fearing what it will turn out to be. But the book is great :)

Eudora Welty, etc.

This bleepin' blog thingy (do I sound like SP?) is driving me nuts! (I was gonna say "friggin'" but looked it up & it says, "a way to say f*cking when your parents are around" so I decided not to use it. Anyway, I responded to Charlie's blog but apparently forgot to press the magic button to record it so it went away. I just finished what I thought was a pretty clever blog on my friend, Eudora, and while trying to figure out how to italicize a book title, I pressed something and "poof"! if vanished. Soooo--I will try again.

Eudora is now tucked safely back in the Accomac Library shelves but is still on my mind, & I wanted to share a few more comments. One of her quotes regarding writing was, "Every feeling waits upon its gesture." I find this rather difficult w/ regard to our current assignment which does not allow our using stage directions; thus, we must empower our characters solely through their use of words. Not easy for me. One of Welty's short stories, Robber Bridegroom, was made into a play, but SHE did not have to worry about not using stage directions.

Another of her observations was that the frame "through which I view the world has changed with time." Oh how true. When I read some of my writings of long ago I am amused and sometimes bewildered at some of it. She also says writing is a way to discover sequence--i.e., cause and effect, and that meanings are discovered through retrospect--threads to memory.

My son-in-law spent a summer acting in Jackson, MS, and was fortunate enough to meet Ms. Welty in the home where she lived when she was born and when she died (now a museum). After keeping him and others in the cast waiting for about thirty minutes, she appeared and announced in her syrupy southern drawl, "I hope you'll forgive my slow pokery." He thought that was very funny. She was in her eighties at the time.

Interestingly, I just finished a book (The Help--forget the italics!) which was set in Jackson, MS. The author's descriptions about the South were similar to Eudora's.

And now, Dear Hearts, I'm going to press the magic button and hope this cotton-pickin' thing flies.

5 roadblocks to good Writing....

Bonnie Trenga, a freelance writer and editor wrote a very interesting article which gives good pointers for a new writers on what to avoid in order to do good writing. If people tend to read your writing and decide to put it away on a shelf and never pick it up again, that means that there was something that your booked truly lacked. Bonnie called this mistakes traffic cones, because they stop the flow of your work being good. Those 5 factors that she considered the 5 roadblocks consisted of being too jumbled, too dull, too general, too inapproppriate, and too awkward. In speaking on the first traffic cone, being too jumbled, basically says to keep your ideas of writing together. It's not healthy to jump from one idea to the next zizzagging because that will just cause the reader to get confused. Bonnie believes that the use of an outline would also be helpful, because in doing drafts you will be able to find the places in your writing that are lacking in organization. The next traffic cone is being too dull. Bottom line you don't want to bore out your readers with a rhythm structure that is similar throughout your writing. You should make sure that you don't start every sentence you have the same way. By jazzing up your sentences by using a fragment or a compound sentence, you will be keeping your reader alert and interested. The next traffic cone is being too general. Don't sound like everyone else's work, be creative. You can do this by using different vocabulary, and make your writing have a voice that will stand out that different from everybody else. Traffic cone 4 is being too inappropriate. Use a vocabulary that is truly fitting for what you are writing. Yes you may want to impress your readers, but don't do so by using fancy vocabulary that doesn't need to be there or use improper grammar unless it is realistic of the character. The last traffic cone is being too awkward. This basically says that you don't want the one reading your writing to be distracted by a distortion in grammar, punctuation or your spelling. If the reader has too much to battle which trying to read the paper, they will have a hard time getting through your paper.

This tips were really helpful and truthful as well...

"On Writing"

King goes on playing emphasis about the importance of dialog and the creation of good characters. In creating characters you have to think about what's real and be able to describe what it is you see. The key to having a successful dialogue is being honest. In the character you have created you have to make the words that that character might say be real. It wouldn't be a good idea to make a hard criminal have real sensitive traits, that's just not realistic.

He also doesn't believe that a story or novel should be allowed outside of your writing room unless you are confident in what you wrote is just right for readers. King says that it's not possible to please all the readers of your work, but you should at least attempt to to please some of your readers. This is when truly you are .in control and have to be the judge of your own work. Being the judge of your own work, you are able to hear the words of the story for yourself and imagine the effects it will have on the reader. It is also important to have drafts when writing. Thinking realistically, you are not going to sit down and write a perfect copy your first go around. If King believes you need to write drafts, then I feel it is very necessary. By using drafts you are able to read your story and make additions and even take out things you deem unecessary. I felt this was very helpful to me, so I know it will be helpful to you lol!

Evanovich on deciding on a plot

Janet, surprisingly, stated that plotting isn't her favorite thing to do. She says that she listens " . . . to some cheesy disco music to get my energy up. Then I sit down with a yellow pad and a big bag of chips. I think about a crime and why it would occur. What were the bad guys thinking? What did they want? How did they do it? Why did they get caught? How did the capture go down? I see it as a movie. Then I write out my little time line of action."

Janet also likened plotting to Red Riding Hood. "Red is the good guy and the wold is the bad guy." Then the plot takes off from there - Little Red off to granny's. Wolf beats here there and locks up granny. Dresses in granny's nightgown - the crisis point. A pizza deliver guy happens along and saves Red. The End.

Funny stuff, but so true on plot development.

Since poetry is our next venture. . .

“Poetry can startle you, awaken you, make you fall in love, take your breath away. When those words sink in, you'll never look at your life or your journey the same way again.” — Maria Shriver, guest editor From Oprah's Website.

Final Post For Annie Dillard

Annie Dillard is an author who I find can utilize metaphors like no other author I have encountered before and she seems to enjoy doing so, yet inevitably gets her objective across crystal clear. She has left me with embracing the process of creative writing instead of fearing the changes to ones own personal writings that are necessary to achieve completion.

In the final chapters of Anne's book, she emphasizes several vital points that should help anyone who is attempting to write with creativity. Anne says that one must write in a very plain atmosphere so the "imagination can soar" and also makes an analogy that when writing, you should "aim for the chopping block" stated to mean go right to the heart of the matter. Do not beat around the bush but take a stand on whatever point is driving you at the time of its origin.

I enjoyed reading her positions on writing very much because it gave a glimpse of how someone who is on such an acclaimed level of writing faces the same fears that we all do when creating. We need to just forge ahead and let the words land where they may. Who knows, anything can happen

Gadgets on our Right

Remember to check out the gadgets on the right of our page from time to time.  For example, Betty sent me a link to an interesting site called Delanceyplace.  I have included a link to that blog/site under the Links to Articles about Writing and Reading gadget to our right.  Also, I will continue to add titles to the Books by Writers about Writing gadget.  Notice the new title by Rita Mae Brown?

Ads for Workshops on Writing and Such

In Arlington, Virginia, every May 1-3 in Metropolitan Washington, D.C. celebrate traditional mysteries, with guests of honors that have included people of notariety such as Elaine Viets, winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions in the literary world. Contact Anne Perry via Malice Domestic, P.O. Box 8007, Gaithersburg, MD 20898.
Also, in Roanoake, Virginia, Tinker Mountain Writer's Workshop take part in small classes dealing with advanced fiction, memoir-writing, freelancing, and manuscript reviews. To find out more, contact: Christine Powell, Tinker Mountain Writer's Workshop, hollins University, P.O. Box 9552, Roanoke, VA 34020.

Bluegrass Memories of a writer's clip

Dawn Goldsmith, a staff member of Ohio State Univesity's Development and Communications Department wrote a very interesting article on getting your foot in the door as far as being acknowledged for writing projects that act like a stepping stone to further your exposure and possibility of becoming a paid writer. In 1981, Dawn overcame her fear of people judging her writing as well as her fear of failure. A bluegrass band had returned home after winning a national blugrass contest. Their name was Blanchard Valley Bluegrass Boys and after researching their attributes, Dawn drug her husband to a concert they were doing and after the powers that be discovered her to being a writer, Dawn and her husband were escorted to the side of the stage to watch the performance.

Dawn wrote an article on the band and it was published in Bluegrass Unlimited to sum of $125.00 in her favor. More than just being paid for her writing, Dawn saw that it was possible for a small town person to become more than just a big fish in a small pond. By allowing herself to project herself outside the box, she began to compile her works to both regional and trade magazines, and Dawn was also made a writer and editorial assistant for her local newspaper. Writing locally taught her several important ways of overcoming deadlines while honing her style of writing as well.

Finally, her work with the newspaper opened the door for her current job at the university and continuing her writing in a forward motion opened yet another door with an internet writing workshop where together with Peggy Vincent, wrote a book called "Baby Catcher; Chronicles of a Modern Midwife" teaching her how to finesse the mechanics of other people's writings as well. Her growth as a writer increased when her focus was no longer revolving on monetary rewards. Although, by the level of her writing increasing, so did the financial accolades for her work. Her advice is to simply embrace criticism from others about your writing while not giving to much attention to self-criticism, and by doing so realizing that there are worse evils than someone rejecting your creation. "Write, write, and rewrite" are the ways she prescribes to becoming a better writer and to always keep your eye out for opportunities while enjoying the ride that your work will take you.

act of writing vs craft of writing

While continuing to read this easy to read book. I stumbled across something that I had to think about for a minute. Bocca says, "The act of writing - as opposed to the craft of writing - is an odd mixture fo continous self-discipline and self-administerd psychotherapy." I had never thought about the difference between the craft of writing and the act of writing itself. I just believed that the two were one in the same. Even now thinking about it I am having a hard time understanding the difference. I guess this means that I am not a true writer.

I find some things to be a little far fetched. Like he says, that he writes between 2000 and 2500 words per day and he works 363 days a year. To me this seems to be alot. He says of this total amount approximately 3/4 goes in the waste basket. To me this seems as if he is wasting alot of time doing nothing. I believe that if you are truly writing than everything that you write has a place. Now I understand that he has rough drafts, but this is a little much.

My New Friend

At last I have stumbled my way into the blogosphere! I have had plenty of time to bond with Eudora Welty who is (was) a well known southern writer. Her book is entitled One Writer's Beginnings. Much of her writing consists of short stories, and she writes of everyday things, drawing the reader in with her folksy dialogue. Her Why I Live at the P.O. is typical of her use of subtle humor. She stresses the importance of chronology as well as taking photographs as memory hooks. I am inspired to drag out my new digital camera which has been awaiting my use for almost two years now. I typed my husband's memoirs and having pictures from the past was a huge help.

Eudora had the good fortune to be born into a family who valued education and encouraged critical thinking and exploration. Her father was a gadget person & wanted to know the hows and wherefores of everything. His inquisitive nature was passed on to his only daughter. Her mother was a reader and promoted Eudora's reading as well. She was very interested in weather and includes meteorology in some of her writing.

Stay tuned for more on my new best friend, Eudora.