Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Writing

"I should write a book."
A phrase I hear often. A line heard in films, read in novels, whatever. How often does it really happen. To say the least, there are millions of books in the world, published, in the process or otherwise. It seems as though we who enjoy reading are addicted to the printed word, keeping a place for each character, place, and lesson in our hearts and minds. But I'll talk about reading some other time.
If you don't want to read about my writing, please skip to the next paragraph. I've kept a collection of "novels" and other ideas for stories in a couple of journals since I was 14. None of those stories are even near half-way through when it comes to the vision I have for them. I realized about 2 weeks ago that my situation is like that of Jo March in Little Women, or Anne Shirley in that I seem to write dramatic fantasy tales, or vicarious teen novels. I tried a new source for my ideas. Not necessarily from personal experience, but from real-life characters and people that I have come in contact with one way or another. I began writing it, thinking about what I wanted to happen, then realized that I was going to go about it in a way that was more like an exploration of my mind than scripting out a basic plot. Thus far there is no romance and very little drama. It seems to come as a vision when I am writing rather than a conclusion that I must lead up to. It seems as though I come up with story ideas that have a beginning and an end, with very little plot in between. It's very easy for me to begin a story, but when it comes to filling in the plot, I tend to drag, and make little progression in the way of creating a climax. Another note: all of the stories I have started are about 40 pages long, and no longer. I just get so many ideas, and get bored with the old ones., that I have to start a new one.
Enough about that "novel."
How is it that authors retain such distinctive styles in their writing. Some that are so obvious, and others subtle enough that it is difficult to capture exactly what it is that distinguishes them from the rest. Is it the vocabulary? Sentence structure? The type of stories they tell, or character development? I have a hard time pin pointing which of these qualities my favorite authors encompass.
Think about writing. Do you have a knack for poetry, or great story ideas? Writing is a great way to get to know ourselves. I find that when I write in a journal, or blog, I learn more about my motivations, attitude, and ways of thinking. When you write without purpose, just free writing, it's like drawing a picture of your thoughts. It can be theraputic as well. Whatever the reason, write. Write your thoughts, dreams, what you see, what you do, how you feel, write about something you love. Write about something you hate. Write.

1 comment:

Heidi said...

Amen, sister. Absolutely bloody brilliant. That is all.