Dani's Diary

[Ghost_Tracker]

Originally Posted by daniellaaarisen

I'm surprised I haven't mentioned my love of writing on this thread, especially since it is such a defining part of who I am. Plus, I consider Stevie Nicks my catalyst, the writer who showed me the written word's capacity to not only emotionally sway a reader but also to change him or her. I have very poor confidence in my abilities as a writer, seeing myself as incompetent in some form throughout every piece I write. .

We're most-def going to have to disabuse you of THAT notion real fast;
especially since you're the only one on the planet who thinks that!

However, having said that:

1.) A writer is NEVER as good as she or he is one day going to get.
(I know the whole malarky about "peak creativity" in the 20s and
30s and "certain realities" and all that - - but it's the attitude that
counts - that you're always growing and learning and becoming
better.)

2.) i.m.o. you can NEVER read enough Poul Anderson. Science Fiction fans
read Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke and Robert Heinlein and thought,
"My God. I'll NEVER be that good!"
Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke and Robert Heinlein read Poul Anderson
and thought, "My GOD! I'll NEVER be that good! "
They were quite correct to say that, and were never more right in their lives.
The "Three Greats" of science fiction just simply "didn't have it" compared to him.

3.) They once asked a great writer - sorry I forgot who - what his or her influences
were. The answer was, ".....EVERYTHING!"



From Samantha Power, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Literature:

"NEVER use the big word when the small word will do."

I'll add to that - don't use the big OR the small word.
Use the CORRECT word.
An instructor in a Genetics class once said to me when I got a 'C' on a test,
"It's the PRECISION of THOUGHT, Tim!"
Believe it or not, I think the same thing is true of truly good writing, in a way.
It's a balance between the emotional and the cognitive, and it's VERY hard
to really find it. But it's a very healthy "exercise"; and the rewards are
enormous.

P.S. - Puzzles can be fun and helpful too. For example, "list all the ways you can think of that black and white are similar."

P.S. II - I'm not saying you lack them, but you have GOT to get yourself some basic skills - the tools of writing:
Grammar, spelling, sentence structure, punctuation - when to use a semi-colon or a comma, for example -
where to place a colon when you are using quotes (it goes on the OUTSIDE - like this ---> ":
the foundations of writing. Learn ALL of this that you possibly can and know it like the back
of your hand.
You can write all the beautiful stuff in the world that you want
but an editor is NOT going to clean up your writing for you. That's BASIC in the "big leagues"
and they just simply don't have time. It also is a big turn-off and makes them doubt their
first impression of the quality of what they've just skimmed over.

Stephen King said it best: "If you're going to break the rules, you have to KNOW them first!"