Today's Mood: Relaxed. Today's Music: The Call. Today's Writing: Chapter 6 of IFFY. Today's Quote:
- Writing gives you the illusion of control, and then you realize it's just an illusion, that people are going to bring their own stuff into it.
![[info]](http://www.quotationspage.net/icon_info.gif)
![[add]](http://www.quotationspage.net/icon_plus.gif)
![[mail]](http://www.quotationspage.net/icon_email.gif)
David Sedaris, interview in Louisville Courier-Journal, June 5, 2005
*******
How awesome is it to have someone read your manuscript? And having someone WANT to read your manuscript is even cooler than that! I'm one of those people who gets to a certain point with revision and just wants to be done. Sick of it. Not sure what else to change. Sometimes I even feel like I'm making it worse instead of better. But when someone else is reading it, it gives me fresh enthusiasm. I want to know what parts he/she likes or dislikes. And of course, if I don't hear anything, then I think--oh man! It's so bad that he/she doesn't even want to tell me how bad it is! Thankfully, I usually find out I haven't heard from said person because he/she has been busy with his/her own life. Imagine that! My manuscript wasn't the top priority! Go ahead and laugh. (I do--albeit somewhat sheepishly) But I bet you do the same thing when someone has your precious writing.I think I'm getting better at reading as a writer. If it's a really good story, I'm still sucked in. But then I will often go back and look it over afterward to figure out what made it so good. I think small writing group has helped me be able to verbalize (and for me, that means think!) what it is about a piece of writing that works and that doesn't work.
In middle and high school, when I ask the students why they like or dislike a book, often they can't tell me. They can usually figure it out if I ask them questions: Did the characters seem realistic? How about the ending? Did you like how the main character solved the problem? But they almost seemed surprised.
The more I write (and hang out with writers) the better I become at recognizing (and appreciating even if I can't always emulate) good writing. The down side is that sometimes I realize the authors I enjoy must have rushed (or been rushed) into publishing before the story was tightened and polished. (The last Harry Potter I read out loud to my daughter was that way. Really would have read better if it had been tightened. Of course, reading out loud is a great way to catch that!)
Do you read? Do you think being a writer has changed the way you read? Does that help you write? Do you wish I'd quit asking questions?* And what are you writing? (Or if you are Robyn, what is your word count now?)
------------
*And if you want me to quit asking stupid questions, then email your email address and I'll add you as an author so YOU can post anything you want instead of listening to my b.s.--or philosophy as some call it.
10 comments:
I read...and yes it does influence my writing. I read Gene Hill, Corey Ford, John Madson and others while I found my own voice. I stole words and phrases, tried to emulate their style, and learned about tallgrass prairies, great real-life and imaginary characters, and had my outdoor values confirmed.
Reding good writing helps identify poor--maybe unpolished would be a better word choice--writing in ourselves or others. It makes me edit tighter and eliminate unnecessary words, especially small adjectives like the and prepositional phrases. That leaves more room for important words.
I once wrote for a childrens' nature magazine. I was alloted 150 words. Everything not needed got eliminated. Best experience I've ever had.
Keep asking questions, Sarah. It makes us all think.
Larry-- I totally agree that having a strict word limit helps you winnow out the non-essential. For two years in a row I wrote for Samsung's Hope for Education grant. 100 words. It reminded me of playing scrabble. Every single word had to be considered. Every word had to matter. Great fun and you're right--great writing practice. (Of course, winning 10,000 and then 20,000 in equipment and software always sweetens the experience--but still!)
And thanks for reading and writing on the blog. It makes me feel like I'm not all alone as I chip words out of stone, sitting at my little desk between the cat litter pans and the washer and dryer.
Sarah;
Nice anaolgy about the scrable. I never looked at it that way.
No. Thank you for setting up the blog. It helps my writing knowing others are struggling too.
Just to prove the point about reading, this ran in the Grand Rapids Press. Sometimes reading also shows us how not to write.
"But we kept an eye on her( a loon) every day from shore, from the open porch of the cabin where we were staying. Sitting there in comfort, with the help of binoculars, we could see her with morning coffee and evening refreshments." I didn't know loons even drank coffee, yet alone an evening drink. Must be where "crazy as a loon" came from. And do we need to know the cabin was on the shore?
Or another passage: "There was the fascinating wing flutter of a fishing osprey, hovering before it plunged into the lake for a meal."
Revisions yield fewer words. There was an osprey hovering on fluttering wings before plunging into the lake for a fish. Fascinating.
"I'm always captivated by the mask, marking, and crest of the cedar waxwings, the black mask of the commomn yellowthroat, and the endless circling of the gulls."
The cedar waxwings' mask, marking and crest, the common yellowthroats' black mask, and the gulls endless circling always captivate me.
Seven fewer words, leaving room for more observations.
Sarah,
Yes, I read - I read two books last week - your "Black Dragon" and Lev Raphael's "Hot Rocks". Really enjoyed 'Dragon' and hope it sees print soon - I'm using it with my clients who can relate.
I'm also reading Harper Lee's bio.
My book has now been read by a dozen people - friends, family and members of reading groups. So far the reviews are good. I'm looking forward to getting feedback from people who don't know me. One friend said, "I don't know if I like this book so much because I know you, or if it's really this good."
I'm hoping it's really this good.
Mike
Mike--
That's an interesting point--whether or not knowing a person influences us when we read their writing. I suppose it did when I read your manuscript. I had just been in a group with you--plus we've been blogging a lot--so when I was reading I found myself wanting to talk to you or respond to you. Especially at first. But the story and characters, well, they started to become separate from you. They took on their own life and momentum. I think that is the mark of a powerful story--one where I forget about the writing, and have to go back to look at it because I've been so caught up in the story that I've forgotten to comment.
I read the third book in the Magic or Madness trilogy--Magic's Child (by Justine Larbalestier)Great story! I love the idea of magic being something other than good, the idea that being magic makes you feel special, and therefore makes you more self-centered. Very interesting and well-written.
Vampire books are big right now in YA. I have another one on my pile to read over the summer (the downfall (joy) of being a librarian!) Tantalize. Sounds intriguing, yes? I'll let you know what I think of it.
Hi, Sarah--
Yes, it's finally me. While I sit here trying to describe TJ's painting, the red cover of Ellen Hopkins' Impulse is staring back at me. I've only read a few pages and I'm already hooked. As Larry said, few words can create an incredible impact.
As I've grown as a writer, I find myself constantly looking at things I read differently, sometimes rearranging sentences in my head or scribbling down lines that have really stuck with me. One of the best books I've read (and not because I liked the story) was a book that made me so angry with the characters and the circumstances that I wanted to throw it. Yet I couldn't put it down. I can only strive to make such a connection with a reader.
As for manuscripts, I spent a few days last week going over the first fifty pages of a friend's novel. While in some ways, knowing the writer can color the work, it's also fun and exciting to see how much that person has grown.
And for the curious...
Current word count: somewhere 106,000 (sorry, don't have my calculator handy for the exact number)
Current mood music: It's been a MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE kind of day
And Sarah, you already have my e-mail address. You just wrote me last week. :-)
Robyn! How great to hear from you. I was hoping to get Songs about Jane before I left for camping--but no such luck. And what a good writer, actually writing instead of reading Impulse. Once you start it... you won't put it down.
The more I write (and hang out with writers) the better I become at recognizing (and appreciating even if I can't always emulate) good writing.
Sarah:
Your persistence and initiative really deserve some reinforcement. Your quote above is absolutely true-- especially the emulating part. In our Okemos writers group this past week, one of us (who can really write) had not had time to bring a new piece. So literally on the fly, while the rest of us ate pizza, she took phrases we were using in our conversation, pulled out her computer, and started writing. About 10 minutes (if that) later, she printed the result. The astounding part was not the nonsense, which did show up here and there, but rather the number of phrases she'd turned or thoughts she'd strung together that were actually interesting-- and insightful.
Just being around that kind of ability is humbling, but also mesmerizing-- to see what some can do with virtually no material to work with.
Thanks for blogging!
Patrick
The more I write (and hang out with writers) the better I become at recognizing (and appreciating even if I can't always emulate) good writing.
Sarah:
Your persistence and initiative really deserve some reinforcement. Your quote above is absolutely true-- especially the emulating part. In our Okemos writers group this past week, one of us (who can really write) had not had time to bring a new piece. So literally on the fly, while the rest of us ate pizza, she took phrases we were using in our conversation, pulled out her computer, and started writing. About 10 minutes (if that) later, she printed the result. The astounding part was not the nonsense, which did show up here and there, but rather the number of phrases she'd turned or thoughts she'd strung together that were actually interesting-- and insightful.
Just being around that kind of ability is humbling, but also mesmerizing-- to see what some can do with virtually no material to work with.
Thanks for blogging!
Patrick
Post a Comment