Writing Workshops

Although there is probably some connection between my English major and my writing, I was fascinated with writing long before college. Perhaps, my formal study of literature helped fuel a continuing desire to write--but I'm not sure. Another possibility is that I studied Lit because I wanted to hear good minds speculate on how great writers wrote.

I am hoping that Kellyvinal does not feel that formal study of Lit or Creative Writing is THE pre-requisite for a person who wants to write well. There are many ways by which one may arrive at good writing. Think of those writers with heavily scientific backgrounds, for instance: Oliver Sacks, Lewis Thomas, Stephen Jay Gould, etc.

Also, during the 30 years I was teaching Lit and Creative Writing, I came across two students (both female) who wrote at a near-professional level, but who never read books beyond what was assigned in school. These two told me that they simply HAD to write--and both had been writing since they were young children. Other teachers have told me of encountering a very small number of extremely talented auto-didacts in writing. So, again, strong will and constant practice may be worth as much to one's written expression as any college degree.

I am convinced that there is no "best" background for writers.
Generally, if you feel a very strong urge to write, and you have a reasonably friendly environment, you'll do it--and keep at it. And (despite the young women mentioned above), it's also helpful to keep reading books that you like, and it's great to have a friend who encourages you! It's also worth noting that some good writers start rather late in life. I have talked with several who didn't feel that powerful desire to write until quite suddenly at 40 or 50. It surprised them, but because it was an imperative, they went with it.

Like Sozobe, I surely do not regret the fun I had studying English and Writing in college. I loved it! However, this specific path is, I think, not a must for would-be writers.

Vivien's comment about the scramble of archaic vocabulary and syntax--"But we don't talk like that"--seems very sensible. Of course, one may write in such a jumble, but jumbles call attention to themselves, rather than to what one is trying to say. Writing need not be conversational in sound, but it tends to work best if it avoids anachronisms and twisted syntax. This is assuming one wants to communicate ideas and feelings clearly. If one wants simply to amuse or confound, anything goes!

Well written, Miklos7. I'll revert to my original response: life. :-)

I've written several children's stories, although most if not all are very short. But I read children story books to my granddaughter and I notice that all of them are short, so maybe that won't be so bad.

Personally I would be afraid to post my stories on line for feedback for two reasons. One is that I would be afraid of the feedback, either deafening silence or snide remarks would probably destroy my day if not weeks and two, what if by some outside chance in the blue moon one of them is actually good and someone steals it and publishes it and there it goes, stolen from you? This may sound extreme, but I would feel violated.

But it would be nice to get feedback from people with like minded interest.

I belong to a writer's group on MSN. We have small contests, in which the best liked works are selected and printed. The books are made available through Barnes and Noble, Amazon and someone else. The free critiques have helped me tighten up my writing as well as see some of my works offered to the public for the first time.

I joined a group on ivillage, I may get brave enough to post one of little stories there. I am just afraid that they will either be thought weird or stupid.

Some of the best advice I ever recieved: Don't be afraid to be bad. Just write, write write. Write with an eye to improving, but don't let small failures embarrass you.

Edgarblythe is passing on very good advice: "just write, write, write." Perhaps, the human mind's most valuable ability is recursive thinking: we can go back and tinker, back again and tinker more, etc., each time adding new shapes, details, and connections to our store. Some days, I do not have time for "serious" writing, but I almost always manage to send out a couple of letters. In these letters, I recount recent events or ideas in story form. Most correspondents enjoy stories, which are usually much more vivid for them than simple, straight-line exposition. This practice keeps my narrative circuits exercised, and, sometimes, I get story-letters back!

Revel--On the subject of correspondents, I think of a writer friend of mine who e-mailed all of her friends, saying that she loved--and profited from--feedback. She asked those who wanted to see short works to let her know, and she would automatically send them occasional pieces--which they did not need to feel compelled to comment on, unless they felt like it. Those of her friends who did not wish to be sent forwards of her writing would not be sent them. She told me that most people signed up for the forwards, and that she receives very valuable reactions. And, if no one feels moved to comment on a particular piece, that silence is, in itself, an important message.

I would not be concerned with theft of your work and the issue of copyright. If you have the original, you automatically own that piece of writing. The laws are heavily in favor of the writer--always nice to see creativity respected!

edgarblythe and Miklos7; Thanks for the advice. I used to write so much that was all I did and I had the bottom (still do) to prove it. But I quit for a few years and got into issues to write and talk about...

That is good to know that if you have the original it goes in your favor. My family keeps anything that I actually finish, so I guess I am covered in the unlikely event such a thing would happen to me.

What kind of writing do you all do? I can't really do writing that requires specifics and details of history; so I stick to children's stories and kind of adult fairy tales which is kind of natural for me anyway. But I sure do enjoy reading other works that are more adult and filled with interesting history of far away places. I confess that I will not read anything that is about some place in America in modern times, unless of course it is something that is not too western or southern but more just old kentucky stories, those I enjoy because they are more like old fairy tales or stories about other places.

(i could addicted to this section and become quite a pest)

Revel, "Old Kentucky stories" [I have a mental inventory of old, true Virginia stories] are, indeed, like old fairy tales! They are full of magicians, lost souls, impossible redemptions.

I wouldn't limit your writing for fear of getting specifics or historical details wrong. It doesn't matter, when you are writing fiction. This is the joy of fiction. And, if you're writing non-fiction, the details of life on your own street can be fascinating and transporting.

What do I write? Poetry, essays, art criticism, short fiction--but probably more poetry than any of the others. Subjects seem to choose their forms, as you've probably noticed. Fairly often, I'll start a poem and find out that it wants to be a story--or vice versa!

revel - painting is the same - paint paint paint in order to explore. develop and improve - and just as scary with regard to criticism, it is very very useful though and no good teacher would give you negative and damaging crit - they will be honest about any faults but should explain how to make it better. Do show your work to others.

I have an autobiographical novel in the works, a collection of Christmas stories, a subjectively written tale of a guy in search of his past, numerous short works of offbeat fantasy.

Miklos7



I really like that word, transporting; that's the ticket isn't it? Mostly when I write the stories it involves some kind of setting where the Character is from some age and place that is not really definite; I do that so I don't have to come up details that are realistic; kind of lazy, huh? But if I spend so much researching and thinking about a story, I'll get tired of it all together and the flow will pass.

However the last time I wrote a story I got inspired just from watching my granddaughter play outside so I used more modern details without even trying and it came more natural. So you're right about just watching the day to day events on your street or back yard as in my case living in a more country area.

edgarblythe

Do you have any of your works where we can read them? I kind of like fantasy as long as it is not too scientific, I like more fairy tales like fantasies than anything.

I admire that you keep things going for a while. Me, I go in spurts that fire up and die down pretty quickly.

Hi Vivien, (this is such a pleasant change) my sister is the artist in our family, I always envied her ability to paint or draw anything at all with seemingly little effort. Me, I could spend hours trying to draw a straight line.

I did get up the nerve, and it was an enjoyable experience even with the criticism. I got the feeling that they were too polite to be very critical but still they gave me good advice that I am going to use in the story I am writing.

The main one being about using shorter sentences. For those that have followed some of my posts, that should come as no surprise.

I'd add more paragraphs too - it is easier to read shorter blocks of text - good luck with the writing.

Click here


There are a few samples on this thread started by Cavfancier, Be forewarned that the material I submitted was in first draft status and has since been altered.

Revel, Your remark about loss of flow, then interest, in a developing story because of too much research and thinking about it is very significant. Do you know the expression "Writing with an editor on your shoulder"? This phrase refers to a common practice among writers in which they keep thinking about each bit of their work, questioning each detail they choose. The purpose of this approach is to write really well as you go along, gaining the bonus of not having to do much revision when you get to the end. Unfortunately, the editor-on-shoulder system does not work. It slows you down until you become entangled in trivia, and you begin to mistrust your instincts (which were likely good!).

When you are writing, just keep going. Believe in your instincts. Continuity--both literal and artistic--will then be likely preserved. When you have written all you want (or comfortably can) for the moment, put the pages away. Then, next day, or even later, pull them out and reread them--both for the larger picture and the details. At this point, it's fine to be an editor! If you try to edit as you write, it's like giving yourself a high-stakes exam in a subject you're unsure of because you don't yet know its dimensions.

About research. Research is great before or after writing--but often counterproductive when you are in the midst of writing. If you can train yourself not to stop writing, even to check a dictionary or thesaurus, your flow will likely be maintained. Try to use research to semi-prepare yourself for writing, or for an editing resource after you've finished. I say "semi-prepare" because there's no way you can know what you'll need before you begin to write. I try to look at research as a pleasurable activity in itself; then, if what I've read doesn't turn out to be useful in my current writing, I have still read something interesting--and it may well be important to my work later!

Once, I was thinking about the practice wolves have of leaving a pack member behind--usually for his fading hunting skills, but at other times for complex social reasons. I thought there might be a poem here if I knew wolf behavior in general much better. So, on spec, I read Mech (the standard scientific work on wolves) and Barry Lopez's ON WOLVES AND MEN. I loved these books for themselves and became completely immersed in them, losing track of the notion of the poem. As I am slightly dyslexic, these two books took me a long time to read--but I savored every well-written word. By the way, well-constructed prose contributes to one's sense of well-constructed poetry--and vice versa.

When, considerably later, I remembered my potential poem about an abandoned wolf, I found that I could now write it. But, even if I couldn't have, I would still have learned wondrous details of wolf life--and I might have been able to write a different poem--or story.

My point here is that, when you research, choose very high quality material. You'll have pleasure from it in itself, you'll be internalizing some good writing, and you'll be able to use this excellent knowledge somewhere at some time!

We have a standard poodle, a very uncommon dog in NE Maine, and I frequently take him hiking in deep woods. In the summertime, I will, occasionally, run into a tourist-hiker in the middle of nowhere. Because my poodle is so out-of-context, his appearance is often hallucinatory to such a visitor. For fun, I will pull my dog in closer to me than necessary for the person to pass us, and I will make all kinds of calming sounds and gestures to my animal. Almost always, the hiker will ask what kind of dog the poodle is, and I reply, "He's actually not a dog. This is a Stonington Lesser Wolf, the rare dark variant. Canis Lupus stoningtonensis minor, v. acer. I'm exercising him in his primary habitat, preparing him for release." And, the hiker will then typically look at my poodle with intense respect--and, I like to think, would be telling his friends over dinner that night that he had met a man far into the boondocks, walking a wolf on a lead. A very silly game of mine, for sure, but harmless. I never do the wolf bit if there's a child along or someone looks frightened by my dog, pre-introduction. This small drollery would not be possible had I not read Mech and Lopez! Good research has many uses--both serious and very light-weight!

Miklos7

I didn't know some poodles look like small wolves. I guess it does pay to do research. I have noticed for a lot of people, wolves are very facinating. I have always felt a little, I don't know, uncultured, because I never did see the facination. Personally I always thought they were a bit scary looking even in pictures. But then I am scared of dogs if they bark very much and I don't know them.

Actually, now I think about it, people seem to have a facination with all animals that just mystifies me. I went to the library to check out some children's books to see different styles. (catching on a little I guess with the research) I noticed that out of about five books at least two would be about animals.

For me animals are just like nature, I like to have them around but I don't really bond with them. Oddly enough that seems to have the affect of them bonding with me. Playing hard to get must work with animals too, you think?

edgar and viven & all, I really didn't mean to come barging in and taking over this board from the original intention. (bad habit with me) Thanks for the kind attention though, I appreiciate it. Now I am going to check out egar's work, I am interested.

barging in? not at all! I'm a painter so I'm just an interested observer who loves reading.