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Monday, December 3, 2007
Writing is Writing is Writing
I'm going to put a disclaimer on here right away and say I just finished writing my Politics class term paper (which I put off until the very last minute – see procrastination blog from last week) and I'm exhausted. But I just remembered Monday is my day so if this goes totally incoherent, you'll know why.
So as aspiring romance authors we write fiction. Grant it some people around here like to throw in lots of non-fiction but they shall remain nameless. For the most part we focus on creative writing, telling a story, creating a world. But what about other kinds of writing?
In my lifetime I've written letters, short stories, screenplays, commercial copy, news copy, articles, term papers, blogs and now romance. The way I see it, a writer is a writer. You may be better at one of these areas than another but when it comes down to it, if you're a writer you can write anything.
Let me ask you – who is going to write the cute little biography about yourself on your website? You know once you start selling books (before really) you'll need to have a website. Who is going to write all those blogs that you'll be asked to do when you sell that first book? A blog isn't really fiction after all. It's something else entirely.
Do you ever stop to think about all the different things you write in the course of a day? Blogs, emails, bulletin board/forum posts, ads, letters, special sentiments, recipes, directions. We're always writing something and my theory is a writer is a writer is a writer. What is your theory?
So as aspiring romance authors we write fiction. Grant it some people around here like to throw in lots of non-fiction but they shall remain nameless. For the most part we focus on creative writing, telling a story, creating a world. But what about other kinds of writing?
In my lifetime I've written letters, short stories, screenplays, commercial copy, news copy, articles, term papers, blogs and now romance. The way I see it, a writer is a writer. You may be better at one of these areas than another but when it comes down to it, if you're a writer you can write anything.
Let me ask you – who is going to write the cute little biography about yourself on your website? You know once you start selling books (before really) you'll need to have a website. Who is going to write all those blogs that you'll be asked to do when you sell that first book? A blog isn't really fiction after all. It's something else entirely.
Do you ever stop to think about all the different things you write in the course of a day? Blogs, emails, bulletin board/forum posts, ads, letters, special sentiments, recipes, directions. We're always writing something and my theory is a writer is a writer is a writer. What is your theory?
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17 comments:
I think everyone is a potential writer, I think how you decide to foster your ability makes you a serious writer.
When I started writing three years ago and I sucked. Big time! With determination and much practice I improved. It also helped that I had friends encouraging me along the way.(Sin)
I think writers have the ability to always improve. The more you study and hone your craft the more potential you unleash.
I have to admit I don't think everyone is a writer any more than everyone is a skier but I think with practice you can do anything.
I was re-reading bits of the chapters I wrote for Fanlit last year which were pretty much the first things I seriously wrote. I knew nothing about pacing, white space, info dumping. And it shows. LOL!
But it made me feel good about what I've learned and it also made me wish they did have the contest again. I'm sure I could do better now!
Bite your tongue, Terrio!Ixnay on the Avonay.
I do think about what I post. I wonder why I think my opinion is important enough to express it in words, but I write anyway! *g* I do a lot of signage in the library, too, trying to get the kids interested in events and books, but my personal letter writing is pretty much missing. I'm not even doing a Xmas letter this year...I don't think. Now that I have a snow day off, who knows, I may get inspired.
Put that pen down and get back to Paradise. You have an entire day! Just think, you could get to THE END. LOL!
Really, you owe it to all of Christendom. *g*
I'm going with your theory...
And like EJ once said, everyone can write.
I must write this down. Tiff just agreed with me. Is the sky falling?
LOL!
Well, I might leave off my jotting of notes to my dad, saying I'm out--as part of my non-fiction writing skills. If that was all the writing I did, I'd say I wasn't a writer.
But emails count. I've had some brilliance in an email before.
You're wrought with brilliance. It's most annoying for the rest of us.
Is this short answer day or something? Come on. Surely you guys have written other stuff. How about the Dear Diary stuff. I bet that would be interesting. I think my entries written while inebriated are most entertaining - or would be if I could read the writing. LOL!
Aye Aye, I agree with Terr, Hellion. You have an overabundance of brilliance. And it's just not in emails either.
I dunno if everyone is a potential writer. I think you as a person, you're what you make of yourself. So if you want to write, set your mind to do it and write. No one is at the top of their game when you start out, but that's why you practice. You have to practice anything you do in order to get good at it. Why should writing be any different? And just like anything else after you practice for a while, you'll notice that your style changes and things come much easier to you. But having encouragement and a helping hand in the beginning is always important and a support group after that can help you along in dark times. Lisa and Hellion know. They've listen to me whine often enough. LOL
Do love letters count?
That was some of my earlier smut offerings:)
LOL. I always knew you were a smutmaster, Lis.
Of course they count! I bet that is some good stuff. I've never written one of those but I admit to some interesting email conversations. I really need to stop doing that in work emails. LOL!
I wrote to a guy in the army before. LONG, boring letters of crap going on here. This proved helpful about 3 years later when my dad and aunt quarrelled about when something occurred and I said, "I know the answer to that. Here you go. And THIS by the way, is what you said too."
"What? I didn't say that."
"Yes, you did. It's in my letter. I don't even remember this shit really happening. Good God, another Tammy drama fest. No wonder I was in therapy for 2 years."
I don't keep diaries, Terr. A) I'm far too critical some time later--like "Oh, Good God, I can't believe I mooned about that jackass for..what...7 months! THIS is what I was feeling? This is stupid...what stupid things to feel!"--and then I rip out all the pages and burn them so no one will realize what a feeling idiot I am. Then I end up with diaries hanging on by the barest threads. So I've stop torturing perfectly good diaries with my imperfect feelings.
2) I forget to write in them when I do bother. A year will pass because either nothing interesting happened, or the diary fell under my bed and I couldn't find it. I do admit reading stuff a year later at times can be hysterical--and very "Oh, yeah, that was going on then, wasn't it?"
Then of course, I rip out all the pages and burn them.
I still have all my old journals dating back to Jr year of HS but that doesn't mean I won't burn them some day. And you can't have stupid feelings. It's called maturity and it is often painful to look back and feel like a twit but the feelings were real when you felt them. Own your feelings!!!
I find it amusing when I mention some idiot I was mooning over and I can't for the life of me figure out who I was talking about. LOL! Must not have been all that earth shattering.
But I bet you can guess my journals are pretty much filled with angst. And I haven't written consistently for years. Maybe I ought to write something tonight.
I don't keep diaries, Terr. A) I'm far too critical some time later--like "Oh, Good God, I can't believe I mooned about that jackass for..what...7 months! THIS is what I was feeling? This is stupid...what stupid things to feel!"--and then I rip out all the pages and burn them so no one will realize what a feeling idiot I am. Then I end up with diaries hanging on by the barest threads. So I've stop torturing perfectly good diaries with my imperfect feelings.
2) I forget to write in them when I do bother. A year will pass because either nothing interesting happened, or the diary fell under my bed and I couldn't find it. I do admit reading stuff a year later at times can be hysterical--and very "Oh, yeah, that was going on then, wasn't it?"
Then of course, I rip out all the pages and burn them.
Sorry I'm late to the party.... (I've been saying that a lot lately). I was the doctors with Little Pirate Shillings.
I agree, that anyone could learn the techniques of writing, but I think really good writers are people who study other people. Most writers I know love watching everything around them, like at the mall when you overhear that couple arguing about whatever and you try to come up with the backstory? Or, when you're on the road and you look over and see some guy talking on the phone with smile on his face and you wonder who he's talking to and come up with a hundred options (fiance? mistress? boyfriend? daughter?)
So, I think writing is writing, but telling a story, putting it together, that's the art.
And I don't keep a diary anymore. I don't have time for private thoughts. But, I used to and I have hidden them most thoroughly. My teenage angst is really obnoxious. LOL!!
Hellion - I agree, you're full of brilliance, it runneth over onto everything you write.
Lissa - yay smutty love letters.
Maggie - your opinion is always on point and thought provoking. I'm glad you spread it around. :)
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