Becoming a writer
September 26, 2009
- Now that it is finished, it is time to separate the pieces, and take a look inside.First, what are the parts of a story?The most basic are opening, middle, and ending.The opening should have a hook to make the reader want more. Let the reader know enough about the central character to make the person seem real and interesting. The writer should also give the reader a glimpse of what upsets or ...
- Continue Reading » 0 Comments
September 23, 2009
- Here I am to announce the beginning of my journey down a path in life reserved only for writers. I have decided that I am going to be a writer. I don't say "become a writer" on purpose because I am of the belief that if I want to become something, I have to start acting and doing the things that I would as if I already was that something. Therefore, I am a writer now and I am going to ...
- Continue Reading » 0 Comments
September 19, 2009
- As it worked out, not knowing the end when I started this story allowed imagination to dictate conclusion. In addition, for me, writing is about imagining people, places and things, so this worked out in the best way possible.I think a story should build from an idea, a vision, a picture, or even overheard words. If I envision an ending when I begin writing, fine. I will try to reach that ending, ...
- Continue Reading » 0 Comments
August 31, 2009
- My plan was to present the written story. Now I'm not because I cannot decide how to end it.Knowing the end is the second part of story writing, the first being the original idea.Since I failed to conceive an ending before, or soon after the plot idea gelled, the plot is dangling precariously over the precipice.Due to this, I'm presenting the story as it stands now, and will let it sit for a few ...
- Continue Reading » 0 Comments
August 19, 2009
- Writers hear those words frequently, but rarely will the phrase be accompanied with an example.One of my favorite sayings is "Keep it simple." I am sure you've heard it spoken.I am going to write an example of Show me, don't tell me and do my best to keep it simple.Here is my Tell me. Jonathan stood at the edge of the cliff and peered into the valley. A spark of light caught his ...
- Continue Reading » 2 Comments
August 18, 2009
- I begin with a mental image.Rule number one for me. Let the image write the story. I do not force it, or attempt to direct its flow. If I am stuck, I will stop and find something else to do. The story will usually pull me back.The following example began when a misplaced sheet of paper in my office grabbed my attention. As I walked past, I saw the color red and printed words.In my mind, this ...
- Continue Reading » 0 Comments
April 25, 2009
- In my early teens, perhaps as a means of escaping a distinctly wacky homelife, I joined an organization devoted to the study of UFOs. While other boys were studying baseball statistics or even, god forbid, doing schoolwork, I was reading accounts of sightings, visitations and--though these were fairly rare back then--outright snatch-and-grab jobs by little green men. I now see that this was a ...
- Continue Reading » 2 Comments
February 15, 2009
- Sometimes I think I have no imagination at all. I'm just a _recorder_ of one thing and another, a witness... like, I need to write down how "the retina accounts for 40% of all nerve fibers connected to the brain--but only one-millionth of a person's total body weight. Our eyes register 36,000 visual messages each hour... and can perceive about 150 different colors."Information overload? ...
- Continue Reading » 0 Comments
February 11, 2009
- I had planned to continue this series through the year I spent in VISTA on Chicago’s South Side (Sept. 1967 - Sept. 1968). It was quite a year to be there: a multi-thousand smember street gang as a client; the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy; the Democratic Convention riots; a re-connection with Adele. But each blog-sized chunk I attempted kept running into a ...
- Continue Reading » 2 Comments
February 4, 2009
- Third year, Penn replaced numerical grades with adjectives. That made it nearly impossible to flunk out. I failed Tax. I received "Excellent" in Fed. Courts. I was mediocre everywhere else.My main interest was extra-curricula. I had a skill. I wanted to make a contribution. I volunteered to interview clients and do legal research at the Public Defender’s and Community Legal Services. ...
- Continue Reading » 2 Comments
