Good morning to you all. It's Thursday and journey day.
Once you know you've got the drive to make a serious go at being an artist, of any kind, then you've got to thicken your skin.
What do I mean by that?
You've got to handle rejection letters and e-mails, poor critiques about your work and general lack of enthusiasm from some of your peers with style. I know, some of you will say, "Why do I have to be gracious when hearing criticism about my work? Why can't I just rant and rave about being misunderstood?"
Because acting like a two-year-old child having a temper tantrum never inspired respect or confidence from anyone. Besides, in this case taking the high road is all good.
Sometimes you will submit great ideas that simply don't fit into an editorial lineup or an upcoming season at a dance theatre or art gallery. Your ideas may be great, but just don't work at that time. Keep your ideas and reuse them!
Sometimes you will get poor reviews. So what?
Remember what they say about critics--they are the people who can't make it as an artist so they critique others instead. Of course that's not true of all reviewers and not everyone is going to like your work. Did you really think they would? Time to get real.
Just because someone else doesn't like your work doesn't mean your work is of any less value. It simply means that one person didn't get it or like it or whatever. Again I say, so what?
Once you send out your work you must stand back from it and keep a certain distance. Throw your heart and soul into doing it, whether that involves writing or dancing or painting, but once it's done, let it go.
Emotional distance is good once a work is done. Send it out into the world and move on to your next project. If you keep moving forward then what people say about something you did, even yesterday, won't get to you as much anymore! Forward motion is the key.
And above all don't take anything personally ever.
Even if it is personal and you know it, don't fall into that trap.
Ignore the review, if asked say the reviewer didn't seem to get where you were going, and move on!
Remember what Wayne Gretzky said, "You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take," so just do it.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
The Mechanics
Good Morning! It's Wednesday once again and the day I talk about the mechanics of writing.
Today I thought I'd talk about active and passive voice.
Active voice is a way of using verbs in an' active' way. It is more engaging to the reader and uses less words than passive voice. For example, "The Gazette released a new report on writers' needs today."
The passive voice, on the other hand, would sound like this, "A new report on writers' needs has been released today by The Gazette."
Both are grammatically correct. In the active voice, the verb and subject of the sentence are closer together thus the action in the sentence happens more quickly for the reader.
In passive voice, the verb and subject are usually further apart and it takes the reader longer to find out what information the sentence conveys.
Active voice is the right tone to use when you want to engage your reader quickly.
It is used more now than ever before and complements the current trend of using simple language wherever and whenever possible. Because active voice shortens sentences and creates action quickly it is an ideal technique to use when documents need to be brief, easily understood and to the point.
So when should we use passive voice?
Passive voice can be useful when linking two sentences. For example, the political climate changes in response to the economic situation of the country. This economic situation can be influenced by foreign investors as well.
The second sentence has been written in the passive voice to help the reader follow the argument quickly and easily. This is a solid technique, especially when you are trying to convey complicated ideas and arguments clearly and precisely. (You will see the passive voice throughout legal documents. No wonder they're usually so long and meandering!)
I have also noticed that we often speak in the passive voice, for example, "He would have gone home earlier if he had known his headache was going to turn into a migraine."
I think that this is likely why a lot of people naturally write in the passive voice. As an editor, I often have to recast sentences to the active voice. I think for a lot of people it just feels more natural to write like they speak. That's likely how the words play out in their head, like dialogue.
The active and passive voice both have their uses and used correctly each is equally valuable.
The rule of thumb is to tailour your document for the intended audience and use as much active voice as you can.
Today I thought I'd talk about active and passive voice.
Active voice is a way of using verbs in an' active' way. It is more engaging to the reader and uses less words than passive voice. For example, "The Gazette released a new report on writers' needs today."
The passive voice, on the other hand, would sound like this, "A new report on writers' needs has been released today by The Gazette."
Both are grammatically correct. In the active voice, the verb and subject of the sentence are closer together thus the action in the sentence happens more quickly for the reader.
In passive voice, the verb and subject are usually further apart and it takes the reader longer to find out what information the sentence conveys.
Active voice is the right tone to use when you want to engage your reader quickly.
It is used more now than ever before and complements the current trend of using simple language wherever and whenever possible. Because active voice shortens sentences and creates action quickly it is an ideal technique to use when documents need to be brief, easily understood and to the point.
So when should we use passive voice?
Passive voice can be useful when linking two sentences. For example, the political climate changes in response to the economic situation of the country. This economic situation can be influenced by foreign investors as well.
The second sentence has been written in the passive voice to help the reader follow the argument quickly and easily. This is a solid technique, especially when you are trying to convey complicated ideas and arguments clearly and precisely. (You will see the passive voice throughout legal documents. No wonder they're usually so long and meandering!)
I have also noticed that we often speak in the passive voice, for example, "He would have gone home earlier if he had known his headache was going to turn into a migraine."
I think that this is likely why a lot of people naturally write in the passive voice. As an editor, I often have to recast sentences to the active voice. I think for a lot of people it just feels more natural to write like they speak. That's likely how the words play out in their head, like dialogue.
The active and passive voice both have their uses and used correctly each is equally valuable.
The rule of thumb is to tailour your document for the intended audience and use as much active voice as you can.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
A Seminar Day
Hi one and all.
I was at an editors' seminar today.
I will be back tomorrow with my weekly 'The Mechanics' blog.
I was at an editors' seminar today.
I will be back tomorrow with my weekly 'The Mechanics' blog.
Monday, January 28, 2008
The Voice
Good Monday morning one and all!
Last Monday I talked about the writer's voice. How unconsciously writers put their own style into their work, whether it be articles, poetry, fiction or any other type of writing project.
As writers gain more experience writing, for others and for themselves, this voice or style becomes more distinct. The voice also becomes more solid with confidence.
It isn't easy submitting work over and over that is critiqued and altered and commented on again and again. Editors have a habit of commenting on everything that should be fixed and very rarely do they mention the great points in any work. I am not being critical. I am also an editor and it is the purpose of the job to highlight the errors and problems.
Being critiqued repeatedly, however, helps a writer distance themselves from their work and also helps them learn to argue for the finer points that really matter, thus gaining confidence and their voice.
It is important to never assume that an editor knows more about your work than you do.
There is a fine line between accepting the suggestions and changes an editor introduces in your work and blindly following what they say. Even if you are a new writer, you have the right to ask questions and request explanations for changes.
Editors are capable of misunderstanding your meaning and making mistakes too!
As you become more experienced as a writer less changes are necessary anyway. It is easier to 'get it right' the first time.
Betty Jane Wylie, in her book 'The Write Track,' comments on this and says to not go over your work again and again like you did as a new writer. That it's normal for your speed to increase and for assignments to get easier. She encourages writers not to lose confidence when things flow more smoothly, but to realize that this is a normal part of the creative process. With greater experience comes greater speed. (Hey, there's gotta be perks of being a mature writer, right?)
The writer's voice is what attracts us to certain writers and not others.
The voice can make us feel at home or impress us or bore us or shock us. That's all part of entering into a book or an article or a movie.
I encourage all writers to explore their voice. Writers don't have to fit in, the most important thing about being a writer is staying true to who you are and letting the world experience your work.
It takes time to break into the writer's market, but it's well worth it.
Good luck to all you writers out there and enjoy your voice, it's yours and you should treat it with the respect and care it deserves.
Last Monday I talked about the writer's voice. How unconsciously writers put their own style into their work, whether it be articles, poetry, fiction or any other type of writing project.
As writers gain more experience writing, for others and for themselves, this voice or style becomes more distinct. The voice also becomes more solid with confidence.
It isn't easy submitting work over and over that is critiqued and altered and commented on again and again. Editors have a habit of commenting on everything that should be fixed and very rarely do they mention the great points in any work. I am not being critical. I am also an editor and it is the purpose of the job to highlight the errors and problems.
Being critiqued repeatedly, however, helps a writer distance themselves from their work and also helps them learn to argue for the finer points that really matter, thus gaining confidence and their voice.
It is important to never assume that an editor knows more about your work than you do.
There is a fine line between accepting the suggestions and changes an editor introduces in your work and blindly following what they say. Even if you are a new writer, you have the right to ask questions and request explanations for changes.
Editors are capable of misunderstanding your meaning and making mistakes too!
As you become more experienced as a writer less changes are necessary anyway. It is easier to 'get it right' the first time.
Betty Jane Wylie, in her book 'The Write Track,' comments on this and says to not go over your work again and again like you did as a new writer. That it's normal for your speed to increase and for assignments to get easier. She encourages writers not to lose confidence when things flow more smoothly, but to realize that this is a normal part of the creative process. With greater experience comes greater speed. (Hey, there's gotta be perks of being a mature writer, right?)
The writer's voice is what attracts us to certain writers and not others.
The voice can make us feel at home or impress us or bore us or shock us. That's all part of entering into a book or an article or a movie.
I encourage all writers to explore their voice. Writers don't have to fit in, the most important thing about being a writer is staying true to who you are and letting the world experience your work.
It takes time to break into the writer's market, but it's well worth it.
Good luck to all you writers out there and enjoy your voice, it's yours and you should treat it with the respect and care it deserves.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Open Forum
It's Friday and it's hard to believe a whole week has gone by already.
Today I'm in the mood to talk about family.
Family members are people you can't choose. It's as if they arrive on your doorstep with a full suitcase and you feel obliged to let them in.
What's in that suitcase anyway? Well, genes and blood and history.
Families are complicated. There's a lot of unspoken issues under the surface of any family and it's an interesting study in human nature to watch it all play out.
I live with two family members and I share 50 percent of my genes with each of them.
We are very interconnected not just in our daily routines, but also under the skin. I can see myself in both of them and there's something very familiar about them that I don't believe just comes with time together.
Recently, one of them came back from a trip and suddenly my world feels right once again. It was as if, when they were gone, that I wasn't quite complete somehow.
The house is once again filled with all the energy and souls it's supposed to be and I feel whole.
I wish you a great weekend and see you on Monday.
Today I'm in the mood to talk about family.
Family members are people you can't choose. It's as if they arrive on your doorstep with a full suitcase and you feel obliged to let them in.
What's in that suitcase anyway? Well, genes and blood and history.
Families are complicated. There's a lot of unspoken issues under the surface of any family and it's an interesting study in human nature to watch it all play out.
I live with two family members and I share 50 percent of my genes with each of them.
We are very interconnected not just in our daily routines, but also under the skin. I can see myself in both of them and there's something very familiar about them that I don't believe just comes with time together.
Recently, one of them came back from a trip and suddenly my world feels right once again. It was as if, when they were gone, that I wasn't quite complete somehow.
The house is once again filled with all the energy and souls it's supposed to be and I feel whole.
I wish you a great weekend and see you on Monday.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
The Journey
Good morning to one and all. It's Thursday and that means it's journey day.
Last Thursday I discussed how some people are born knowing that they're a writer or dancer or musician, whereas other artists come to it later in life.
Either way the urge to communicate asserts itself and, let's face it, that's the most important thing.
Once you know how you want to communicate, you're more than halfway there.
But what do you do with all that talent?
Somehow you know you've got it. You can feel it in your soul.
It's your talent that keeps you up at night thinking, creating, dreaming about your craft.
During the day you daydream about your ideas, have sudden inspirations and have a constant dialogue with yourself reviewing your past work and your future ideas.
Well, all that is normal of course and part of being creative and innovative, but you must translate your talent into a form other people can experience too. Keeping it all in your head won't get you where you want to go.
It's scary to step out into the world of critics and peers. You have to put your heart out there for everyone and anyone else to see.
Here are a few things you should always keep in mind, whether you're just getting starting or a seasoned artist:
I hope these tips help you throughout your career.
Becoming a successful artist in any genre is filled with important life lessons.
Translating your talent into the culture of your age is integral to keeping the world a vibrant and healthy planet.
Communication is the key to human interaction and community.
Everyone has the right to believe and to turn their talents outwards.
Remember, the more risks you take the luckier you become!
Last Thursday I discussed how some people are born knowing that they're a writer or dancer or musician, whereas other artists come to it later in life.
Either way the urge to communicate asserts itself and, let's face it, that's the most important thing.
Once you know how you want to communicate, you're more than halfway there.
But what do you do with all that talent?
Somehow you know you've got it. You can feel it in your soul.
It's your talent that keeps you up at night thinking, creating, dreaming about your craft.
During the day you daydream about your ideas, have sudden inspirations and have a constant dialogue with yourself reviewing your past work and your future ideas.
Well, all that is normal of course and part of being creative and innovative, but you must translate your talent into a form other people can experience too. Keeping it all in your head won't get you where you want to go.
It's scary to step out into the world of critics and peers. You have to put your heart out there for everyone and anyone else to see.
Here are a few things you should always keep in mind, whether you're just getting starting or a seasoned artist:
- Never give up! (I know this sounds obvious, but I've heard and read so many times that many artists simply give up too quickly.)
- Stay true to yourself! (Make sure you work on projects that don't compromise your principles--whatever they may be.)
- Work very hard! (There's a myth that artists live exciting, carefree lives, well that's simply not true. It can be exciting but we work very hard and that is the key to success.)
- Be your own cheering section! (Always believe in yourself and stand up for yourself too. Only you know if you are improving and maturing--don't fall into the trap of hollow praise.)
- Learn to sell your work! (You may or may not be good at business, but you must be able to sell yourself. That doesn't mean compromise your integrity, but it does mean being persistent and innovative about how you present your work. You'll spend 30 to 50% of your time selling.)
I hope these tips help you throughout your career.
Becoming a successful artist in any genre is filled with important life lessons.
Translating your talent into the culture of your age is integral to keeping the world a vibrant and healthy planet.
Communication is the key to human interaction and community.
Everyone has the right to believe and to turn their talents outwards.
Remember, the more risks you take the luckier you become!
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
The Mechanics
Good morning to you all!
Wednesday's my mechanics day and I thought I'd talk about one of my favourite punctuation marks--the em dash (I can't seem to find the em dash symbol on my blog publishing program so '--' will stand in for the em dash here today).
It's more substantial to the eye than an en dash or a hyphen and can certainly pack a punch in the right place.
I use em dashes a lot when I work for high tech companies because I write a lot of abstracts for white papers. The abstract is a lure, hopefully intriguing the reader enough to download the white paper. Em dashes are great in any writing that needs to sound dramatic and engaging.
Poetry writers use the em dash as well to add a longer and more bold pause while moving the reader's eye resolutely on to the next line or idea.
I really like em dashes. It took me a while to get used to em dashes, but once I got the hang of them I found them very liberating.
Why?
Well, they force you to make your point and focus on the 'punchline,' so to speak. I have trained myself to use at least one em dash in every abstract.
You can also use em dashes to enclose a key point. For example, blog writing--my daily exercise--keeps me focused on writing for an audience every day. In this case the em dashes put more focus on the phrase than commas would.
I highly recommend you play with them--you've got everything to gain!
Wednesday's my mechanics day and I thought I'd talk about one of my favourite punctuation marks--the em dash (I can't seem to find the em dash symbol on my blog publishing program so '--' will stand in for the em dash here today).
It's more substantial to the eye than an en dash or a hyphen and can certainly pack a punch in the right place.
I use em dashes a lot when I work for high tech companies because I write a lot of abstracts for white papers. The abstract is a lure, hopefully intriguing the reader enough to download the white paper. Em dashes are great in any writing that needs to sound dramatic and engaging.
Poetry writers use the em dash as well to add a longer and more bold pause while moving the reader's eye resolutely on to the next line or idea.
I really like em dashes. It took me a while to get used to em dashes, but once I got the hang of them I found them very liberating.
Why?
Well, they force you to make your point and focus on the 'punchline,' so to speak. I have trained myself to use at least one em dash in every abstract.
You can also use em dashes to enclose a key point. For example, blog writing--my daily exercise--keeps me focused on writing for an audience every day. In this case the em dashes put more focus on the phrase than commas would.
I highly recommend you play with them--you've got everything to gain!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
The Writer's Weekly
Good morning one and all.
It's Tuesday and the day I have set aside to write about current events and issues in the media.
Well, we've all heard a lot about the writers' strike in the US. The strike crashed the Golden Globe awards and has silenced a lot of our favourite TV shows. (I have personally been watching reruns of Law & Order.)
Canada's privately owned TV networks, on the other hand, have not been affected by the strike. CTV and Global produce a lot of their own programming and CBC-TV is insulated from the strike too because they purchase very little of their prime-time programs from the US.
Something that I have noticed is that in the majority of the newspaper articles about the strike no one ever talks about what the writers want and why. It's always about ratings, ratings, ratings...and trying to not lose the whole season to the 'writers' strike.' As if the 'writers' strike' is an out-of-control entity that must be disciplined--but the networks just aren't sure how to do it!
Now, if you ask me the whole reason these shows exist and there are ratings is because writers are a very important part of the TV pie. No one seems to address that point however. (Imagine if the actors went on strike--the networks would be kissing their star-covered boots in no time.)
There's never any discussion about respecting the writers' skill and contribution to TV. I know, I know, the networks don't want to admit the writers are valuable because then they'll have to pay them more or give them more benefits (or any at all) or reduce their workloads.
Somehow, however, I feel that the networks are missing the point big time! Maybe, just maybe, the writers would really like to be acknowledged, not only monetarily, but also publicly. I mean being shushed and ignored and belittled never furthered any negotiation. And call me crazy but writers tend to be a pretty proud group of people.
I hear that the public is upset. The actors are out of work. The networks are angry.
I think the newspapers are just not covering the story. They're leaving out the central issue of the whole situation--what do the writers really want and why won't the network big wigs give it to them?
It's Tuesday and the day I have set aside to write about current events and issues in the media.
Well, we've all heard a lot about the writers' strike in the US. The strike crashed the Golden Globe awards and has silenced a lot of our favourite TV shows. (I have personally been watching reruns of Law & Order.)
Canada's privately owned TV networks, on the other hand, have not been affected by the strike. CTV and Global produce a lot of their own programming and CBC-TV is insulated from the strike too because they purchase very little of their prime-time programs from the US.
Something that I have noticed is that in the majority of the newspaper articles about the strike no one ever talks about what the writers want and why. It's always about ratings, ratings, ratings...and trying to not lose the whole season to the 'writers' strike.' As if the 'writers' strike' is an out-of-control entity that must be disciplined--but the networks just aren't sure how to do it!
Now, if you ask me the whole reason these shows exist and there are ratings is because writers are a very important part of the TV pie. No one seems to address that point however. (Imagine if the actors went on strike--the networks would be kissing their star-covered boots in no time.)
There's never any discussion about respecting the writers' skill and contribution to TV. I know, I know, the networks don't want to admit the writers are valuable because then they'll have to pay them more or give them more benefits (or any at all) or reduce their workloads.
Somehow, however, I feel that the networks are missing the point big time! Maybe, just maybe, the writers would really like to be acknowledged, not only monetarily, but also publicly. I mean being shushed and ignored and belittled never furthered any negotiation. And call me crazy but writers tend to be a pretty proud group of people.
I hear that the public is upset. The actors are out of work. The networks are angry.
I think the newspapers are just not covering the story. They're leaving out the central issue of the whole situation--what do the writers really want and why won't the network big wigs give it to them?
Monday, January 21, 2008
The Voice
Happy Monday to you all!
As a quick note I want to thank Anne C. for welcoming me to the blogging world! Thank you very much for visiting my blog, Anne. I read the Canadian Writers' Collective every day and enjoy hearing about and sharing the experiences of other writers.
I thought I would talk about the writer's voice today.
All writers sound different and approach their work differently and that's what makes writing so fascinating.
And it never fails to impress me how versatile writers can be. Writers can go from creating government documents to short fiction to poetry without missing a beat. It's true that every writer has their strengths and weaknesses as far as certain writing styles, but I am still amazed at how different the same writer can sound.
I write high tech documents, children's fiction, poetry, short stories and I'm hoping to break into the magazine writing world as well. I thoroughly enjoy writing for all of these different industries and I think writing for diverse clients makes me a better writer overall.
But my voice is still prevalent in all of my work and I have certainly seen this with other authors as well.
I can tell, for example, that J.K Rowling wrote all of her Harry Potter series. There is a certain style that is throughout her writing that is unmistakable (and I find her writing skill impressive to say the least!). So despite the fact that writers need to be flexible there is also a voice that remains true throughout their work.
I liken it to painters and their styles. Picasso, for example, may have painted a realistic or abstract form, but he would have chosen certain colours and used certain brush strokes that were characteristic of him and no one else. His style would have come through no matter what type of work he was doing.
Writers do the same with words. Sentence construction, phrases and terminology all leave an essence of the mind behind the work. This is all unconscious of course and the voice comes with experience and time and confidence.
I will continue this discussion next Monday and explore the voice that emerges in a mature writer.
I will leave you all with this quote which is one of my personal favourites, "Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow talent to the dark place where it leads," Erica Jong.
As a quick note I want to thank Anne C. for welcoming me to the blogging world! Thank you very much for visiting my blog, Anne. I read the Canadian Writers' Collective every day and enjoy hearing about and sharing the experiences of other writers.
I thought I would talk about the writer's voice today.
All writers sound different and approach their work differently and that's what makes writing so fascinating.
And it never fails to impress me how versatile writers can be. Writers can go from creating government documents to short fiction to poetry without missing a beat. It's true that every writer has their strengths and weaknesses as far as certain writing styles, but I am still amazed at how different the same writer can sound.
I write high tech documents, children's fiction, poetry, short stories and I'm hoping to break into the magazine writing world as well. I thoroughly enjoy writing for all of these different industries and I think writing for diverse clients makes me a better writer overall.
But my voice is still prevalent in all of my work and I have certainly seen this with other authors as well.
I can tell, for example, that J.K Rowling wrote all of her Harry Potter series. There is a certain style that is throughout her writing that is unmistakable (and I find her writing skill impressive to say the least!). So despite the fact that writers need to be flexible there is also a voice that remains true throughout their work.
I liken it to painters and their styles. Picasso, for example, may have painted a realistic or abstract form, but he would have chosen certain colours and used certain brush strokes that were characteristic of him and no one else. His style would have come through no matter what type of work he was doing.
Writers do the same with words. Sentence construction, phrases and terminology all leave an essence of the mind behind the work. This is all unconscious of course and the voice comes with experience and time and confidence.
I will continue this discussion next Monday and explore the voice that emerges in a mature writer.
I will leave you all with this quote which is one of my personal favourites, "Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow talent to the dark place where it leads," Erica Jong.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Open Forum
I thought I would reserve Friday as a open forum day.
I have always thought Fridays should be a little more relaxed--a dress-down day.
I am letting my mind break free of all the constraints of the serious days of the week and think about something completely different.
I woke up to a light snow covering the trees and a crisp blue sky. The puffy grey squirrels are racing around out back and my cats are safely curled up in their various spots around the house. It seems rather perfect in its innocence--this day.
It's the type of day where I feel like sipping tea while reading a good book for hours and hours, only getting up to make food now and then. To lightly snooze on the sofa letting the day go by sleepily feeling as if nothing is pressing or important.
Yes, that's the type of day it is for me.
Transitioning into the weekend with a certain peaceful stupor, I wish you all a great romp.
See you all on Monday.
And remember "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes," Marcel Proust.
I have always thought Fridays should be a little more relaxed--a dress-down day.
I am letting my mind break free of all the constraints of the serious days of the week and think about something completely different.
I woke up to a light snow covering the trees and a crisp blue sky. The puffy grey squirrels are racing around out back and my cats are safely curled up in their various spots around the house. It seems rather perfect in its innocence--this day.
It's the type of day where I feel like sipping tea while reading a good book for hours and hours, only getting up to make food now and then. To lightly snooze on the sofa letting the day go by sleepily feeling as if nothing is pressing or important.
Yes, that's the type of day it is for me.
Transitioning into the weekend with a certain peaceful stupor, I wish you all a great romp.
See you all on Monday.
And remember "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes," Marcel Proust.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
The Journey
Hi all, it's Thursday and I thought I'd reserve Thursdays for a discussion of the way artists become artists.
I have met some artists that appear to be born to it somehow. They know from a really young age that they are musicians or writers or dancers and it is really common to hear them say that they just always had a natural talent for their chosen profession.
A musician I know said he knew at four or five that he wanted to be a musician and he just never looked back. A lot of people envy artists like that. To know from such a young age where they are going and what they want to do must be a great relief.
Other people find out later in life that they were meant to do something. Sometimes they call it an 'accident' or a 'coincidence' that they've become a writer, for example. I don't believe in coincidences, however.
I think people may have a talent and just not realize it and in the universe's infinite wisdom they end up where they were meant to be anyway, even if the route was circuitous.
I have always felt that art, no matter what form, was something that just had to come out of an individual. I know I feel an intense need to write. It is out of my control really and I feel very unbalanced and edgy if I can't write when I need to.
I have learned to set aside time every day to write. This takes the edge off and I know that by doing so I am looking after those words that must be expressed.
It isn't easy to find people that really listen to you and care about who you are. I think a lot of art helps people express what they may not have an outlet to express any other way.
The point is to be yourself even when no one is listening.
Art, in whatever form, lets you do this.
It's powerful, magical and very, very real.
Bravo to all you artists out there and good luck with your journey!
I have met some artists that appear to be born to it somehow. They know from a really young age that they are musicians or writers or dancers and it is really common to hear them say that they just always had a natural talent for their chosen profession.
A musician I know said he knew at four or five that he wanted to be a musician and he just never looked back. A lot of people envy artists like that. To know from such a young age where they are going and what they want to do must be a great relief.
Other people find out later in life that they were meant to do something. Sometimes they call it an 'accident' or a 'coincidence' that they've become a writer, for example. I don't believe in coincidences, however.
I think people may have a talent and just not realize it and in the universe's infinite wisdom they end up where they were meant to be anyway, even if the route was circuitous.
I have always felt that art, no matter what form, was something that just had to come out of an individual. I know I feel an intense need to write. It is out of my control really and I feel very unbalanced and edgy if I can't write when I need to.
I have learned to set aside time every day to write. This takes the edge off and I know that by doing so I am looking after those words that must be expressed.
It isn't easy to find people that really listen to you and care about who you are. I think a lot of art helps people express what they may not have an outlet to express any other way.
The point is to be yourself even when no one is listening.
Art, in whatever form, lets you do this.
It's powerful, magical and very, very real.
Bravo to all you artists out there and good luck with your journey!
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
The Mechanics
Today's Wednesday and the day I like to write about the mechanics of writing and editing.
I thought I'd start with the pesky comma.
It seems to cause so much discussion (at an Editors' Association seminar we spent a whole afternoon on it) and people generally disagree about its use.
The current trend is to be quite minimalistic.
In other words "Don't use commas, that aren't necessary," as Graham King illustrates in his gremlin grammar example.
But different people consider different commas necessary. Obviously commas before the word 'that' are a real no-no, but what about before 'which' or 'but' or 'such as'? Well the only real answer is it depends on the sentence construction, the subject matter and the author's style.
I admit that I am a minimalist.
In any formal writing or editing I try to remove as many commas as possible without altering the meaning of the sentence. This has aggravated editors I have worked with, but it is a more modern style brought on by the space constraints of newspaper formats. In web writing as well you only have so many characters to get your point across.
In dialogue a minimalistic approach would not necessarily work. When you are bringing a character to life commas can lend a human side to their speech that isn't appropriate in a white paper, for example.
Commas can represent pauses and nuances of speech that ellipses (...) make ridiculous. (An ellipsis is supposed to represent an omission of information anyway whereas the comma pauses before or accentuates further information.)
I am not sure there are any definitive conclusions that can be made about the comma.
I love the comma.
And, for me, the fun of writing and editing is moving commas around, deciding whether they stay or whether they go and having some fun with the pesky little punctuation marks.
I thought I'd start with the pesky comma.
It seems to cause so much discussion (at an Editors' Association seminar we spent a whole afternoon on it) and people generally disagree about its use.
The current trend is to be quite minimalistic.
In other words "Don't use commas, that aren't necessary," as Graham King illustrates in his gremlin grammar example.
But different people consider different commas necessary. Obviously commas before the word 'that' are a real no-no, but what about before 'which' or 'but' or 'such as'? Well the only real answer is it depends on the sentence construction, the subject matter and the author's style.
I admit that I am a minimalist.
In any formal writing or editing I try to remove as many commas as possible without altering the meaning of the sentence. This has aggravated editors I have worked with, but it is a more modern style brought on by the space constraints of newspaper formats. In web writing as well you only have so many characters to get your point across.
In dialogue a minimalistic approach would not necessarily work. When you are bringing a character to life commas can lend a human side to their speech that isn't appropriate in a white paper, for example.
Commas can represent pauses and nuances of speech that ellipses (...) make ridiculous. (An ellipsis is supposed to represent an omission of information anyway whereas the comma pauses before or accentuates further information.)
I am not sure there are any definitive conclusions that can be made about the comma.
I love the comma.
And, for me, the fun of writing and editing is moving commas around, deciding whether they stay or whether they go and having some fun with the pesky little punctuation marks.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
In Print Begins-The Writer's Weekly
Welcome to you all!
This is the first day of In Print.
I find reading blogs an invaluable way to stay current and connected with writers, poets, artists, dancers, musicians and anyone that shares an intense need to communicate with others.
Today I am only beginning and I don't really know where this blog will take me; however, I will try to keep it different, interesting and fresh while being informative, thought-provoking and real.
I really enjoy sharing the creative process with other artists and have found the English Language Arts Network (ELAN) a great inspiration. This group is based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada but I recommend this kind of group to anyone that works in the artistic community. Becoming a member of a diverse group, such as ELAN, helps artists step outside of themselves and share common concerns and ideas with other professional artists from any genre.
I came away from the meeting feeling as if I was a part of a larger community and I think that is very important when you work in freelance or in any profession where you must create your own success.
Welcome once again to all you artists out there.
I will return tomorrow with new thoughts.
This is the first day of In Print.
I find reading blogs an invaluable way to stay current and connected with writers, poets, artists, dancers, musicians and anyone that shares an intense need to communicate with others.
Today I am only beginning and I don't really know where this blog will take me; however, I will try to keep it different, interesting and fresh while being informative, thought-provoking and real.
I really enjoy sharing the creative process with other artists and have found the English Language Arts Network (ELAN) a great inspiration. This group is based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada but I recommend this kind of group to anyone that works in the artistic community. Becoming a member of a diverse group, such as ELAN, helps artists step outside of themselves and share common concerns and ideas with other professional artists from any genre.
I came away from the meeting feeling as if I was a part of a larger community and I think that is very important when you work in freelance or in any profession where you must create your own success.
Welcome once again to all you artists out there.
I will return tomorrow with new thoughts.
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