I looked at a calendar. I believe I am supposed to be on week 11 so I'll do what I can to catch up.
Money gives one more options to buy things. The more money one has, the more one can expend. The less money one has, the less the person can buy.Wicked simple logic.
I'm trying to apply this to writing. If having more money allows one to expend more, then in writing what does one need more of in order to expend?
I think it's a combination of:
1.) Time
2.) Experience (in real life too)
3.) Practice
4.) Education
5.) Discovering perspective
6.) Courage
Being a luxurious writer is a bit more complex than how many dolla' billz one has in their bank account. Wealth for the writer is counted in several different currencies. One may be lacking in one of the listed areas, but they may make up for it due to another quality, perhaps one not listed. In fact, some writer's methods may be lethal, just as some actors methods may open doorways into madness. The arts can be dangerous, even damaging. This is why it's important to know one's storehouses of knowledge rather than succumb to one side, one method -- that brings an artist to suicide.
My key here isn't to talk about the dark side of the artistic world, it's to give myself (and others) a practical eye on what can shape them as a writer. It's easy to leave a piece in its 16th draft in a desk drawer to collect dust. What's not easy is to keep going even in the face of obstacles. If one really wants to become a strong writer, this person should pursue it, and even when afraid to write -- continue forward. Instead of constantly being the critique of one's writing, it's best to love one's work even for its mistakes. Besides,
mistakes are opportunities.Lets look to the list I made and see why I chose those as (6) pertinent writing currencies.
1.
Time: Regardless of how one feels, we are all under the control of the clock. Everyone must face death. In order to be a strong writer, one must realize that it takes time. A perfect draft rarely (if ever) comes from the initial typing of words onto white space. It can take years until all of the story is untangled before one's eyes, before all the characters are shaped into the creatures that need be, and before the mind has finally excavated the material it drew upon to get to the heart of the story. A story is a maze and the author travels through it to find what needs to be told and what is the quickest and shortest path. You see, overtime a writer will find that certain elements whether characters, plot devices, and themes actually diminish the story and thus can be deleted.
Whatever distracts one from getting to the end of the maze, is superfluous. The same goes with story telling. (But don't be too against tangents now; they have their purpose just the same.) *If people are not going through this process, I don't know if they're challenging their selves enough to write excellent prose whether in the novella or the screenplay. Keep in mind, by challenging yourself in writing you will gain strength and stamina. By gaining these qualities, you will be able to race to the finish... more successfully and often.
2.
Experience:
Experience is closely related to time. The more one writes, the more one becomes familiar with the rules. In the early stages of writing, grammar rules are memorized, but not until one picks up the pen do they actually intimately understand those rules, and more importantly, when they should be broken for the greater cause. One needs to experience the world before he or she can write about it or anything outside it. In any literary piece that's off Earth, there's still a need for reference, essentially, the reader and audience must relate with qualities even if they are beyond them. However, it is important to keep in mind that people can write about things they've never experienced: to presume otherwise is laughable. There are plenty of people who write about mass murderers but are as innocent as lambs. What I mean to say, is that even in the vacuum of writing, the writer needs to venture out, speak with various kinds of peoples, go to places down the street and even to far off places. Not only do these experiences help to define reality, they also help the mind in recalling information. For all writing is the providence of memory,
down to the last character I am recalling a memory.3.
Practice: Regardless of...
I wish I had made this list shorter. I'm gonna make some real short sums here now.
If you don't write, how do you expect to actually figure this writing thing out? Perhaps you are "reading" in a well balanced diet. But just because you know the game's rules... doesn't mean you play well when in the arena.
4.
Education:
I don't mean get a degree. You need to study up on good writing. I'll admit, knowing a thing or two from last semester's composition writing class improved my prose by about 300%. If you take the time to study good writing and why it's good writing than you've unlocked the secrets that you can use to benefit your own spectacular story. One of my favorite professors refereed to this as being: "narrative gangsters."
5.)
Discovering perspective:
This is pretty close to #2. Except, I mean, you have to know a thing or two about the religious and political arenas of this world. If you want to have characters of varying perspectives, you need to know what perspectives, personalities, and traits exist. You can't find all the knowledge within yourself because sadly, you don't know everything. This is another place that I would like to say -- the writer needs to step away from the keyboard, preferably calmly, and with excitement.
*DISCLAIMER: you can learn the universe through pictures, books, movies, songs, and the like. In fact, I encourage these endeavors. But don't forget your social needs, those "social needs" can be beneficial in helping you with your writing.
6.)
Courage:
You, my dear reader, are going to write garbage, grade-A barf, and incomplete gibberish. Who cares? Progress takes time. You have to have faith in yourself that from draft-1 to draft-9,243 that you will improve, that the story that's trapped in your mind will come out... and that you'll eventually learn how to write
less drafts.
In film making, rarely is something done to perfection on the first take. But you keep going until you get the magic take. Your job is to make sure you have good shot coverage; it's the same with writing, your job is to get the best writing possible out of each word, paragraph, and chapter to complete an entire story. Each new draft is a new take. You have to rearrange the lighting, new blocking for characters, and new special effects. You keep playing with those components until it sparks.
Don't expect writing to be easy, effortless, and full of smiles. Sometimes it is effortless, but other times your characters will be just as difficult as people in real life. Keep your eye out for lessons, enjoy yourself, and do the type of writing you want to do. Even if that's so bold as to take a severance in pay, if you're not happy, then you need to find another project that brings out... you.
As lame as that may sound, there's nothing more soul-sucking than a project not worth attending. Beyond being a writer... everyone is a person who needs to live as much as possible. So yes, have courage to do the things you love. If it happens to be writing, than write the things you love, figure out how to love what you are writing... and if you can't muster it in you -- honestly, don't stay attached to a dead donkey. Time is too precious to waste it on junk. There's no reason in this massive world FULL OF OPTIONS that any writer should have a bad marriage to their prose. Don't let a writing project abuse you. You've got to live, and if you're not living with your writing... it's dull, lackluster.
*DISCLAIMER: You should always try to appreciate what you're writing, even if it isn't an initial love interest. In fact, if you don't love it, do what you can to study out and figure out how you could appreciate your writing venture.
