Were there 16 weeks this semester? I'll double check on that.
I think sometimes the realizations that are found in writing makes it an intimidating craft. Perhaps this is why sometimes putting a paper bag over my head seems more inviting than reckoning with my thoughts. It is important for a writer to realize what they are headed into and properly setting herself up so that she can come across the heavy words of writing no matter how dense, hilarious, or depressing those words may be. It's not always easy to see what's written before you or even how to rewrite words to their absolute best. It takes obedience to see these things out. A lazy writer isn't going to be able to commit to the more tasking aspects of writing and storytelling.
Writing may come with more ease as one practices but there are definitely difficult paths to cross. Writing about a loved one's death can move someone to tears as they process what's happened, writing about someone's afflictions could bring out their aggressive sides, while writing about love could make one lightheaded. It's important that whatever emotions come out in writing that these emotions do not consume the writer and prevent them from craft. Emotions are often an untaught entity that we are just expected to go through in life. In this day in age, emotions are often not even appreciated. Writers need a good sense of self-control in regards to emotions so that whatever happens, does not control them.
Of course, emotions are often used as a form of control. This is a manipulation of emotions and is not there intended use. Anger, sadness, and humor all alike can direct people and move their hearts, but these forms can easily do damage, very unnecessary damage. Clear thinking is the goal along with clear, purified emotions. There's nothing worse than having someone emotionally come on to you and the aftershock of clingy attitudes attached to it. In this day and age, closeness is not always easy to find so emotions are often used as traps to help people get what they want. Writers need to be on the lookout for what traps them. It's easy to be consumed with ideas, but sometimes it's not so easy to find motivation, to have faith in one's ability, or just to actually commit. Writers need to constantly be looking for keys which help them to overcome traps as well as be on the lookout for what may cause a writer to slow down too much and in turn be afraid to write.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Week #15 - Appreciation
I appreciate having this writing blog and seeing the more intricate thoughts I have on concepts, life, and... writing.
I find it fascinating how one year of concrete study in the English department has changed my life. The fact that I've gotten e-mails from professor that I am a deserving individual and that my ideas are actually worthwhile means something to me. Knowing that people have faith in me and are willing to direct me to the right path has not only improved my intellect but also given me one the best years of my life in regards to education and beyond. I occasionally have my failures in identifying myself against the grain, or in comparing myself at all I tend to fall short. It's easy to let a grade or someone's perceptions nail you down to false truths. In the end, these marks actually don't matter; it's the eyes of those who take me on that translate those marks, so I hope that they come across me with wisdom. Superior grades and grades of failure should neither scar me.
Which I have seen, countless times. I'm known for falling in the cracks or for taking on more of the world than necessary, or in having to face a great deal of tragedy all at once. I often find I'm surrounded by people who have much more spotless grade point averages than me, more sustainable test scores, and even better resources and networks to manage what it is they are going after. I'm often fascinated, blessed, and somewhat challenged by these people. Just when I think I am an awesome outlet for something, I get the hunch that maybe I need to seek out people who are stronger than me so that I can get my perspective straight again. At the same time, if I only seek the geniuses of the world then how much am I subjecting my perspective to a limited view of reality?
I'm concerned a great deal about many of the events that are developing throughout the world. My hope is that by dedicating myself to the arts, I will be able to find wisdom and bring that back in this excited time of events, hysteria, and propaganda. I'm often afraid that if I speak up my voice will be incomprehensible or silenced. Sometimes letting thoughts stay with me is an act of protection or an act of needing to digest what I'm really thinking and really come to an agreement on whether any particular set of thoughts is accurate or just biased, full of fear, and so forth. I am much more naive than I could possibly be aware; there's too much happening in the world and a great deal of it, I probably don't want to be involved in.
Currently, I'm trying to banish the fats of my life that are hindering the bone of my thoughts, the precious organs, and more. I think if I want to be a strong writer who is aware of their own scruples, I should be bold enough to find those truths in my life. I have developed a sick obsession with music and I think now is the time to seek clarity, silence, and perhaps a better playlist or two. As well, I've been fasting which apparently is excellent for the immune system. I hunger for these types of lifestyles. I hate seeing materialism at any level having merit over my life. So if I have to say goodbye to something, than so be it.
I want to apply all of this to my writing by a thousand percent.
I find it fascinating how one year of concrete study in the English department has changed my life. The fact that I've gotten e-mails from professor that I am a deserving individual and that my ideas are actually worthwhile means something to me. Knowing that people have faith in me and are willing to direct me to the right path has not only improved my intellect but also given me one the best years of my life in regards to education and beyond. I occasionally have my failures in identifying myself against the grain, or in comparing myself at all I tend to fall short. It's easy to let a grade or someone's perceptions nail you down to false truths. In the end, these marks actually don't matter; it's the eyes of those who take me on that translate those marks, so I hope that they come across me with wisdom. Superior grades and grades of failure should neither scar me.
Which I have seen, countless times. I'm known for falling in the cracks or for taking on more of the world than necessary, or in having to face a great deal of tragedy all at once. I often find I'm surrounded by people who have much more spotless grade point averages than me, more sustainable test scores, and even better resources and networks to manage what it is they are going after. I'm often fascinated, blessed, and somewhat challenged by these people. Just when I think I am an awesome outlet for something, I get the hunch that maybe I need to seek out people who are stronger than me so that I can get my perspective straight again. At the same time, if I only seek the geniuses of the world then how much am I subjecting my perspective to a limited view of reality?
I'm concerned a great deal about many of the events that are developing throughout the world. My hope is that by dedicating myself to the arts, I will be able to find wisdom and bring that back in this excited time of events, hysteria, and propaganda. I'm often afraid that if I speak up my voice will be incomprehensible or silenced. Sometimes letting thoughts stay with me is an act of protection or an act of needing to digest what I'm really thinking and really come to an agreement on whether any particular set of thoughts is accurate or just biased, full of fear, and so forth. I am much more naive than I could possibly be aware; there's too much happening in the world and a great deal of it, I probably don't want to be involved in.
Currently, I'm trying to banish the fats of my life that are hindering the bone of my thoughts, the precious organs, and more. I think if I want to be a strong writer who is aware of their own scruples, I should be bold enough to find those truths in my life. I have developed a sick obsession with music and I think now is the time to seek clarity, silence, and perhaps a better playlist or two. As well, I've been fasting which apparently is excellent for the immune system. I hunger for these types of lifestyles. I hate seeing materialism at any level having merit over my life. So if I have to say goodbye to something, than so be it.
I want to apply all of this to my writing by a thousand percent.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Week # 14 Cookie Cutter Disease
I might be a couple of weeks behind now. I think I caught up and then disappeared with other tasks.
The lesson that's striking me now is the curse of the cookie cutter disease. I've seen it before in writing; it seems to appear quite often with female writers, just sayin' at this point. Sometimes we as writers get too wrapped into rules, format, grammar, cleanliness, and the sort that an unfortunate thing happens: our writing suffers. With few to any risks for the sake of cleanliness, many of the story elements become undeveloped. Characters need enough room to be the dynamic sorts they hunger to be, and if the parameters are set too tight -- the conflict, the tension, the meaning behind everything struggles to hit anything profound. We are left but with sheets of clean white paper, inconsequential, gray matter.
There's nothing bold about sticking too intimately to these clean, OCD patterns of writing. The language itself should flirt with the the reader, spiral them into a rage of ecstasy, and give them hope that somehow this spiraling world of madness has hope. In order to set the reader free, the author needs to be set free as well. There are times when breaking the rules isn't just creative, but an absolute necessity. Writing is meant to be overflowing. It is a craft that should not be contained in a box, but has the need to spread over the cup because it is a mirror to reality; perhaps the finest mirror. And if we are not overflowing, than we are oppressed, we are losing the battles of this finite world, and we are no longer living -- we are formalized robots.
I always find this writing habit in at least one or two writers in a critique workshop and my heart goes out to them. I see that this writer has more potential than she realizes, but isn't quite ready to be bold enough to break lose of the status quo of law and etiquette. I usually give these excellent writers different treatment than all of the other scholars because I see this vulnerability right to the core. I point right at cookie cutter disease because it isn't an act of purity, but an act of fear.
Writing needs to be expressive. It needs tension. It needs to break through all the walls of a broken generation, a soul full of hurt, and an ignorant mind. Writing at it's absolute is intended to enlighten, to engage memories, and to touch at our deepest emotions. It's not an easy task and by no means is every piece of writing going to fit this bill. For those wanting to have excellent prose, one must be willing to be bold because true writing in essence is always bold, therefore cookie cutter disease is worth being remedied.
In short, cookie cutter disease is the dusted over traditional concepts that are in need of a resurgence of light. If we refuse to change our ways and stick to our current state of affairs, how much more are the aspects, variables, and peoples that can bring in a more noble reality left behind to oppression?
The lesson that's striking me now is the curse of the cookie cutter disease. I've seen it before in writing; it seems to appear quite often with female writers, just sayin' at this point. Sometimes we as writers get too wrapped into rules, format, grammar, cleanliness, and the sort that an unfortunate thing happens: our writing suffers. With few to any risks for the sake of cleanliness, many of the story elements become undeveloped. Characters need enough room to be the dynamic sorts they hunger to be, and if the parameters are set too tight -- the conflict, the tension, the meaning behind everything struggles to hit anything profound. We are left but with sheets of clean white paper, inconsequential, gray matter.
There's nothing bold about sticking too intimately to these clean, OCD patterns of writing. The language itself should flirt with the the reader, spiral them into a rage of ecstasy, and give them hope that somehow this spiraling world of madness has hope. In order to set the reader free, the author needs to be set free as well. There are times when breaking the rules isn't just creative, but an absolute necessity. Writing is meant to be overflowing. It is a craft that should not be contained in a box, but has the need to spread over the cup because it is a mirror to reality; perhaps the finest mirror. And if we are not overflowing, than we are oppressed, we are losing the battles of this finite world, and we are no longer living -- we are formalized robots.
I always find this writing habit in at least one or two writers in a critique workshop and my heart goes out to them. I see that this writer has more potential than she realizes, but isn't quite ready to be bold enough to break lose of the status quo of law and etiquette. I usually give these excellent writers different treatment than all of the other scholars because I see this vulnerability right to the core. I point right at cookie cutter disease because it isn't an act of purity, but an act of fear.
Writing needs to be expressive. It needs tension. It needs to break through all the walls of a broken generation, a soul full of hurt, and an ignorant mind. Writing at it's absolute is intended to enlighten, to engage memories, and to touch at our deepest emotions. It's not an easy task and by no means is every piece of writing going to fit this bill. For those wanting to have excellent prose, one must be willing to be bold because true writing in essence is always bold, therefore cookie cutter disease is worth being remedied.
In short, cookie cutter disease is the dusted over traditional concepts that are in need of a resurgence of light. If we refuse to change our ways and stick to our current state of affairs, how much more are the aspects, variables, and peoples that can bring in a more noble reality left behind to oppression?
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