Blog
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What Is a Writer?
Guest Blogger Sheri Graves writes about the obsession with writing.The moment of clarity occurred when I was in a doctor’s office seeking help for carpal tunnel syndrome. The condition wasn’t getting better and my ability to use my hands was diminishing with each passing day on the job as a newspaper reporter.
The physician examined my hands and arms for perhaps the 30th time, looked at me and asked, “Have you considered doing something else for a living?”
“No,” I said. “Have you?”
He went on to explain that his profession was a “calling” and he had to spend many years in higher education and training to get where he was. His assumption he was important and I was not hit me as narcissistic. I wanted to punch him in the throat but couldn’t make a fist.
“Being a writer isn’t just what I do,” I scolded. “It’s what I am. I could no more stop writing than I could pull a jackrabbit out of my ear. If you feel the same way about being a doctor, you do understand my predicament. I can’t simply switch careers.”
In 1990, he did surgery on both of my hands. It took about three years of therapy and drugs and special exercises and no small amount of determination, but I finally regained the use of my hands to be able to continue with the love of my life: Writing.
Although I retired from The Press Democrat in 2004 after more than 40 years on the job, I still write every day. I couldn’t stop if someone held a gun to my head.
I’ve been writing ever since I can remember. I started with poetry because that’s what my mother was writing. In school, whenever a teacher assigned students to write a 500-word essay, I groaned along with the other kids. But, they thought a 500-word essay too much to expect, whereas I couldn’t think of anything I could write in only 500 words.
Every writer has his or her own way of doing things. Some have a distinctive method. Others are casual about it. For me, writing happens all the time, every day, every minute.
I have tried dictating to an assistant, to a tape recorder and even to a computer program designed to type the spoken word. For me, that process is too slow, infuriating and unsatisfactory. My writing process is much more organic. I feel the words within me.
When I sit before a keyboard, words form in my brain, flow through my body and down my arms, finally shooting out the ends of my fingertips like lightning. The words come faster than I can type, and the words keep coming and coming. I can’t stop them. They come to me while I sleep. They come to me while I’m driving a car. They come to me all day and night, and if I don’t make time to let them escape, I get cranky.
I write articles. I write memoir. I write books. I write. I write.
I write novels. I create people in my mind and they all run amok in my head. I can’t control them, but I’ve learned to rein them in, to give them some direction, to flesh them out into living characters facing their own dire situations fraught with peril.
It’s hard to be present in my life. My attention is elsewhere, off in a fantasy world of my own making. To get these fictitious folks to stop talking to me, I read books and get myself involved with a whole new set of characters. Then, when I sleep, the new people from the book I’m reading mingle with the old ones already running roughshod in my mind. The resulting dreams can be disturbing, at best.
I’d like to believe other writers don’t go through this bizarre process, but I think some of them do. I’d love to have a mind for business, promotion and making money. Instead, my mental circus pushes all sense of practicality out of the way.
“Aren’t you afraid of going crazy?” a friend once asked.
“No,” I said. “I’m afraid of going sane.”
Sheri Graves, author of Deep Doo-Doo, won The 2015 National Indie Excellence Award for Crime Fiction. Sheri has been writing for publications more than five decades. Her 40+ years with The (Santa Rosa, California) Press Democrat included 29+ as a reporter and 14 as a copy editor. As a reporter, Sheri won numerous awards for journalism and writing excellence, including first place prizes from the Press Club of San Francisco, the California and National Newspaper Publishers Associations, and California Medical Association. Sheri is also an editor and memoir writing instructor. -
What challenged you as a . . . Prompt #203
Today’s writing prompt: What challenged you as a fifteen-year-old?
When the prompt is a number or an age, you can adjust to whatever calls to you. For example, with this prompt you can write about what was challenging when you were thirteen, or fourteen, or sixteen. The exact age doesn’t matter. I chose fifteen because that is a pivotal year for some people.Marlene, Tonga Room, Fairmont Hotel, San Francisco, Junior Prom, 1965.
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Writing is an exploration.
Quote by E. L. Doctorow“Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go.”
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How to be a better writer
Many of us want to learn how to be better writers. The answer is very simple:
WRITE. Write some more. Keep writing.
It’s true! The more you write, the better writer you will become.
Here are some things you can do to improve your writing.
READ. Read whatever you like to read. Read the genre you are writing in. Read other genres.
BE SPECIFIC. ’57 Bel Air Chevy, not car. Sycamore, not tree. Foxtrot, not dance.
USE STRONG VERBS. Keep a list of strong verbs in your writer’s toolbox for easy reference.
Resources for strong verbs
Thesaurus in any format: Paper, on your computer, internet.
Books:
Vex, Hex, Smash, Smooch: Let Verbs Power Your Writing by Constance Hale.
Strong Verbs Strong Voice by Ann Everett
Websites: Tip Sheet Using Strong Verbs and Writing Tips: Use Active, Precise Verbs
WRITING MAGAZINES often have article to improve writing: Writer’s Digest, The Writer, Poets & Writers.
WORKSHOPS & CLASSES: Internet search on “writing” will yield a variety of results for writing workshops: Day-long, weekend, conferences, writing teachers online. If you add your city or county to your search, results focus on writing activities in your area. Consider UCLA Extension online classes.
The Sonoma County Literary Update is an amazing compendium of writing resources.
Summary, how to be a better writer
- Write.
- Read.
- Be specific.
- Employ strong verbs.
- Peruse writing magazines.
- Attend workshops and classes
Whatever methods you use . . . Just Write!
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The 2River View
The 2River View is an online publication of poetry, published four times a year. 2RV also has a video project.
Reading Period for seasonal issues:
Sept. 1 – Nov. 30 Winter Issue
December 1 – February 28 Spring Issue
March 1 – May 31 Summer Issue
June 1 – August 31 Fall issue
2River considers unpublished poems only; poems that have not appeared in any form of print or digital media, including personal or public blogs.
Simultaneous submissions can cause problems. If you are uncomfortable with a wait of up to three months, rather than sending simultaneous submissions, consider submitting toward the end of the reading period.
Before submitting, please read several issues of The 2River View. The poems there best indicate the 2River standard. Each issue of 2RV consists of 10 poets only, and usually there are more than three-hundred submissions for each issue. [Note from Marlene: You could be one of those 10 poets!)
2River is unable to pay authors for poems accepted.
Good Luck!
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What’s under your bed? Prompt #202
Today’s prompt: Write about the monsters under your bed.Oh, you don’t have any monsters under your bed?
Well then, what’s in your closet?
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What is the scariest season?
The Halloween season has passed and the holiday season approaches, the time of good cheer and good will. This might be the scariest season for some. Ted A Moreno’s guest blog post might help shoo away our fears.
Guest Blogger Ted A. Moreno writes about “31 Scary Questions to Ask Yourself.”
It’s all about scary this week as we approach Halloween and Day of the Dead.
It’s a time when it’s fun to be scared, as long as we know that it’s just a movie, or someone dressed up as the walking dead.
Truth is, there are plenty of really scary things out there. But by far, the scariest things are those that we hide from ourselves, the things that we are afraid to deal with.
Unresolved issues that haunt us, pain we can’t seem to release, resentment that traps us in unhappiness. These are the monsters under the bed, the goblins that we spend so much energy keeping locked in the closet, for fear of what they might do if looked at them.
Of course, once we turn on the bedroom light, look under the bed and throw the closet door open, we find that there is nothing to fear.
Shining the light of our awareness on those things that we don’t want to deal with allows us to see them clearly. Then we can take the opportunity to clean them up or straighten things out.
Asking yourself a few scary questions can help you transform an unseen ghoul into Casper the Friendly Ghost. (Who really just wants to lend a helping hand.)
Ask yourself these 31 scary questions and see if any of them make you a little freaky. If so, perhaps you are starting to exorcise some demons! Keep asking yourself those questions and see what comes up.
31 Scary Questions to ask yourself. (Note from Marlene: You can also use these questions to discover more about your fictional character.)
- Am I happy?
- If I’m not, am I waiting for something to happen to be happy?
- Is it possible for me to decide to be happy now?
- Do I know what I want?
- Have I given up on getting the things I want that are truly important to me?
- What fear keeps me from living the life I want?
- Have I become cynical, negative, or resigned?
- Do I like myself?
- Am I able to quickly name 10 great things about me?
- Am I taking care of myself?
- If no, do I feel I’m worth taking care of myself?
- Am I getting the love and attention I want and need?
- Do I have fun regularly?
- Do I have fulfilling social interactions?
- Am I expressing myself honestly and authentically?
- Is there someone I need to forgive?
- Is there resentment burning inside of me that I need to resolve or express in a healthy, productive manner?
- Is there a negative belief that I need to release or let go of?
- Is there a change I need and should make NOW?
- Why am I here?
- Is there a valid reason for the things that I am doing that are stressful and overwhelming?
- Am I giving me the me time I need?
- Do I have regular moments of peace, calm and tranquility?
- Do I have frequent feelings of gratitude?
- Do I complain a lot?
- Do I hang around negative people that bring me down?
- Is my work meaningful and fulfilling?
- Do I compare myself to others and find it creates despair?
- Am I caught up in a lifestyle that I feel is not meaningful to me?
- Am I happy with the answers I have to these questions?
- If not, what can I do today to change?
Perhaps a few of these scary questions brought up some stuff. You might not be able to answer some of these scary questions in the way you feel you should or would like to.
If so, copy those scary questions and paste them into a word or notepad etc. document. Delete all the questions that don’t have an emotional charge for you. Keep deleting until you have about 5 or 10 of the biggest, baddest scary questions that are giving you the heebie jeebies.
Now keep these questions where you will see them. Maybe write them down on a 3×5 card and carry them around with you. Keep asking yourself these scary questions with awareness so that you can move beyond fear, negative self- judgment and shame and into the possibility of changing the answers.
For instance, to the question: “Do I like myself?” you might answer “No! I don’t! And it really sucks! I hate that I don’t like myself!
See if you can move into non-judgment: “OK, I don’t like myself. I’m probably not the only one. I’m not a terrible person because I don’t like myself. But I want to like myself. So what can I do to begin to like myself?”
See how many of those scary questions you can bury by committing to some action. Bless and release old ways of being that no longer serve you and that are ready to be laid to rest. Then continue on your journey, a little more confident, on your way to an attitude of gratitude.
Need some help on your journey? You can contact Ted A. Moreno by clicking here.
Originally published by Ted A. Moreno, October 2014
Ted A. Moreno is a hypnotherapist, success performance coach, published author, educator and sought-after speaker who helps his clients become free from fear and anxiety, procrastination and bad habits such as smoking. -
Hope . . . Prompt #201
Today’s writing prompt is inspired by Ron Salisbury’s poem “The Ride Southbound.” When the writing prompt is a poem, you can write about the title, a line or a word. You can also write about Hope. Just write whatever comes up for you.The Ride Southbound by Ron Salisbury
When I jerked open the cab door, Hope was sitting in the back seat,
Prada dark glasses and lip gloss. This is mine, she said,
but we can share until 34th street. What’s at 34th street? I asked.
Just a sale at Macys. The driver put my two-suiter in the trunk
and the extra bag on the front seat, I climbed in with my briefcase
and umbrella. Is it gonna rain? she asked. You never know,
I answered. What’s with all the bags? It’s been a long trip.
You need all that stuff? Most of it, at least I thought I did.
The traffic on 7th Avenue slowed then didn’t, other cabs
cut us off, it was noisy, complicated, but we were there
in no time at all. Haven’t we met before? I asked. Probably,
she said. I meet a lot of people. Did we like each other?
Hard to say, she answered. She leaned over and tapped
on the window behind the cabbie. This is where I get off.
Good luck wherever you’re going. Standing on the sidewalk,
holding the door open, she said, Look at this, and hiked
her skirt to show me a small purple birth mark on her thigh.
I can’t always be perfect.
Ron Salisbury is the author of the recently published Miss Desert Inn. He writes and studies in San Diego State University’s Master of Fine Arts program, Creative Writing.
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Concept is simple, execution is difficult.
Once again, I’m embarking on a new food plan. I’ve done this one before and lost a ton of weight. Then I slipped into old habits and all that weight I released came drifting back.
This time, it feels like . . . scratch that. . . It is a lifetime change. I’m eating very simply: lean protein, most vegetables, some fruit and a little grain. Minimal processed food.
It’s a very simple concept, yet hard to execute. It takes determination and keeping my eye on the goal: being healthy.
It’s a lot like writing. Many of us want to write but either don’t have the time or don’t know how to start.
Right now about 56,000 writers are participating in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). When you come up for air, NaNoWriMo Campers . . . let us know how you managed to fit writing time into your busy lives.
For the rest of us, here’s an idea: Take inventory.
Make a list of all that you do in a day. Write down everything. Include daydreaming time, Facebook browsing, meals (planning, shopping, preparing, cleaning after), cleaning house, laundry, shopping, work, commute and so on. Everything. When you are done, set your list aside (but don’t forget about it. Okay, forget about it for a day or two).
Next: Plan for a time to go over your list when you won’t be interrupted. Get out of the house if you need to. You really need some thought-full time for this next step.
And be honest. You’ll only set yourself up for failure if you aren’t honest here.
You can use highlighters, colored pencils, stickers or symbols to categorize your activities.
Highlight/mark things that you have to do. No negotiating with these items. Maybe a red pencil will be good for this. Or check marks. Or star stickers. Or hand-drawn stars.
Next: Use a colored pencil or marker to underline or highlight the things that bring you joy. Don’t give up activities. Joy in your life is very important.
Now, perhaps the hardest one: Put a line through activities that you don’t have to be doing. Can you give up the areas that are stressful or cause unhappiness? Be as honest as you can. You probably can’t eliminate all these items, but perhaps you can modify. Brainstorm how these unpleasant things could be accomplished quickly or with a positive attitude. Perhaps when you cook a meal, prepare enough for two meals. And if you don’t like to cook, crank up music, or listen to an inspiring podcast.
Continue with categorizing your list: Cross off anything that has no meaning for you. These are the “shoulds.” Things you think you should be doing. . . but really, do you have to keep doing them? If not, cross off.
Now, go back through your list. What can you let go of to achieve your goal of writing? Maybe it would be more fulfilling to write than watch TV or scroll through Facebook or play a computer game. Maybe you could get up earlier, stay up later to write. Perhaps you could write during work breaks, or lunch time. This isn’t forever. . . just a break from these activities so you have time to write.
If you want to write and don’t have a particular topic in mind, or if you need a warm-up (like stretching before exercising), take a look at this list of prompts or jump on the magic carpet and select one of these prompts. Settle on a prompt and write.Be determined and keep your eye on your goal. Just Write!
