When Least Expected™

The Art Of Writing II

March 3rd, 2007 at 11:34pm Manchild

Ms. Joyce Carol Oates has written a book, THE FAITH OF A WRITER, that is worth reading. Ms. Oates is the author of WE WERE THE MULVANEYS and BLACK GIRL/ WHITE GIRL. Yet another treasure chest to add to our growing portfolio of investments that will pay unimagined dividends to every invested reader who loves reading and learning. In the chapter, “To A Young Writer,” Ms. Oates says,

“Write you heart out. Never be ashamed of your subject, and of your passion for your subject. Your forbidden passions are likely to be the fuel for your writing.“

Without passion, I’d had no reason to discipline myself to get up and show up daily even when I initially didn’t feel like doing so. Feelings and emotions can be deceiving. So, I pray and ask God for wisdom and understanding before beginning each day. No longer do I wonder why the wise kept telling all who’d listen that half the battle is won the moment we show up. Unless you love what you do, why do it? Writing is challenging, exciting, exhilarating, liberating, therapeutic. But most of all, writing challenges you to be honest which explains why so many writers began their writing careers by journaling.

How many writers are in our culturally diverse group? If you’re serious about writing, then you love to read and read as much as possible. The more one reads, the more one learns. The more one learns, the more one realizes just how much one doesn’t know. I read to learn because I love to empower other people and share what little I know as my mind continues to grow intellectually and as my soul continues to prosper spiritually. Why do you read? If time permits, please share what you’ve read and learned with the rest of our blended, extended family members. God willing, we help each other find our voices.

As with anything creative, it takes time, focused attention, and discipline to soar into waiting arms of excellence. Excellence will reward all who find her with unimagined possibilities for paying the price up front and in full required to master your labor of love. Creativity is messy which is probably why so many children love the arts that are rapidly disappearing from one too many of our children’s classrooms. Ms. Oates encourages young writers to,

“Read widely and without apology. Read what you want, not what someone else tells you to read.”

How long has it been since you went “treasure hunting” in your local library, or book store, and picked up a book you would not normally read just to see what’s hidden inside? How many of you have heard the phrase “If you want to hide something valuable, put it inside a book. It’s the last place alliterate people look.” No. I didn’t misspell illiterate. So, go grab your dictionaries, blow the dust off, and study to show yourself approved. Yes, biblical principles do apply outside the walls of the church.

Reading Ms. Oates insightful words reassured me that the inspiration for “my tendencies towards perfectionism” and “my striving to achieve excellence” came from different sources. Here’s just one of the many golden nuggets of knowledge I found hidden inside her treasure chest that encouraged and inspired me during one of my sunny-side-down days.

“My method is one of continuous revision; while writing a long novel, every day I loop back to earlier sections, to rewrite, in order to maintain a consistent, fluid voice; when I write the final two or three chapters of a novel, I write them simultaneously with the rewriting of the opening of the novel, so that, ideally at least, the novel is like a river uniformly flowing, each passage concurrent with all the others.”

May you be encourage during the meticulous editing process all writers must endure whether your write professionally or as an amateur. May you also be inspired to finally finish writing the vision you chose to abandon and dumped next to all those forgotten dreams you saw still littering the cluttered valley of sun dried bones. As always, the choice to do so is yours alone to make. Peace.

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