Pretty much what EnglishRosiee said. People think it’s an unlearned gift and you get one of two situations. They feel that they can’t even attempt it or they think it’s something everyone can do. Had a lot of headaches from people close to me having that second mentality. They act like I don’t have to concentrate on my stories.
I think it all begins with recognition of an aptitude for storytelling, spawned from an insightful way of seeing the world. Sensitive souls tend to register things deeply, and I believe at the core of the impetus to write is the desire to share. But yes, craft is the key, and fine tuning craft is never ending ( that’s the good news.) I think the best way to address craft is by reading the works of other writers. It’s imperative for so many reasons, but mostly as a means of aiding and abetting one’s individual process with a standard of excellence that one can use as a touchstone.
What Charles Y. said. People think writing a novel is either daunting, or they believe it’s easy to write (anything) because they can speak. With so many people posting and publishing all over the Internet, the art of writing and good writing are often undervalued.
I’ve seen the Hemingway quote before, and my thoughts were that, as with any product or service you want to promote or sell today, people need to understand its worth.
As for how to learn to write or how to improve: write, read good books, read books/articles on writing and grammar/punctuation, take reputable courses, get feedback from instructors and mentors in the industry … but mostly write, write, write. It is through doing it and redoing it that we learn. “There is no great writing, only great rewriting.” Justice Louis Brandeis
Good question, Dan! My 2 cents’ is that there are born writers and there are ‘made’ writers, and sometimes that aspect resides in the same person. {Plus, ‘born’ writers can benefit from the practices adopted by ‘made’ writers.} As others have said eloquently above, there’s an aptitude for storytelling verbally that can translate to the act of writing on paper or screen; and, of course, there are character and temperament traits such as listening deeply, being curious and open-minded, wanting to share, etc., that aid the end-goal. For myself, I tend to be of Voltaire’s mind: ‘I write to act.’
That’s a good point. I would say I was born rider. I was always able to do it, and do it fairly well. It wasn’t until I got around real riders that I found out just how bad a writer I was an only in the last few years really committed myself to improving. THAT was work!
We believe in the spirit of Christmas here.
My oldest son is twenty-seven years old and my youngest is six. I also have two girls in between (21 and 10)
I remember my oldest coming home from school, he was seven years old, he (very seriously) sat me down and said “Mom, we need to talk… Listen, Santa Claus is not real. I have talked to my friends and I have thought about it and you won’t change my mind so, I just thought you might want to tell me the truth.”
I shook my head and looked a little nervous and said “oh boy, Travis Alan, we have a situation here. ”
(He shifted in his chair a little, waiting)
I said “You see, once you lose the magic of Christmas in your heart ,things change for you during the Christmas season. Jeesh, It even feels colder outside! The storytellers wrote about Santa in the wintertime for a reason child” 😉
He squinted his intelligent eyes at me and cocked his head a little and I said “I suppose I’ll be buying your stuff this year” I then kissed his cheek and started to stand up. He grabbed me and said “Mom, I believe in Santa, even if it’s you.”
DAN ALATORRE
17 replies on “Thoughts?”
Pretty much what EnglishRosiee said. People think it’s an unlearned gift and you get one of two situations. They feel that they can’t even attempt it or they think it’s something everyone can do. Had a lot of headaches from people close to me having that second mentality. They act like I don’t have to concentrate on my stories.
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I believe there’s a story in everyone, and I believe everyone can tell a story.
Not everyone can tell it WELL, however…
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Definitely. That last part takes practice.
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Yep!
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I’m just beginning the journey of writing and have learned that I know very little. Learning, learning, learning. What else can I do?
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Write, write, write.
I wrote a TON before I learned anything. Your way may be better.
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I think it all begins with recognition of an aptitude for storytelling, spawned from an insightful way of seeing the world. Sensitive souls tend to register things deeply, and I believe at the core of the impetus to write is the desire to share. But yes, craft is the key, and fine tuning craft is never ending ( that’s the good news.) I think the best way to address craft is by reading the works of other writers. It’s imperative for so many reasons, but mostly as a means of aiding and abetting one’s individual process with a standard of excellence that one can use as a touchstone.
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Beautifully said
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What Charles Y. said. People think writing a novel is either daunting, or they believe it’s easy to write (anything) because they can speak. With so many people posting and publishing all over the Internet, the art of writing and good writing are often undervalued.
I’ve seen the Hemingway quote before, and my thoughts were that, as with any product or service you want to promote or sell today, people need to understand its worth.
As for how to learn to write or how to improve: write, read good books, read books/articles on writing and grammar/punctuation, take reputable courses, get feedback from instructors and mentors in the industry … but mostly write, write, write. It is through doing it and redoing it that we learn. “There is no great writing, only great rewriting.” Justice Louis Brandeis
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Ha. Brilliant. Thank you.
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Good question, Dan! My 2 cents’ is that there are born writers and there are ‘made’ writers, and sometimes that aspect resides in the same person. {Plus, ‘born’ writers can benefit from the practices adopted by ‘made’ writers.} As others have said eloquently above, there’s an aptitude for storytelling verbally that can translate to the act of writing on paper or screen; and, of course, there are character and temperament traits such as listening deeply, being curious and open-minded, wanting to share, etc., that aid the end-goal. For myself, I tend to be of Voltaire’s mind: ‘I write to act.’
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s a good point. I would say I was born rider. I was always able to do it, and do it fairly well. It wasn’t until I got around real riders that I found out just how bad a writer I was an only in the last few years really committed myself to improving. THAT was work!
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🙂 Yeah, we shouldn’t compare ourselves to other writers, because all we can really be is ourselves or, if we so choose, poor imitations of them.
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We believe in the spirit of Christmas here.
My oldest son is twenty-seven years old and my youngest is six. I also have two girls in between (21 and 10)
I remember my oldest coming home from school, he was seven years old, he (very seriously) sat me down and said “Mom, we need to talk… Listen, Santa Claus is not real. I have talked to my friends and I have thought about it and you won’t change my mind so, I just thought you might want to tell me the truth.”
I shook my head and looked a little nervous and said “oh boy, Travis Alan, we have a situation here. ”
(He shifted in his chair a little, waiting)
I said “You see, once you lose the magic of Christmas in your heart ,things change for you during the Christmas season. Jeesh, It even feels colder outside! The storytellers wrote about Santa in the wintertime for a reason child” 😉
He squinted his intelligent eyes at me and cocked his head a little and I said “I suppose I’ll be buying your stuff this year” I then kissed his cheek and started to stand up. He grabbed me and said “Mom, I believe in Santa, even if it’s you.”
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Awww!!!! What a great story.
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Thanks! I have some really neat kids 🙂
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I bet!
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