What makes a writer?
December 12th 2008 06:31
I've gone over this before, but I was reading a thread on Forward Motion earlier and it's been a while, so I felt like writing about this topic.
What makes a writer in my mind is someone who loves to write. Someone who can't help themselves; they just need to do it like most people need to breath. Writing is a passion, writing is a love; when the going gets tough we still keep going. Writers love to do what they do, and are willing to work at it.
The first post in the thread that I was reading talked about plateaus, peaks. Milestones. The first plateau is where you want to write, but can't seem to finish a story; the first finished draft is a milestone. Editing, critiquing, taking critiques, all those things are milestones.
A writer is still a writer no matter where they are in this list of milestones, no matter what their current plateau is. 'Writers' are the ones who are willing to work to hone their craft, who are willing to learn new skills-not only willing to, but want to-and to experiment. (Says the girl who's never written outside her genre... um...)
Writers try to be the best that they can be and every major improvement is a milestone. With every finished story a writer improves; they learn more about the art of writing, learn more about themselves, their characters, their worlds. Writers learn more about themselves and their perceptions of the world around them through writing than most people ever really see.
I'm proud to be a writer-and I'm proud to try new things, to experiment. The workshop I'm working on preparing is a huge experiment right now, as I've never done anything of the sort; I'm working hard on the exercises (lies, I'm procrastinating... but it is hard work, when I'm working) and hoping that people will find them useful. Most of these haven't been tested, as I usually don't do extensive planning. The first time anyone will so much as look at these exercises other than me will be when the thing launches.
I'm still looking for writers of other genres to help with some non-genre-specific exercises; and I'm looking for people to do pep talks for the six week writing part. If you want to volunteer, please email me at diannalgunn@gmail.com.
And something else new that I'm trying is the 2YN, two year novel course over at Forward Motion. Check out the site here:
http://fmwriters.com/
I'm Litharukia on there (which is also my alias on WriYe and Nano and other such writing sites.) If you sign up, send me a message!
Thanks for reading.
What makes a writer in my mind is someone who loves to write. Someone who can't help themselves; they just need to do it like most people need to breath. Writing is a passion, writing is a love; when the going gets tough we still keep going. Writers love to do what they do, and are willing to work at it.
The first post in the thread that I was reading talked about plateaus, peaks. Milestones. The first plateau is where you want to write, but can't seem to finish a story; the first finished draft is a milestone. Editing, critiquing, taking critiques, all those things are milestones.
A writer is still a writer no matter where they are in this list of milestones, no matter what their current plateau is. 'Writers' are the ones who are willing to work to hone their craft, who are willing to learn new skills-not only willing to, but want to-and to experiment. (Says the girl who's never written outside her genre... um...)
Writers try to be the best that they can be and every major improvement is a milestone. With every finished story a writer improves; they learn more about the art of writing, learn more about themselves, their characters, their worlds. Writers learn more about themselves and their perceptions of the world around them through writing than most people ever really see.
I'm proud to be a writer-and I'm proud to try new things, to experiment. The workshop I'm working on preparing is a huge experiment right now, as I've never done anything of the sort; I'm working hard on the exercises (lies, I'm procrastinating... but it is hard work, when I'm working) and hoping that people will find them useful. Most of these haven't been tested, as I usually don't do extensive planning. The first time anyone will so much as look at these exercises other than me will be when the thing launches.
I'm still looking for writers of other genres to help with some non-genre-specific exercises; and I'm looking for people to do pep talks for the six week writing part. If you want to volunteer, please email me at diannalgunn@gmail.com.
And something else new that I'm trying is the 2YN, two year novel course over at Forward Motion. Check out the site here:
http://fmwriters.com/
I'm Litharukia on there (which is also my alias on WriYe and Nano and other such writing sites.) If you sign up, send me a message!
Thanks for reading.
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Comment by Dianna G
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I'm a huge procrastinator... especially right now... feels like the story I'm working on is dragging, which it's not, it's just incredibly long for me.
~Dianna
Moonglow,
Thankies
~Dianna
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Nice post Dianna.
Comment by Dianna G
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Thanks... I don't think my forehead's been bleeding enough. Hmmm...
~Dianna
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
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You've expressed so well what it means to be a writer. While every writer may be at a different place in his or her personal writing journey, we all share the characteristics you've mentioned, which make us part of this illustrious group. It isn't whether or not we've been published or how many times we've been published. A passion for the written word is simply at the core of who we are.
I always like to say, "A writer must write"--or to use a double negative which I find quite effective in describing the wordsmith's creative urge, "A writer can't not write." Of course, this doesn't mean that a writer can't procrastinate or even put writing aside for a while--perhaps even for years. What it does mean is that a writer will never feel totally fulfilled--and will in fact feel quite restless and unfulfilled--until once again engaging in this wonderful method of self-expression--in other words, until he or she is doing what comes naturally: writing!
I think it's wonderful that you're preparing a writing workshop! What a fantastic endeavor! Best of luck with it!
Jeanne
Comment by Dianna G
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Thanks
~Dianna
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Please continue to show some more good works to us
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
Sorry to hear about the rough patch you've been dealing with lately, but certainly glad I've been able to help cheer you up!
Hang in there!
Jeanne
Comment by Dianna G
I Wish This Was 42
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Thankies!
~Dianna
Jean,
~Dianna
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
The holidays can be one of the roughest times of the year. But, don't give up. You'll get through them!
Jeanne