Writing Makes Us Writers

                             When you want to be a writer, write. Start writing and keep writing. Your writing makes you a writer. When our object is to write we don't have to be perfect, but it is good to be good.

                        So, write something. Consider taking ten minutes to write a paragraph. Write something about what you would like to write about.

                        I used to use a timer when I wrote and found it helpful in several ways. For example, I found myself stopping to make corrections or to rewrite so often that I lost my line of thought and wasted time. So, I set my timer to ring in five minutes and did not stop for anything until I heard that ring. Then, if I felt like it I made corrections or changes. I also found that it helped to have the nature of a pararagraph somewhere near the conscious level of my mind. Neither of these doings is completely necessary. Certain doings are more important as you begin to write. Having a table and chair handy may prove helful. Pencil and paper and your glasses at hand may be a good idea. Maybe a computer with a speech to print app at hand and warmed up could make your writing flow more easily.

                    For this writing do not stop to make corrections or to edit. Just keep writing. Do not go back to read or anything. Just write. This practice can help you to accomplish writing.

                        When we are note-taking or writing a first draft it is often best not to take time for editing, improving word choice, or executing excelent  punctuation. You may write more efficiently when you complete such acts in your final draft or your penultimate one. It's OK to change your mind, but often best to express that which is on your mind at first. Which is often a more efficient way of writing. Later you can look over your writing and get a better idean of wht you were trying to get at. Seems that I have writen elsewhere recently that that we grow and develp as we write.

                        Well, did you write for five or ten minutes, relax for a while and then read what you have written. If so you can make additions and corrections as you like. Congratulations. Relax for a minute or five. You have written. You are a writer.

                        Now reread what you have written. Don't throw it away yet. You may get a surprisingly use idea from it which you can use right now or later.

                        If  you still feel like writing, do it. You can make your corrections and additions. Maybe you made a wrong meaning in a wrong word. You can double check the meanings of the words you are not completely sure of. This could be a good learning experience for you and good the the meaning and clearity of your paragraph. It could even help your reader to get that which you want her to understand or feel.

                        One changes as one writes. One's writing changes as one changes. We grow and develop as we write and our writing grows and and develops as we do so. 

                        Your most embarrasing paragraph or sentence can contain a gem or seed from great writing. Where you see the possibility for that gem or seed make a stab at bringing it out, clearifying it, or even making it shine and grow.

                    I am so old now that I am losing skill faster than I am learning. Even so, I am remember ing some past experience. After three or so of the writings were were just talkng about and if you have saved that which you have written, you'll have a pile of rubble. When you look over that rubble try not to over look seeds and gems. You are nearly sure to find words, phrases, and a sentence or two which seem important.

                    Use some careful thought and editorial discrimination to see what your words, pharses, and sentences add up to. Decide how much you believe them. Arrange them somehow so that the make sense. write some new and connecting parts if you wish.

                        We could call this your first real draft. We could also say that you have begun your career as a practiced writer. Congratulations!

                        When you feel like writing more you may find that when you keep alert to finding an "an emergent center of gravity" as you write, you may find one.

                        That emergent center may help you to more clearly see what you are writing about. Clarifying what you are writing about is often a big help. I am remembering now that at this point I sometimes found that which I thouht ought to be the beginning of a paper ought to end it and what I thought ought to end it was better as a beginning.

You can find the following as aids to finding and clearifying that center of gravity:

~ As you write you may honestly come to say, "Ah, now I see what I have been getting at." Pay attention.

~ Finish what you are writing about. Put it aside for a time. See useful implications as you look it over again.

~ See that your good idea is crap. Then see tat part of it is les crappy. Sort out the good parts from the bad. You don'thave to throw anything away. You may come to see that some of it is better than your favorite idea.

~ Your first writing may be good scaffolding fir your next writing.

~ You can find a powerful spark in a tiny digression of yours. You may keep the same elements of your work, but change the whole orientation for the better. 

~ See your work improve as you improve. See yourself improve as your work improves. 

~ As you progress in a piece of writing, be alert to an emerging focus or theme. Its OK to let your focus ortheme improve.

~ If notheing emerges in a piece you are writing, sum up thar which you have written, then sumit up again.

~ Push yourself a bit to keep getting some center of gravity or summing-up to occur. 

~ Work gradually toward moderation from extreme positions. If you feel you must be immoderate in a given case, make sure that you are being extremely honest and realistic.

~ Its fair and good to explain your position and its source.

~ Keep writing.

                    It is possible to learn a lot by helpimg others to develop their craft. That could be done in a writing group or you may do it by your suggestions or examples in the "comments" section below. Share an experience, information, or understanding. Pass it on here. You can even ask a question. You can help me by proof reading this piece and making sugestions or correcting my spelling. This is  a way to be a published writer!

                    Thank you for reading and thank you for writing.

                                                                                                rcs

Toward Better Writing

Write With RCS: Writing about writing seems to be improving my writing. Our writing does improve when we engage in certain activities.

 

 We learn to write by:

~ beginning to write and continuing to write.

~ reading for pleasure and reading about writing.

~ trying to see how your favorite writer does it.

~  studying with a good teacher.

~ forming or joining a writing group.

~ reading certain posts about writing.

 

            On this blog I will write about writing groups; more specifically, teacherless  writing groups. I also write about better writing in general. I believe that a teacherless writing group can be a very agreeable and productive way to improve our writing. My problem  is that I am living the life of a hermit in a land where my language is limited. Still, I have been reading about and thing about such a group for some time and believe that I can pass on some knowledge to you about how to benefit from such a group.

            Participating in  a writing group provides the writer with a precious commodity called feedback. A writing group is a pack of individuals wanting to better their writing and have decide to cooperate to do so. I have already begun to post on this blog about the nature of and the practices of such a group. Here I can say that members of the pack quickly learn to tell one another how they felt a bout a particular pies of writing, what they thought it was about, what they thought the writer was getting at and a great deal more

            Speaking about writing in general: When you are a writer who feels stuck to often, you are not alone. Many a good writer has felt stuck and has been stuck. Many writers consciously learn and use methods to get unstuck. One really good way is to keep writing. Another is to see your writing as a learning, growing, and maturing process. I suggest three more below in  bit more detail

For your consideration, here are three ways others have used to free themselves from being stuck:

1. Digress and wander until your mind atrophies and falls off. Let yourself be open and accepting of that which you write. Every little bit of digression, wandering and acceptance counts.

2.Don't spend a lot of time preparing to write just now. Often the most important things happen during your writing. You grow and develop as a writer as you write. You discover that you have something to say. Allow yourself to proceed without a full plan and allow yourself to depart from any plan you have.

3. Try not to let whatever you have learned about control to interfere with your writing. Freedom! You are the boss. Thinking about control can lead to stuckness. Try to do as the psychologist says, "Let go a bit." Being free to choose does not mean making a single choice, the right one. I means being you, choosing, re-choosing and choosing again.

            These methods most be adapted to who you are. Without some care, you could find yourself looking for a way to mend an atrophied mine.

            I choose to consider writing an important  personal growth process.  Growth and maturation are highly pertinent to writing. One changes as on writes. One's writing changes as one one changes.

            I am finding that if I keep alert to finding "an emergent center of gravity" as I write, I often find it. That emergent center helps me to more clearly see what I am writing about. Clarifying that which I am writing about is a big help.

Consider the following as aids to finding that center of gravity:

~ As you write along, you may come to honestly say, "Ah," now I see what I have been getting at." Pay attention.

~ Finish what you are writing about. Put it aside for a time. See useful implications as yo look it over again,

~ See that your good idea is crap. Then see that part of the crap looks less crappy. Sort out good parts from the bad. You don't have to throw the away. In fact some of it might be better than your favorite idea.

~ Your first writing may prove to be a good scaffolding for your next writing.

~ You find a powerful spark in a tiny digression. You keep the same elements of your work, but change the whole orientation for the better. 

~ As you progress in your writing be alert to an emerging focus or theme.

~ If nothing emerges, sum up what you have written, then sum it up again,

~ Push yourself a bit to keep getting some center of gravity or summing up to occur.

~ Work gradually toward moderation from extreme positions.

~ You could be holding an extreme position.

~ It is fair to explain your position and its source,

~ Keep writing. 

            When you care to share an experience, information, or understanding related to writing, you are welcome to pass it on here. Use the "comments' section below. It often says 'no comments.' Click on it anyway.

                                                                            RCS

 

A Writing Center of Gravity

 Be alert to emerging focus of theme

Instead of focus of them or center of gravity you may want to call it the heart of the heart of a writing of yours:

 

            Peter Elbow, my old writing guru, wrote of a "center of gravity." The list below includes a way, I have gathered from him, for getting a center of gravity or unifying theme to emerge in my writing.

1.  Start writing X because it seems more believable than Y. Note as you write X what you begin to understand about Y.
2. Continue your struggle with X and Y and see Z come up.
3. As you write along you may honestly say, "Ah, now I see what I have been getting at."
4. Finish what you are writing. Put it aside for a time. See useful implications as you look it over again.
5. See that your good idea is crap. Then see that some part of the crap looks a lot less crappy. You sort out good part from the bad. You don't have to throw it away. In fact, some of it is better than your favorite idea.
6. See your first writing providing a good scaffolding for your next writing. Consider the function of scaffolding.
7. You find a powerful spark in a tiny digression. You keep the same elements but change the whole orientation for the better.
8. As you progress in your writing be alert to emerging focus of theme.
9. If nothing emerges, sum up what you have written, then sum it up again.
10. Push yourself a bit to keep getting a center of gravity or summing-up to occur. Reconsider the nature of a center of gravity.

     11. Work gradually toward moderation from extreme positions.

                And like that.

                Keep writing.

                                       

                                                                        RCS