A Writing Center of Gravity

Write With RCS: An Approach to a Center of Gravity.    

      The list below includes many of the ways I have gathered for getting a center of gravity or unifying theme to emerge in one's writing. The ways I included below were inspired by Peter Elbow's book, Writing Without Teachers.

 

Toward identifying your unifying theme:

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.

                                       

                                                                                        Richard 

 

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