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Monday, 05.21.2012 |
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| Anybody Can Write |
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Product Details
Notes
find self-acceptance, self-knowledge, belief in oneself, trust and courage
stories evolve from dreams, but only action makes them into words on paper
you need the willingness to start writing and keep on writing
honesty in telling your stories, and dedication to learning from your efforts
reading about writing and plotting in your head are not writing
writing is putting words down on paper, that's the most important thing
creative people take risks and they take advantage of chance, nothing is wasted
the fear of being wrong is a prime inhibitor of the creative process
let go of old notions of what's right, or good, or talented, and just write honestly
engage in the trial-and-error-and-error-and-error process of writing
it's better to sit and write crap than to think of awesome ideas never written
Ray Bradbury: "...quantity produces quality."
he also wrote: "Only if you do a lot will you ever be any good."
writing success is in direct proportion to the quantity of words and pages
your apprenticeship in writing starts with you writing a million words
one factor that hurts creativity is criticism, whether by others or yourself
self-criticism can keep you from ever starting, or stop you at the first sentence
writing is a two-stage process, the first creative stage is free, the second is careful
Shana Alexander: "The murderer of writing is reading."
reading over what you have just written and realizing you could make it better
wanting to do it right vs. wanting to get it done first, and make it right later
the first stage of wordplay should be messy and chaotic but creatively exciting
it takes 21 days to make or break a habit, to retrain automatic responses
thinking is not writing, try to write without thinking and see where it goes
if a thought interrupts your writing, write down that sentence and keep going
you can delete the extra junk later, write a journal entry in the middle of a novel
get into the habit of writing one more page beyond where you get stuck
a writer's journal is not just a diary, it's like an artist's sketchbook to save ideas
make your journal protected and private so that anything goes, don't hold back
do your speculation on paper, not in your head, try writing each idea out
perfectionism is one of the biggest killers of creativity, allow a bad zero-draft
make your internal critic ask good questions, not this sucks but how can it be good
Dorothea Brande: "act as if it is impossible to fail."
most books in print represent about 10% of the words the writer produced on it
Somerset Maugham knew he was weak at flowery prose and poetic metaphors
but he recognized his power of observation and focused on clear writing instead
people make room in their lives for what is important to them
Ray Bradbury: "write at least 1000 words a day, every day."
there's a time gap between understanding technique and actually applying it
the essence of the creative mode is allowing, not pushing or forcing it
precede writing time with rhythmic exercise or quiet meditation, try music
try forcing a smile while you write, hold the smile even if you don't feel like it
think of a particular reader or readers to represent your target audience
but don't tell them or show them anything too early, or it will hurt the process
what people say about your art often says more about them than about the work
writing is an act of faith in yourself and your vision
the best advice is when you wish you had thought of if yourself
never take any advice that you don't agree with
my personality is that I work better with my own ideas, avoid all feedback!
transcendence comes from personal conviction, passion, and clear intention
the trick is to be both intensely personal and universal
a laborer works with his hands, a craftsman works with his hands and head
but an artist works with his hands, his head, and his heart
to get published, combine persistence with passion and an open mind |
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