4.19.2009
Everything I Learned About Writing
4.18.2009
Everything I Learned About Writing
Write.
Then find someplace loud.
Write.
Writing is a product,
not an action.
Write,
then rewrite.
Whatever comes out of it
must be worth something, so
work hard.
Nature is the perfect inspiration,
but music works for me –
lyric blending into note;
my hands are covered in quotes.
But you must find your own
muse.
“Write of what you know,”
but if you have a great
imagination, imaginate.
Magic mushrooms, faeries,
knights, nights, murders,
nature, fantasy, fact.
Find a good notebook, plain,
and do everything your own way.
Explore.
Do everything your own way,
find your own voice,
find your own tree, find
your own crappy coffee shop,
find a funky way to
express yourself,
after you have exhausted
everyone else’s way,
and be the best you can be,
but never strive for perfection.
Perfection is too contrived.
Keep a pen behind your ear --
you never know when you’ll be struck by
Inspiration
(Crossing my fingers that it actually posted this time...)
4.17.2009
There is nothing easier than letting thoughts flow through the end of a pen, or a pencil, or even the tips of your fingers as they navigate through a jumbled but familiar arrangement of keys. But there is nothing harder than harnessing that flow into a stream of meaning. Who is your audience? Why is this worth my time? Does it have conflict and resolution? Can we identify with the voice of the character? I have learned you have to allow a little voice to sit on your shoulder and question your self worth. It is the same little voice that directs your moral compass, the same voice that brings about feelings of regret. Sometimes she comes as your mother, hinting at the importance of broccoli. Sometimes she’s your best girlfriend, smiling at you as you pick your nose. Much of the time you can’t even know who she is, but you feel her snicker at the small puddle of drool on your pillow in the morning, or whispering about the outfit you’ve chosen on your birthday. To be a writer is to be self-indulgent and self-centered enough to believe that some one else, another person, would actually be interested in what you have to express. But then, it is to engage in enough self-critique and inner anxiety that no one can pick you apart more than yourself. Writing is a process. I like to think of chocolate milk––the mixing of dark indulgences, the wonderful bubbles that can be blown from the surface, and the ruckus it makes in the world of the beverage. Writing is the constant swirling of thoughts, and eventually the small splashes that may or may not stain the tablecloth as a result. I will always be a writer. I cannot help but fuel the small voice on my shoulder who keeps telling me to blow bubbles in my chocolate milk.
4.16.2009
Why i Write
At the end of each day my mind is fraught with stress. The best way to relieve it is to simply write out my thoughts. Everything that flashes through my head is captured, and in placing it in a tangible area, it is possible to decipher how to repair any problems. During work a few days ago, I found myself troubled by the thought of an upcoming math test. As I returned home caked with grime and grease, this notebook from eighth grade lay opened on my bed. How it came to that particular spot? I’ll never know or even care. I wrote. Line after line about how irritating that class is brought such a wave of relief. Keeping stressful thoughts trapped within one’s mind is tantamount to suicide in my opinion.
Writing is the apex of self-expression. In my work, I very much enjoy insinuating subtle ideas into certain sentences. Even now as I write, much about me is being revealed. Obviously the reader is aware that I am a stressed out person who utilizes this strategy as a means of escape, but with careful deduction, it can be concluded that I am also extremely afraid. It is the only successful way to convey human thought to others. I write to show the diverse perspectives on worldy issues.
On a hot, abysmal day when nothing seems to go according to plan, giving one’s thoughts an outlet simplifies everything. It seems peculiar or a waste of time at first, but if given time, the writing will melt away the troubles that plague the mind. Writing for this reason comes off as selfish, however, others can indeed benefit from it. They will see your raw thoughts on the paper, which will most likely cause them to attempt the same thing.
I write to allow others not only access to my own set of beliefs, but to also reveal to them how the basic thoughts the human mind contains are all quite similar. Examples of these are the clichés of teenage stress. I write as someone who is about to enter a whole new chapter of life. Every one of my peers is most likely experiencing the same issues concerning the end of high school. Writing breaks the dam that holds the ever increasing pressure of issues that torment the mind.
Writing will undoubtedly relieve the burdens caused by everyday problems. It can serve to also inspire others to go beyond what is expected in every day activities. I write to allow others a glimpse of insight into the benefits of all this. Some may be fearful to write their thoughts. Do not despair, for no one has to view them. I write in solitude and destroy what is written after the pain escapes, in effect annihilating the horrid memories that have unfortunately brought me woe.
Everything I Learned About Writing
Everything I Learned About Writing
Risk being un-liked, stop obsessing and be yourself. Write what you feel. Don’t worry about what people will think of you or your writing. Never abandon your narrative voice. Your writing should be consistent in everything you write. The same story should never be told twice but you should always be visible in your writing. If you don’t write in the same voice, then it’s NOT you writing. Be different. Be exotic. Entertain your audience. They are your critics, so impress them. If you’re the only one who’s not put to sleep by your story then it’s NOT a good story! Give it a twist or two. Go for the unexpected. Impress yourself with your writing. Write something that’s never been written before. Make it interesting! Write for yourself, write for your audience, write for your audience about yourself. “Be afraid of wasting anymore time obsessing about how you look and how people see you”. Be tangential. Take the trip down a different road this time. Go back to your past, as awful as it may be. Write about it. Write out of vengeance but disguise those you write about. I don’t, but you should! Favor one character over the other and give them flaws. Nobody’s perfect. Be believable in your plot, setting, and characters. A sad story should give the audience false hope and vice-versa. Make a good story, regardless of what form it takes. Enjoy your writing and write! It is your obligation as a writer.
Everything I Learned About Writing
to risk being not liked.
Writing is creating a world in which one can enter--
a world where you can see me.
See my world.
Step into my shoes and be me.
Writing comes from within;
my thoughts are translated from
body to pen to paper.
It keeps me balanced--
and allows me to relieve my mind of unwanted dread.
Writing is my private way of speaking.
Writing is my heart and soul.
Writing is me.
4.15.2009
Everything I Learned about Writing
-Ariella Faitelson
Everything I Learned About Writing
-Isabella Tudisco-Sadacca
Everything I Learned About Writing
Writing must come from you. You have to give it your all. Don’t mess around and half-ass it. You have to put your mind into your writing. Better yet, you have to put your heart into writing. Everyone has their own style of writing, whether its funny, sad, depressing, uplifting, or drama; you have to find your niche. Write what feels right, if you’re good at writing sad stories, then make something shitty happen to your character to make us understand and sympathize. If you can make people laugh with your stories, then do it. You have to leave everything you have in your writing.
Writing must come from the heart.