Whenever we have a fifth Thursday, we look to accomplished authors for inspiration, and today is no different.
But first, a big thank you for your heartfelt comments on our one-hundredth episode! I’ll announce the prize winners soon. Between vacation, a hurricane, and speaking at a writers conference, I’m a bit behind on everything. Sorry for the delay!
Now, let’s dive into Dani Shapiro’s wisdom on writing from Still Writing: The Perils and Pleasures of a Creative Life. I love what she says:
Straining to know the whole of the story before you set out is a bit like imagining great-grandchildren on a first date. But you can start with the smallest detail…One word. One image. One detail. Go ahead. Then see what happens next.
We know picturing those great-grandchildren is ludicrous, but thinking we should see our entire story or project is the same. Remember, “One word. One image. One detail.” Doing that will carry you to the end of your project.
When you write, do you just jump in and go, trusting the process will take you where you need to be, or do you want to map out the big picture before you write the first word? How does your approach work for you? Tell us about it in the comments section below.
Always remember, the only way to do that wrong is to not do it at all.
Until next time, happy writing.
Since my mind is always in many places all at once, I have to start someplace and watch where it goes, what flavor it has and what color it wants to be. I doodle, take notes, talk to myself… and then I take a break from it for a bit to get distance and evaluate my thoughts. In this entire exercise, the computer is not my friend. I am a “manual” person who likes doing things by hand; handsewing, handchopping, handgrating, handwriting… but I do type things out because it is faster when I want to get it on paper… Read more »
Monique, loved the way you put it. I, too, have a mind that flits from one thing to another constantly as do my conversations. I type faster than I write and can see it or have it read aloud to me on computer. I do have a problem figuring out where and how to efficiently save my
short thoughts. My vision has faded and is constantly changing making paper reading difficult.
Thank you, Jackie for your kind thoughts. I know you’ll be able to stay organized with your notes. Have you tried carrying a small notepad with you? I have found that to be a savior when my active thinking kicks in while I am out and about.
Lately it has been a new grandchild that has me spinning. Helping my daughter out has filled most of my writing time. I miss the writing time and hope I will find time in the near future.
When i know its gonna flow i start writing on the computer. I always know when its gonna go. If not I pull out a large legal pad and doodle and write words and phrases as they come to me, but i write them sideways or at an angle to the lines on the page. I sometimes write big. I dont know why that helps.
The pen I use must be one where the ink flows easliy. At some point I switch to the computer.
Thanks, David, for sharing tidbit about pulling out legal pad to help organize thoughts and help your computer writing, that I, too, will start doing your doodle, etc, to aid the process.
I just sit on n front f the computer, think about the next chapter and write. I don’t think about the ending, I think about the beginning. Once the opening paragraph is done, the story begins to unveil.
Hi Patricia, I jump in and it works for me as I go along. I’ ts another ball game when it comes to maping. My biggest block is with technology when I need to rearange stories into chapters page after page. This week, a friend came for help and tips with Word. And I’ m back on track!
See you all soon.
Thierry