Last week when I went to my writing workshop, a good number (well more than usual) of the people in the class, chose to "pass" and not read what they wrote. I find that strange, because this has not been a great class for me (in regards to my writing that is....I haven't, for some reason, liked the things I've written and struggled in each class to write something). No matter how bad I thought my writing was, I read it and was often surprised that others in the class like the way I have envisioned a scene or formed dialog or gathered up words to express my feelings. I miss it when the others don't share, for part of the learning of the class (for me) is hearing how others mix and mingle words expressing their thoughts and stories.
But as it turned out, the lack of people choosing to read gave us time to have some open discussion of writing styles and to ask questions of those that everyone agrees are truly gifted writers.....the ones that have projects in the works, the ones that write in such a way that you really can't wait until their book is published and you can read it. It was commented that writing is sometimes a "selfish" thing....or a thing of self....one expressing their own ideas and thoughts....sometimes to 'self'........that's not always a bad thing...........
Those of us who want to be writers, but confess to not being right in the groove yet, asked the "others" how they make their stories and characters so believable....the answer, almost unanimously, was that they abandon "self" and get into the minds of the characters in the story...they forgo their own opinions and thoughts and write through the voice and the mind of the place, people and time in their story. I found that bit of information very enlightening and educational. I've found my writings to be (in this class) more of my own thoughts and opinions... not that my own thoughts and feelings are not valuable, but even I'll admit, they are not always "page-turning wows". Thinking back, the writing I've done that have brought more good critiques from my classmates are those where I was able to lose myself in a character. I'm going to try to do my whole writing that way for the last two classes of this session and see how it goes. Perhaps I'll share them with you here.
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I don't know about where you live, but here in Maine....Fall is tearing down the street and rushing out of town.......no doubt with winter fast on her heels, driving an 18-wheeler full of snow flakes!
But as it turned out, the lack of people choosing to read gave us time to have some open discussion of writing styles and to ask questions of those that everyone agrees are truly gifted writers.....the ones that have projects in the works, the ones that write in such a way that you really can't wait until their book is published and you can read it. It was commented that writing is sometimes a "selfish" thing....or a thing of self....one expressing their own ideas and thoughts....sometimes to 'self'........that's not always a bad thing...........
Those of us who want to be writers, but confess to not being right in the groove yet, asked the "others" how they make their stories and characters so believable....the answer, almost unanimously, was that they abandon "self" and get into the minds of the characters in the story...they forgo their own opinions and thoughts and write through the voice and the mind of the place, people and time in their story. I found that bit of information very enlightening and educational. I've found my writings to be (in this class) more of my own thoughts and opinions... not that my own thoughts and feelings are not valuable, but even I'll admit, they are not always "page-turning wows". Thinking back, the writing I've done that have brought more good critiques from my classmates are those where I was able to lose myself in a character. I'm going to try to do my whole writing that way for the last two classes of this session and see how it goes. Perhaps I'll share them with you here.
***************************
I don't know about where you live, but here in Maine....Fall is tearing down the street and rushing out of town.......no doubt with winter fast on her heels, driving an 18-wheeler full of snow flakes!
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