edit

Of Writing, Time, and The Realities of Publishing…

The reality of publishing is that it is difficult to make a profit in this business.

And why does one want to make a profit?

Because editors need to be paid, it takes money to print copies of a book, and most importantly, authors need food, shelter, and health insurance, none of which are cheap, if we are to write entertaining stories.

When publishing companies agree to print book, the writer must deliver and on time, lest the publisher demands

Of Writing, Time, and The Realities of Publishing… Read More »

The Muse, Mystery and Grace…

“It isn’t easy. Nobody has ever done it consistently. Those who try hardest, scare it off into the woods. Those who turn their backs and saunter along, whistling softly between their teeth, hear it treading quietly behind them, lured by a carefully acquired disdain.

We are speaking, of course, of The Muse.”

–Ray Bradbury, Zen in the Art of Writing/Essays on Creativity

Many people imagine the life of a writer as one of awakening each morning to a flowing stream of words that pour onto our writing tablet or through our fingers and onto the computer string, our greatest challenge being that of writing or moving our fingers quick enough on the computer keys to catch the words.

There are times like that. But more often than not, we struggle to find those words that ideally give readers a smooth ride into the escape of our stories and novels.

A more honest way of describing what we do is to say that the smoother our sentences flow and the more intense a readers entrancement into at story, the more the writer toiled at kneading and carving that ease of journey presented in the magic carpet of our words.

But what of The Muse?

The Muse, Mystery and Grace… Read More »

Of Peeling Onions, Surrender and Writing from The Zone…

The stage of renewal in a story offers a second opportunity for rebirth. Unlike the crisis, the scenes of renewal focus on the inner life of the major character.

Through the action of deciding and choosing to share the good news of her or his triumph in both word and deed, the protagonist now heads down a road, the path and events of which are shaped and influenced more by internal changes than those physically committed.

Renewal signals the time in a story or novel where the central character surrenders to the nuclear fall out, so to speak, of her or his actions.

He or she has carried out the physical task set forth by the changes and upheaval leveled at the outset of the story.

At the peak of action she or he dueled her their enemies and/or central antagonist.

In the wake of triumph she/he has made decisions reflective of their survival and the wisdom granted by having battled through the crisis.

Of Peeling Onions, Surrender and Writing from The Zone… Read More »