Writing

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I had breakfast with Deb 🐝 Helfrich yesterday. She is a very pleasant sort with staunch

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 opinions. We arrived at the subject of writing and I strove to relate my journey towards writing.

Different people tell different stories of their journey towards writing. I’ve always viewed my story as nothing special. My desire to become an accomplished writer unfolded slowly. I didn’t write scripts. I didn’t write books. I simply wrote.

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Learning to write was a bear. I have learning difficulties which stem from the severe abuse I suffered as a child. Verbal ones. It’s often true of traumatized individuals that their verbiage is damaged. As a young child, I did not engage in communication with my primary caretakers. My mother had an explosive personality which threatened my very existence. So—as soon as I could, I engage in a world of books and projects. My world was a small, closed one.

By the time I was 6-years-old, I was reading fluently.

After decades of voracious reading, I decided I wanted to master imagery. I did as advised and studied the writings of bestselling authors—Stephen King being one. He is certainly a master of imagery. I accomplished what I call the artistry of painting images with words with 

Turmoil

In the 80s, I had become a storyteller. I embarked on the desire to learn the mechanics of writing. I gained an avid fan in the form of Professor John Nelson, and he created a one-on-one writing course for me—Rhetoric of Fiction., He knew I was working on a book.

The book, which I now call Deception has some bones laid out in my post, 

Deception

It is the story of children who were bartered by a community to a child predator. It includes my story of survival from extreme abuse.

John nurtured me and provided gentle nudges when he found common mistakes in my writing. He was a Professor of English, and I took his nudges to mean there was something in my thinking/writing I needed to fix. I believe most emerging writers go through a phase where they rail against rules. Creative license, it is called. I dealt poorly with punctuation and used it in any way I damn well pleased. John taught me there were editors I needed to go through in order to get published. These days of self-publishing could very well be the demise of English. Creative license and stylistic stuff is regurgitated everywhere. I welcome the red pen of an expert in the English language. A good editor is a writer’s best friend.

So now we have at least these if you want to be recognized as a good writer:

· Read, read, read.
· Study best-selling authors and master your own technique.
· Don’t disregard the rules of grammar if you want to gain the notice of a professional publisher. If you choose to buck the rules of grammar, I guarantee you’ll be self-publishing.

Paul "Pablo" Croubalian has some remarkable insights in his piece https://www.bebee.com/producer/@paul-croubalian/5-mistakes-to-avoid-why-people-ignore-your-awesome-stuff. He mentions the reading level, which is easily accessed through Microsoft Word. I attempt to keep the reading level around grade four. Not to offend people, but because that is simply the way it is. People’s attention expires if your writing is too complicated. Paul mentions the use of compound sentences, and he’s right. People prefer simple sentences. They can be harder for a writer. They must be succinct.

Paul also mentions using http://www.hemingwayapp.com./. I use https://app.grammarly.com/ . This is not an admission of ignorance to use these tools; it is simply an admission of, “I’m not always right.” Even the best writers get it wrong sometimes. I swing through a piece and like the option of having a grammar check at my fingertips.  There is no shame in being wrong; there is shame in not correcting it.

Read Paul’s piece to gain his insights. I did and gained some of my own

Paul "Pablo" Croubalian's books are here.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=deb+helfrich

Paul "Pablo" Croubalian's work is here:

https://www.amazon.com/PayPal-IPN-REAL-World-Simple-English-ebook/dp/B072BXTMCS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1495185635&sr=8-1&keywords=paul+croubalian

Copyright 2017 Joyce Bowen

 

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About the Author:  Joyce Bowen is a freelance writer and public speaker.  Inquiries can be made at crwriter@comcast.net
Sobre el autor: Joyce Bowen es un escritor independiente y orador público. Las consultas pueden hacerse en crwriter@comcast.net

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