Articles on Writing
Finding Your Readers
Writing is an act of communication and without an audience, the act is only half complete. Yet writers often fail to complete this cycle. I know I’m guilty of this.
Do any of these apply to you? They all describe me.
My Life as a Publisher
“When I first got a business license in the State of Washington, I said my business was publishing, because I was publishing a book of compiled essays about seasonal holidays I had written for the New Times. I named my publishing company Priestess of Swords Press (in the tarot, the Priestess of Swords represents mastery of written language).
The following year, my daughter and I collaborated on a book of stories about our dog and cat. I wrote down the stories I had been telling her at night and she illustrated them. We called it the Adventures of Chester and Faithfull.”
Getting the Most out of Summer Writing Conferences
“Summer. And just as medieval pilgrims turned their thoughts to great cathedrals where they could obtain an indulgence for sins, my thoughts turn to writing conferences where one might gain the boon of an indulgent agent or editor.”
Networking for Writers
“If I told you this article was about networking would you read it? How about if I say it’s about creating community?
I actually think the two are the same and necessary for succeeding as a writer. We think of writers as solitary creatures, often introverts, toiling away alone at their desks but I don’t know any successful writers who are not part of a writing community.”
Imitation: Conscious and Unconscious
The issue of plagiarism surfaced several times during 2006, most recently in November when Ian McEwan was accused of lifting phrases from a memoir written by a WWII nurse in his historical novel about the war, Atonement. Here’s an example of one of the phrases in question. McEwan wrote “In the way of medical treatments, she had already dabbed gentian violet on ringworm, aquaflavine emulsion on a cut and painted lead lotion on a bruise.” The memoir by Lucilla Andrews read “Our ‘nursing’ seldom involved more than dabbing gentian violet on ringworm, aquaflavine emulsion on cuts and scratches, lead lotion on bruises and sprains.”
I don’t know about you but I don’t consider this plagiarism. To me it’s merely evidence of good research. Furthermore, McEwan had cited Ms Andrews’ memoir as a source in his acknowledgements and at readings. Luckily a host of other writers flew to his defense, and the furor died down quickly.
Talking as a Tool for Writers
“Write. Write. Write. Of course, that’s the heart of what we do. It’s the best way — actually the ONLY way — to produce writing. It’s also the best way to improve your writing skills. Someone (Dave Eddings?) once said that you have to write a million words before you are writing well enough to be published. I know that’s not entirely true, but it certainly can’t hurt. Still I’m always surprised that few writers use another tool that I’ve found invaluable for my writing: talking.”
Filling the Well
“For the first time in many years, thanks to the success of my School of the Seasons website and a regular paycheck from UW Extension, I finally have the ability to take some time off during December and January, the two darkest months of the year and the time of hibernation in the natural cycle. I'm hoping that by clearing from my schedule all but the most essential tasks, I'll create space to read and walk and cultivate that inner knowing about which direction to go, which projects to pursue in the new year.
Julia Cameron in The Artist's Way calls this Filling the Well. . .”
The Rejection Game
“I’ve been thinking about rejection a lot recently, partly because my goal is to sell my writing and that means submitting it and that inevitably means rejection. Now I've spent most of my life avoiding rejection and I think I'm not alone in this although perhaps I've taken it to extremes.”
Writing the Summer Novel
“I always have a hard time writing during the summers in Seattle. It's not just the sunshine that lures me from my desk with the promise of warmth and light but something about the energy of the season—I feel distracted, restless, scattered, like a bee buzzing around the flowers. All those extra hours of daylight beg to be filled with busyness: meeting new people, visiting new places and trying new activities.
My usual routine requires that I spend two hours every morning and complete a chapter of a novel a week. But the disruptive energy of summer makes it hard to stay in the narrow channel of routine. And so I've decided to go with the flow of the energy. Once again summer becomes vacation, a time of play and indulgence.”
Writing Heresy
“About a year ago, after a lifetime spent writing, teaching writing and pursuing that holy grail of every writer — publication — I experienced an epiphany. It came in the form of a thought that writers are taught to shun: What if I never get published (again)?”
Writing Rituals
“I could see how my abandoned projects, unfiled papers, and good ideas buried in unread journals represented a lack of respect for my own work. Priscilla said she categorizes her writing projects under three headings: In Progress, Completed and Published. I made a vow to establish a similar system for dealing with my own writing.”
Time and the Writer
“I decided to talk about the many ways writers use time in writing to honor the name of this reading series, It’s About Time, to celebrate Take Back Your Time Day, October 24th — a holiday dedicated to examining time poverty and overwork in America and because time is one of my passions (I have a website devoted to seasonal holidays).”
Revising Your Novel at the Seattle WriterGrrls site
Waverly Fitzgerald
Supporting you in meeting your writing goals
206.325.1452
waverly@waverlyfitzgerald.com
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