Writing Creative Non-fiction or Fiction?
I have been struggling with writing complete stories lately. It seems my creative non-fiction has been a struggle, so I am going to switch back to writing fiction for a while. The struggle seems to be that release of information necessary in order to tell the truth without causing harm to yourself or to others. How much of your own truth can you tell without causing ripples within the family and friends? Not that I have any skeletons in the closet that need hiding, but every family has those scenarios that are left behind to heal over. Divorces, marriages, abortions, adoptions, suicide, criminal activity, addiction problems, parenting problems, financial problems; every family has these difficulties. Some of these life challenges are embarrassing to families, some are not so much. However, when a person has overcome obstacles and challenges to come out stronger, the story can encourage others that the struggles they face can be overcome.
Fiction is much easier because it hides the truth within fictional characters and allows the freedoms of creativity and structure of characters, place and time like no non-fiction story can accomplish. Structure and form are still important, but can be stretched and changed to meet the imagination of the writer. I have been reading Kurt Vonnegut and Ray Bradbury lately. This might be why my non-fiction has been difficult to write. My mind tends to follow the same thought patterns of what I am reading. When I read auto-biographies and other non-fiction, I tend to lean toward journal writing and self-discovery in my writing. If other writers have struggled with switching between genres, please comment from your experiences.
Tomorrow, I will read poetry and pen a sonnet or so.
Filed under On Writing
What are we teaching our children?
I was in the grocery this week and spent a while trying to find all the products I could have with my new Weight Watcher’s diet. While roaming I was distracted by a child and mother fighting over cereal. The seven or eight year old child was arguing her value of getting fruity sugar puffy’s with the prize inside over mom’s choice of a known healthier for kids type cereal. Within a few seconds of the child’s increasingly loud arguments, the mother threw the child’s choice cereal into the cart and rolled her cart up the aisle with the girl skipping behind and wiping away her fake tears. I pictured this child in twelve years, calling her parents for money from college and crying because she can not make it on the allowance due to “school costs.” I see the child buying whatever she wants on her parents credit cards, and her parents working until 75 years old because they are still paying off their daughter’s debt. I saw this child and mother scenario play over and over in the store with different ages and ethnic groups. Then I happened upon one older mother (probably 40 year old) with a tween daughter. She had a list in her hand and was going up and down the aisles ahead of her mom getting the items from the list and putting it in the cart. When the daughter asked if she could have something, I think it was a boxed cake type desert, the mother said, “Remember, you can choose only one item off the list today and it must be under $5.00- make sure it is what you really want.” Although I never made this type of compromise with my daughter, I was impressed with the idea of making the child think about the importance of need over want within the limits of what one can really afford. One positive effort out of eight that I saw was a little underwhelming in hopes for the future considering the state of our country right now. I don’t blame the government or the politicians completely for our economic crisis. We are teaching the majority of our children that what they want can be satisfied immediately with credit cards and dependency upon others. They don’t have to wait or earn anything. These are my opinions, formed as I waited in line watching a ten year old texting on her cell phone. The list holding mom and tween girl chose to move on up the aisle and picked a half gallon of chocolate chunk ice cream that she could share with the family. One hope in eight.
Girls Getaway
When life gets girls down, we recharge by socializing with our best friends. Guys –they go fishing or indulge in their hobby of choice that does not involve talking about “their feelings.” Women vent frustrations with one another, talk trash about men, admire clothing they can not afford, and spend money on crap they don’t need. I just returned from a two day get away to Madison, Indiana with a girlfriend. We stayed at the state park inn which was beautiful and relaxing. After 12 years of friendship, no matter where we go, we manage to laugh until we cry and shop until we drop. It is nice to know someone so well that just a look on their face explains what they think and you begin to laugh. Thanks to my friend I have a little less baggage and a little more sanity.
Filed under Uncategorized
Editing, copy-writing, proofreading.
I decided to post this information because of my experiences involving editing and writing novels. When hired exclusively for editing, I explain that editing is not the same as copywriting.
A copywriter may be hired to improve the content or actually create content for an article, website, or project. The copywriter rarely gets as much credit for creative processes as the editor on a project. The copywriter may also be responsible for correction of the grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors in the work.
Editing, especially extensive editing, requires a knowledge of appropriate structure, syntax, and style of writing appropriate for the audience being addressed by the author’s work. The editor makes suggestions of clarification concerning words, statements, or verb agreements and consistency of style to the author. Basic corrections of grammar and punctuation are identified. The author then makes changes as suggested and returns the work to the editor for another review. This process may take several revisions in order to produce a professional finished literary work. In some cases, an editor may have discussed with the author their willingness to have punctuation, grammar, and word choice changes done by the editor during the first reading. If this is the case, make sure as the editor or the author that those terms are clear.
In the end, it is the author’s words that should stand out in the finished product. It should not be modified to fit the literal voice of the editor. The author should be willing to decline any changes made by the editor in order to preserve the intended message of the work. Just know that at the larger publishing houses, the author may lose the battle of revision to the editor if they wish to have their books published by that house. Read your contracts carefully and make all terms of any job clear before you proceed as the author or the editor.
Filed under On Writing
Personality in Every Species
You ran right up to the fence. Barely a shoulder width from me, I could feel your breath warm on my face. You turned your head just so and our eyes met for a moment. Then you backed up just a little and shook your head. After I took the picture, you pulled your lip up and showed me your teeth, and then you casually turned and walked away.
Filed under Photographs and Art
Beauty
Sometimes when we walk with out heads buried in our life we miss what is going on right above our heads.
Filed under On Writing
At Water’s Edge
On water’s lapping
Edges of land reach out and take a drink
Clear skin slips back to leave a white foam
Parched from heat, earth drops
to the weight of my foot
The print fills and waters edge moves in
partially trapping my presence
Water fills me, then escapes leaving behind
a stagnate pool of floating resolutions
But we are compressed, one firm while the other moves
Creating the shoreline with penetrating force
leaving behind the undercaving
dismissing any boundaries of the water’s edge
and my footprint
Filed under Poetry, Uncategorized
Why do you write?
Most readers are closet writers. They journal, dream stories, imagine scenerios, and then disappear into what they are reading. The question to ask before writing is: Who am I writing for? If you write for money or fame, it is a long narrow road with few recognitions. If you write for family, for fun, or for self-therapy, then you will get rewarded in your life from the effort. If you have a passion for writing; if you pick up a pen in the middle of the night to write down a dream; if your idea of doodling is writing words or poetry; if you are facinated by the challenges of writing…then you know why you write and others may never understand.
Filed under On Writing
sherrystruthtofiction 