Writing Schedule

           King says that most writers work on a schedule. They set time aside each day or week to devote their entire attention to their words. For me, this is difficult with my busy schedule, but I know King’s right. Every person has obligations whether self-inflicted or not, and it’s just silly to think that only I struggle with time management. Luckily, I already know at what time of day I am most productive: morning, just like King.

            It has taken me a few years to figure this out, and night classes and dorm life certainly don’t help, but I am now aware of my golden writing time; I merely have to drag myself over to my desk to do it. By bringing up the concept of a concrete writing schedule, I feel as though King has exposed one of my major weaknesses: making excuses because no one can possibly know how busy I am. However, if I don’t stop piling on the excuses, I will never make any progress. Like King says, your muse will not know where to find you unless you have some sort of schedule. I appreciate the way he puts this because it sounds as if I’m sharing the pressure to write with a lazy guy with wings who’s wandering around waiting for me to stop procrastinating. Well, Mr. Lazy-guy-with-wings, it’s only a tentative schedule right now, but you can find me at my desk most mornings before class. I’ll be waiting.

           King gives very good advice, especially to a reader who has never received anything less than generic writing suggestions from websites, and I'll keep his comments in mind while I write. Again, Mr. Lazy-guy-with-wings, that's EVERY morning. You can thank Stephen King for putting my rear in gear.

Memoir Ideas Again

I'm not quite sure if we were supposed to list our memoir ideas on our personal blog or the community one, so I'm doing both. I'll delete whichever one is wrong once I figure it out.

The trials of being a six-year old perfectionist at the community Halloween party. Boo.

10 days spent with Mr. Espanosa in England during which he was always searching desperately for the loo. A specific instance comes to mind...

I know these are a bit vague, but I can write on them- hopefully.

It's Called STYLE

It really is amazing that more than ninety years have passed and we still follow most of the guidelines Strunk outlined in The Elements of Style. Some rules have changed slightly like the use of commas in a series of three or more terms or the correct way to write “to-morrow” with a hyphen, but these are the same guidelines I’ve learned throughout my education. In terms of basic writing, the English language has not altered too much. Of course, our verbal approach to English is always changing as a result of technology and shifts in pop culture, but that’s inevitable.

In terms of content, it’s interesting that Strunk urges writers to always keep their sentences simple. For example, he says that “vigorous writing is concise.” Clearly, he was a fan of minimalism. However, wordiness sometimes depends on your audience. Some readers appreciate more imagery or personality in what they’re reading even if it’s a scholarly article. Other readers want straightforward information without extra words or opinions.

Strunk does say that his guidelines are “intended for use in English courses,” so hopefully, no one takes them too seriously while writing outside the classroom. This book is a useful reference, but writers should be innovative with sentence structure, take advantage of how English has changed, and show personality to keep a reader’s attention. The book may be The Elements of Style, but style is unique to every individual, and the word has changed a bit in the last ninety years. Writing should be allowed to change too.

Dear Writing, you're terrifying.

Writing is always on my mind. Whether I’m formulating new ideas, freaking out about the writing I’m not doing, or enjoying the rare yet ever-emotionally-exhausting epiphany, I am always thinking about it. Still, my constant obsessing over writing doesn’t usually help me put a syllable on paper. That’s the real challenge- to stop procrastinating and actually be productive. Most of the time, I become frustrated and assume that laziness or ignorance is what keeps me from writing. Maybe I’m just not meant to write. Whatever it is, I know I am not the first person to experience disappointment or indecisiveness, and I certainly won’t be the last. C.S. Lewis wrote, “We read to know we are not alone,” and Annie Dillard’s article is by far the most helpful text I’ve read to help me understand this concept.

Dillard says to “write as if you were dying” and write as if your audience consisted “solely of terminal patients.” This advice is intimidating because it makes time seem heavier and more powerful than usual. I wonder how I could ever convey a message so moving that it affects the heart of a terminal patient. I cannot possibly know enough of anything after the limited experience I’ve had in this world. Upon this realization, all I can think to do is run and run fast.

However, after a minor emotional meltdown and a major amount of chocolate, I’m calm enough to observe that if Annie Dillard is presenting this advice, she must know the feeling and has undoubtedly had her share of meltdowns just like anyone else. If she has experienced this exact sensation of panic and survived it unscathed and ultimately successful, I might have a slight chance at creating something useful to the world too.

Writing is intimidating, and I’d be insane if I weren’t terrified. Nevertheless, it is such a comfort to think that the individuals whom I admire and envy hit the same mental walls of frustration and exhaustion that I thought I was facing alone. Those writers still find inspiration and overcome worse obstacles than I could imagine, and they produce masterpieces.

At the beginning of a new semester, we all need a little inspiration. Annie Dillard’s article has totally kicked me out of my pity-party and motivated me to actually put my pen to my paper and write. I’ll probably never create a masterpiece or inspire a new generation of readers, but my thoughts could be useful to the world in some small way. For now, I’m just content that I’m putting them on paper because I know I’m heading in the right direction.