Writing a short personal biography
~ Articles about creative writing available for reprint
Write A Way: Journey to Creativity
"Certain flaws are necessary for the whole. It would seem strange if old friends lacked certain quirks."
~ Goethe
Accept Imperfection and Keep Writing
By Sandra Lee Schubert
Writing is an art form that takes years to develop.
Your own life is art
that is being created at this very moment. The time is never perfect and right now is the perfect time.
That is all I have to write. Done.
Ok, there is a bit more.
Years ago I had a friend who was writing a story for New Yorker magazine. He had one story accepted a couple years before and now he was trying again. He worked on it diligently, reading it over and over again looking for the smallest imperfection that would make it an unacceptable story for submission. I believe he was still working on the story when we stopped being friends. Perfection, we want it. We want the perfect head of hair, perfect teeth, and a radiant smile to go with the perfect life. We may deny it, but the desire is there just under the surface.
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering.
There is a crack in everything,
That's how the light gets in.
~ Leonard Cohen
There are perfectionists that torment themselves and those around them. Nothing is ever done right in the struggle for perfection. The finely polished surface bears a lone fingerprint.
Then there are others who strive for perfection and their actions produce something wonderful. They have a high regard for their work and the quality of their life. But they aren't just spinning wheels to get there. They don't stay stuck on the one imperfection. Their striving takes them somewhere.
I have tons of writing books. There are four shelves of different types from how-to, reference, grammar, and poetry books. I have read them all. Have they made me a better writer? Yes and no.
The rules of good grammar have piled up in my head; a train wreck of sentence structure. I am rebel with a clause. I have become an anti-grammarian, refusing a comma its proper place in a sentence. I have ripped a semicolon in half; split an infinitive down the center with poor use of words. I am just trying to get out a good piece of writing and have become so frightened by getting it wrong that I have forgotten a story has to have more then an appropriately placed semicolon to be worthwhile.
When I split an infinitive, goddamn it, I split it so it stays split.
~ Raymond Chandler
Go to your window right now and open it and say; "I am really mad, honest I am. And, I am not going to take it anymore." Then lock away all those books about writing, your dictionaries, books on grammar, yes, even your Strunk and White. Lock them up. Don't even look at them for a day. Be bolder still; don't look at them for a week. Throw caution to the winds or out the window you forgot to close and write.
Art is when you hear a knocking from your soul – and you answer.
~ Star Richés
There is always time to edit. You can do it later. I wrote a story on my computer with my eyes closed. It took me two hours, but I just kept typing what was in my head. What I created was a piece someone described as Southern Gothic. It had lots of typos and whole paragraphs of incoherent sentences, yet it was written. I took it to class and my writing group and with their help was able to craft a decent tale.
The idea is to
write without hesitation.
Accept that a story might be imperfect. Someone will find an error or a misspelling. They always do. I have published a poem in two places. No one ever noticed a fundamental error in it. We wait for perfection in order for life to happen. We can wait forever. Do you your best when writing. Bring it to friends and groups for feedback. Make the necessary changes. Do your best at all times but mostly remember to write from the heart.
INFINITIVE
I split infinitives
not once
or twice
but three
times
split
down the middle
again and again
then once more
defying all rules
breaking
traditions
cracking open
with no regard
entire paragraphs
by Sandra Lee Schubert ©
Writing Prompts:
Write with your eyes closed or one hand tied behind your back. Write on one foot while spitting into the wind. Laugh at good sentence structure. Ha! You are free. Just write for the pure fun of it. Create dirty limericks. Write haikus and give them to strangers on the street. Create a little revolt. Whatever you do – just keep writing.
Copyright © 2008 Sandra Lee Schubert. All rights reserved.
An invitation from Sandra:
An invitation from Sandra:
Embark on a journey of writing a life and the telling your healing tale! This life affirming journaling course coupled with scrapbooking techniques guides you on an inward journey of self-discovery and self-healing. Learn more.
Learn more.
You are invited to rate and comment on this article.
total comment(s)
|
