I've read all your work...

Liar

PIC: A handsome bloke recently

If you came here expecting a list of what to do/not do - that is because you had already decided what my article should be about. Which is food for thought before we even get started. We often see writers writing about when they couldn’t write, stating that they stared at a blank page. My rule 1: Do not, unless you feel willing and ready, try to write. Staring at nothing isn’t a productive or restful occupation. Its an affirmation of the negative. Obviously, there is no “How to write” as such. And it’s likely that for every rule, hint or whatever that any of us might propose, there’ll be an opposing or diverse reaction (there’s a theory about that). So even a negative interpretation of advice can be catalytic. So if you’re opposing what I’ve said, turn that into a positive for yourself, rather than wasting time simply disagreeing.

Its not that I care. My writing is far more important, and by and large I despise reading or listening to others. Until I find something that, as we say in the positive comments, resonates with me. Which is precisely why we should read and listen. I have come to understand my petty childish self (I said understand, not change) through others - those I agree and disagree with. I question why I don’t like something and try to understand. I question why I could be so petty or intolerant, decide that is sufficient and move on…:). Life is a weird screen - there are things we’ll never know about that are actually everyday living to others. And neither side will even know the screen (never mind what the others think) is there. Yet as a writer, I imagine you think you know or recognise this idea; because to my way of thinking (and quite a few others), being observant - in your own particular way - is key to writing.

We note how the wind blew, a person’s manner, the contents of a crack in the pavement and the detail in a landscape. Not just, as some wildlife types do - searching for one species or type of flora/fauna, but taking in the whole panoply. How can a ‘birder’ be so disappointed at the lack of feathers when there’s a caterpillar crawling over their binocs that rest among orchids? To me, a single species thing is misaligned (unless it’s a study). You made your own screen. I did it looking for tigers. I was so highly strung and looking so hard I saw nothing else (beside disappointment). It’s a bit like looking for love. The day you throw your hands up, and let it all go, this person says “hello”… And this tigress walked alongside our jeep for a few hundred yards - and then every time we went out we saw one. Writing, love and other amazing things don’t just come along cos you decided to get on with it. Unlike, say, regular jobs, from doing the washing up to flying a jet - the work is there, you just get on with it. Creative writing requires what one might describe as magic.

And ‘creative’ isn’t just about made up things. To write a decent brochure, article (even on accounting) requires some imagination - some right hand brain. And that is a whole other study, which if I were the type would know which of my other articles discussed that. Right now I must take the dog out before it gets too hot. So if I remember I’ll chase that up - but you see I’m a creative rather than factual writer - who likes to pass experience on. Doubtless those who know will read and nod sagely, those who need to read will have bailed out first paragraph…