Gary Gauthier's Blog, page 6
September 17, 2012
Writing for the Love of Writing
I have many friends who are artists, painters for the most part. For them, art seems to be a way of life. They sketch, draw and paint because it is second nature and they love what they do. It seems as though there is nothing else they would rather be doing.
Many writers also love what they do. No one is paying us for all the blog posts we write. For many of us, the reward is the opportunity to share our ideas and talents and to simply belong to our wonderful community of fellow writers. As an added benefit, we also build a following and hope folks remember us.
Reading Is Part of the Job Description
One of the ways that writers develop their voice, prod their imagination and become more agile with language is to read, read again, and then read some more. One of my recent Life List commitments is to read two contemporary novels a month. So far, I’ve been keeping up and right now, I’m ahead of schedule.
My ongoing search to find worthwhile books to read inspired this blog post.
Choice Is a Luxury
I am mostly interested in mysteries and thrillers and my Ipad is filling up with them. Just recently, I stocked my electronic library with an additional ten new titles that warrant a second look. Many of them, I will end up reading sooner or later.
The Value of a Good Read
An important point is the cost of these books and how I find them. I use a very simple method and pay nothing for the books. I find new titles by searching twitter approximately three times a week for “free mystery” and “free thriller.” Among a handful of twitter results, I choose books on Amazon with four and five-star ratings that have well-written and convincing reviews.
During the past two months, I read two novels that are of very high literary quality and two others that were excellent and enjoyable reads. If this experience is any indication, I’ll be able to keep reading quality novels indefinitely and at no charge.
What This Means for Novelists
What does a proliferation of high-quality, free ebooks mean for authors who aspire to write fiction for a living? In my opinion it means you have to be talented and prolific.
Most of the recently-minted, “famous” authors we read about published at least ten books before they achieved their fame. If you are serious about writing for a living, at some point in your career, you may have to publish one or more books a year. You can also get lucky. The book you are working on can become a best-seller that lands you a movie deal. While this is great if it happens, this is not a plan you can take to the bank.
I Don’t Run Into Low-Quality Ebooks
Another observation of mine over this test period is that I didn’t encounter the “lots-of-bad-ebooks-out-there” experience that I keep reading about. Don’t get me wrong, I know they’re out there. The point is: I don’t run into them.
Here is a thought exercise. Do you constantly run into websites and blogs in which you have little or no interest, sites that feature low quality content filled with grammatical errors? Chances are, you solved that problem a long time ago. You’d probably have to pause for a moment if you had to find such a site on short notice.
If you find yourself investing too much time reading bad-quality ebooks, consider modifying how you decide which ones to read.
What’s your reading regimen like? How do you choose which books to read?
Painting: Ivan Olinksy (1878 - 1962)
Many writers also love what they do. No one is paying us for all the blog posts we write. For many of us, the reward is the opportunity to share our ideas and talents and to simply belong to our wonderful community of fellow writers. As an added benefit, we also build a following and hope folks remember us.
Reading Is Part of the Job Description
One of the ways that writers develop their voice, prod their imagination and become more agile with language is to read, read again, and then read some more. One of my recent Life List commitments is to read two contemporary novels a month. So far, I’ve been keeping up and right now, I’m ahead of schedule.
My ongoing search to find worthwhile books to read inspired this blog post.
Choice Is a Luxury
I am mostly interested in mysteries and thrillers and my Ipad is filling up with them. Just recently, I stocked my electronic library with an additional ten new titles that warrant a second look. Many of them, I will end up reading sooner or later.
The Value of a Good Read
An important point is the cost of these books and how I find them. I use a very simple method and pay nothing for the books. I find new titles by searching twitter approximately three times a week for “free mystery” and “free thriller.” Among a handful of twitter results, I choose books on Amazon with four and five-star ratings that have well-written and convincing reviews.
During the past two months, I read two novels that are of very high literary quality and two others that were excellent and enjoyable reads. If this experience is any indication, I’ll be able to keep reading quality novels indefinitely and at no charge.
What This Means for Novelists
What does a proliferation of high-quality, free ebooks mean for authors who aspire to write fiction for a living? In my opinion it means you have to be talented and prolific.
Most of the recently-minted, “famous” authors we read about published at least ten books before they achieved their fame. If you are serious about writing for a living, at some point in your career, you may have to publish one or more books a year. You can also get lucky. The book you are working on can become a best-seller that lands you a movie deal. While this is great if it happens, this is not a plan you can take to the bank.
I Don’t Run Into Low-Quality Ebooks
Another observation of mine over this test period is that I didn’t encounter the “lots-of-bad-ebooks-out-there” experience that I keep reading about. Don’t get me wrong, I know they’re out there. The point is: I don’t run into them.
Here is a thought exercise. Do you constantly run into websites and blogs in which you have little or no interest, sites that feature low quality content filled with grammatical errors? Chances are, you solved that problem a long time ago. You’d probably have to pause for a moment if you had to find such a site on short notice.
If you find yourself investing too much time reading bad-quality ebooks, consider modifying how you decide which ones to read.
What’s your reading regimen like? How do you choose which books to read?
Painting: Ivan Olinksy (1878 - 1962)
Creativity Is not Always Child's Play
All you need for an excellent exercise that stimulates a young child's imagination is a blank sheet of paper and a few crayons of different colors. A creative spirit and busy little hands will do the rest. It’s not so easy for us adults! While creativity can be as easy as child's play, for an artist or a craftsman, creativity can mean painstaking work.
Creativity is also an integral part of any work environment, and it’s not surprising that creativity in business drives profitability.
The Magic and Wonder of Creativity
Small clumps of different-colored clay can make a bigger clump of multicolored clay. It’s one thing to mix ingredients and come up with something interesting. It’s quite another to conceive a totally new way of looking at things that leads to an unexpected result.
The work of a creative artist can make us pause in awe and wonder. Creativity can transform the mundane into the useful or the sublime. A talented artist only needs a handful of colors. His ability to create an appealing or emotional effect by combining a few available elements can translate into a magical outcome or the perfect result.
Quantum Leaps of Creativity
Some riddles are so difficult to decipher that we have to make quantum leaps of creativity to arrive at their solution. We intuitively understand that if you apply force to an object it will move. We quickly grasp why we need more force to move a heavier object. It takes a substantial leap of creativity to figure out that if you’re moving fast enough, time literally slows down.
Rules and Creativity: Putting Theory Into Practice
Fortunately for us, most creative endeavors have rules. If you want to write a convincing and emotionally satisfying plot, there are rules you can follow. The theory behind the rules was proposed in 335 BC by Aristotle and they haven’t changed much since. A painter’s knowledge of the theories of light, perspective and color enables him to create a stunning three-dimensional portrait on a canvas of two dimensions.
The Tedium in Creativity: Getting the Facts Straight
It’s a fallacy to think that creative work means you don’t have to deal with facts. Most novels contain narrative passages that require research. The writer has to gather and organize bits of general information, historical events and geographical details. A vivid setting with accurate details can help bring a plot to life and make the story realistic. Even a make-believe world has to be consistent and should be subject to some rules of cause and effect.
Where Creative Insights Come From
If you immerse yourself in the theory of your work and the facts of your project, creative insights will come to you like bolts from the blue when you least expect it. Creative people are those who are most receptive to their own intuitions. They know that insights come from their interpretation and understanding of basic knowledge and available information.
They have faith that a new insight will come to save the day. Every time they get “stuck,” they go back to doing something called for by the basics until they get another insight. They master the basics and stay in tune with their work.
Creativity Requires Commitment
All work requires planning and focus. Creative work is no different. You can’t carry out a plan and you won’t be able to focus if you don’t have time. It’s a valuable asset—and like all valuable assets—you shouldn’t squander time because it’s scarce. There’s never enough.
This is why making priorities and setting goals are so important. Setting priorities will help you manage your time. Having a goal will keep you focused.
What works for you when you need to be creative?
Painting: Johannes Vermeer, The Milkmaid
Creativity is also an integral part of any work environment, and it’s not surprising that creativity in business drives profitability.
The Magic and Wonder of Creativity
Small clumps of different-colored clay can make a bigger clump of multicolored clay. It’s one thing to mix ingredients and come up with something interesting. It’s quite another to conceive a totally new way of looking at things that leads to an unexpected result.
The work of a creative artist can make us pause in awe and wonder. Creativity can transform the mundane into the useful or the sublime. A talented artist only needs a handful of colors. His ability to create an appealing or emotional effect by combining a few available elements can translate into a magical outcome or the perfect result.
Quantum Leaps of Creativity
Some riddles are so difficult to decipher that we have to make quantum leaps of creativity to arrive at their solution. We intuitively understand that if you apply force to an object it will move. We quickly grasp why we need more force to move a heavier object. It takes a substantial leap of creativity to figure out that if you’re moving fast enough, time literally slows down.
Water emerges from two invisible gases, hydrogen and oxygen. Nothing about those two gases would predict what water is like. Quantum leaps dominate in creation everywhere we look but especially in the startling, beautiful novelty of life-forms on Earth.–Deepak Chopra
Rules and Creativity: Putting Theory Into Practice
Fortunately for us, most creative endeavors have rules. If you want to write a convincing and emotionally satisfying plot, there are rules you can follow. The theory behind the rules was proposed in 335 BC by Aristotle and they haven’t changed much since. A painter’s knowledge of the theories of light, perspective and color enables him to create a stunning three-dimensional portrait on a canvas of two dimensions.
The Tedium in Creativity: Getting the Facts Straight
It’s a fallacy to think that creative work means you don’t have to deal with facts. Most novels contain narrative passages that require research. The writer has to gather and organize bits of general information, historical events and geographical details. A vivid setting with accurate details can help bring a plot to life and make the story realistic. Even a make-believe world has to be consistent and should be subject to some rules of cause and effect.
Where Creative Insights Come From
If you immerse yourself in the theory of your work and the facts of your project, creative insights will come to you like bolts from the blue when you least expect it. Creative people are those who are most receptive to their own intuitions. They know that insights come from their interpretation and understanding of basic knowledge and available information.
They have faith that a new insight will come to save the day. Every time they get “stuck,” they go back to doing something called for by the basics until they get another insight. They master the basics and stay in tune with their work.
Creativity Requires Commitment
All work requires planning and focus. Creative work is no different. You can’t carry out a plan and you won’t be able to focus if you don’t have time. It’s a valuable asset—and like all valuable assets—you shouldn’t squander time because it’s scarce. There’s never enough.
This is why making priorities and setting goals are so important. Setting priorities will help you manage your time. Having a goal will keep you focused.
What works for you when you need to be creative?
Painting: Johannes Vermeer, The Milkmaid
August 11, 2012
Rising to the Surface
"Carmen, a lot of things are not the way we want them to be."She laughed. She was looking at her bottle of Coca-Cola carefully; I think she was counting the bubbles that were rising to the surface. Then she lifted the bottle to her ear.
"Listen: even my Coke says more intelligent things than you do."
"I'm serious."
"That's even worse."
She covered the opening of the bottle with her thumb and shook it. Then, with poor aim, squirted it, apparently at me. Some women at the next table felt threatened and opted to change tables. The waiter appeared with an angry look and a mop in his hand. Carmen kept laughing.
"Next time I won't miss," she warned me.
"Listen, this is all a lie. My name is Froylan Gomez, I am married, and I have no job."
She shook the bottle again and showered me with Coke. Now she wasn't laughing, she wasn't playing.
"You are Juan," she said firmly, in a holy tone, "you work for a newspaper, the sports section, and you don't need any other woman than me."
I agreed.
I paid the bill.
Carmen insisted on licking the Coke off me as we sped down the road.
—David Toscana, Tula Station
Painting: Francisco Goya
August 4, 2012
A Fact Well Established
What a fool I've been!One is apt to tell oneself that sort of thing when the fact is already well established, and also, not only without intending to undo one's folly, but even when one actually proposes to make it more! As Mr. Paxton did then.
He told himself, frankly, and with cutting scorn, what a fool he had been, and then proceeded to take what, under similar circumstances, seems to be a commonly accepted view of the situation—assuring, or endeavouring to assure himself, that to pile folly on to folly, until the height of it reached the mountain-tops, and then to undo it, would be easier than to take steps to undo it at once, while it was still comparatively a little thing.
It was perhaps this line of reasoning which induced Mr. Paxton to fancy himself in want of a drink.
—Richard Marsh, The Datchet Diamonds
Painting: Frans Hals the Elder (1580 – 1666), Dutch Golden Age painter
July 28, 2012
A Bed of Asparagus
In medieval times, for reasons present-day Italians cannot explain, their ancestors seized upon the unusual architectural compulsion of building tall slender towers in which to live. Since tribal wars and local hostilities were epidemic, the towers were meant principally for protection. They were effective lookout posts and valuable during attacks, though they proved to be less practical as living quarters.To protect food, the kitchens were often on the top floor, three hundred or so steps above the street, which made it difficult to find dependable domestic help.
When fights broke out, the warring families were known to simply launch arrows and fling spears at each other from one offending tower to the other. No sense fighting in the streets like common folk.
They also became quite the status symbol. No self-respecting noble could allow his neighbor and/or rival to have a taller tower, so in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries a curious game of one-upmanship raged over the skyline of Bologna as the nobles tried to keep up with the Joneses. The city was nicknamed la turrita, the towered one. An English traveler described it as a “bed of asparagus.”
—John Grisham, The Broker
Painting: Lot and his Daughters by Bolognese Master, Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, aka Guercino or “the Squinter” (1591 - 1666)
July 11, 2012
In Defense of Indie Writers
One of the hottest topics of discussion among writers remains whether to self-publish or to query literary agents who in turn pitch the manuscript to a publishing house. The discussion creates a number of political camps: some see value in indie publishing; some see it as a disservice to readers. There are those who see indie publishing—along with the digital revolution that brought it about—as a destabilizing threat to the industry and the livelihood of many.
Some of the arguments made by the political camps in support of their positions are unconvincing because they lump all writers into one category.
Blanket statements about the value of indie publishing won’t work to the extent they don’t acknowledge that there are different types of writers who are at different points in their careers. Here are three categories of writers that I’ve made up from the top of my head.
Career Writers — These are the folks who devote time to developing their writing talent, study one or two genres and take time to learn everything they can about the publishing industry. Career writers make writing a habit and keep at it. The most important project to them is very often their next book.
They know the market is fickle and that it favors a body of work. They understand that it’s not wise—and most likely a waste of time and resources—to attempt to write a best seller; to stake their career on one great book; or to invest in an expensive marketing campaign.
Good writers — This category consists of those who have a facility with language and can convincingly express their ideas or have a knack for telling stories. They may be naturally gifted, self-taught or have training in professional or creative writing. None of this, however, easily translates into a compelling book that the market will receive with acclaim.
Aspirational Writers — These are the folks who may, or may not, have sufficient talent to build a following. They often haven’t adopted a genre and may not be fully aware of the rules and conventions of the novel as an art form. Their primary motivation to write may be as a type of personal expression.
I take issue with those who would silence the aspirational writers. There will always be low-quality books no matter how much we complain. There are easy strategies we can use to avoid them. You can carefully evaluate reviews, get personal recommendations or wait until an unknown book proves itself in the marketplace. You don’t have to be the canary that is subject to noxious fumes when forced to remain deep in a dubious mine.
My Way or the Highway — Some believe that self-publishing is a bad way to start a writing career. I’ve never fully understood all the arguments. The confusion, again, seems to be the unstated assumption that there is only one type of writer. This political camp does its position a disservice by relying on fuzzy arguments that appear to be aimed at folks who think writing a novel is a relatively quick and easy way to wealth and fame.
A well thought-out decision on whether a writer wants to pursue a traditional publishing contract should be based on her knowledge of the industry, what she aims to accomplish in publishing a book and the point where she happens to be in her career as a writer.
Choosing Traditional Publishing — My guess is that most of the well-meaning advice we hear about “choosing” traditional publishing is directed at those who know very little or nothing about the publishing industry. To the cognoscenti, this is nothing but spurious tripe. The fact is that choice doesn’t exist; only celebrities can choose traditional publishing.
On the other hand, I know a few career writers who self-publish and no amount of convincing (except the mid range of a six figure contract) will make them accept an offer from a traditional publisher. One outlier is Barry Eisler, who made the news because he turned down a half million dollar offer.
Most first-time authors who go through the gauntlet—and end up selected for publication—are offered a $5,000 contract paid over three years. Many writers rightly calculate that signing away all the rights of their manuscript for such a meager offer isn’t worth it. They take into account that after the book’s initial run and market exposure of a few months, the book has a 98% probability of disappearing forever.
Under most contracts, the publisher reserves the right not to publish and distribute the book. Sometimes they exercise that right without ever publishing your book! The author can complain in court, but really doesn’t have a strong case. The comeback is that she received $5,000 worth of consideration in exchange for the publisher’s purchase of the manuscript.
Instead of going to court, you could contact your literary agent and politely suggest that the publisher overlook the contract terms so you can get the rights to your book back. After all, what’s the publisher got to lose?
If your agent is returning your phone calls at this point, you may be in luck.
Where are you in your career as a writer?
Painting: Mary Cassatt (1844-1926)
Some of the arguments made by the political camps in support of their positions are unconvincing because they lump all writers into one category.Blanket statements about the value of indie publishing won’t work to the extent they don’t acknowledge that there are different types of writers who are at different points in their careers. Here are three categories of writers that I’ve made up from the top of my head.
Career Writers — These are the folks who devote time to developing their writing talent, study one or two genres and take time to learn everything they can about the publishing industry. Career writers make writing a habit and keep at it. The most important project to them is very often their next book.
They know the market is fickle and that it favors a body of work. They understand that it’s not wise—and most likely a waste of time and resources—to attempt to write a best seller; to stake their career on one great book; or to invest in an expensive marketing campaign.
Good writers — This category consists of those who have a facility with language and can convincingly express their ideas or have a knack for telling stories. They may be naturally gifted, self-taught or have training in professional or creative writing. None of this, however, easily translates into a compelling book that the market will receive with acclaim.
Aspirational Writers — These are the folks who may, or may not, have sufficient talent to build a following. They often haven’t adopted a genre and may not be fully aware of the rules and conventions of the novel as an art form. Their primary motivation to write may be as a type of personal expression.
I take issue with those who would silence the aspirational writers. There will always be low-quality books no matter how much we complain. There are easy strategies we can use to avoid them. You can carefully evaluate reviews, get personal recommendations or wait until an unknown book proves itself in the marketplace. You don’t have to be the canary that is subject to noxious fumes when forced to remain deep in a dubious mine.
My Way or the Highway — Some believe that self-publishing is a bad way to start a writing career. I’ve never fully understood all the arguments. The confusion, again, seems to be the unstated assumption that there is only one type of writer. This political camp does its position a disservice by relying on fuzzy arguments that appear to be aimed at folks who think writing a novel is a relatively quick and easy way to wealth and fame.
A well thought-out decision on whether a writer wants to pursue a traditional publishing contract should be based on her knowledge of the industry, what she aims to accomplish in publishing a book and the point where she happens to be in her career as a writer.
Choosing Traditional Publishing — My guess is that most of the well-meaning advice we hear about “choosing” traditional publishing is directed at those who know very little or nothing about the publishing industry. To the cognoscenti, this is nothing but spurious tripe. The fact is that choice doesn’t exist; only celebrities can choose traditional publishing.
On the other hand, I know a few career writers who self-publish and no amount of convincing (except the mid range of a six figure contract) will make them accept an offer from a traditional publisher. One outlier is Barry Eisler, who made the news because he turned down a half million dollar offer.
Most first-time authors who go through the gauntlet—and end up selected for publication—are offered a $5,000 contract paid over three years. Many writers rightly calculate that signing away all the rights of their manuscript for such a meager offer isn’t worth it. They take into account that after the book’s initial run and market exposure of a few months, the book has a 98% probability of disappearing forever.
Under most contracts, the publisher reserves the right not to publish and distribute the book. Sometimes they exercise that right without ever publishing your book! The author can complain in court, but really doesn’t have a strong case. The comeback is that she received $5,000 worth of consideration in exchange for the publisher’s purchase of the manuscript.
Instead of going to court, you could contact your literary agent and politely suggest that the publisher overlook the contract terms so you can get the rights to your book back. After all, what’s the publisher got to lose?
If your agent is returning your phone calls at this point, you may be in luck.
Where are you in your career as a writer?
Painting: Mary Cassatt (1844-1926)
June 29, 2012
A Time to Pause and Celebrate
Not so long ago, I used to participate in a blog fest every other Friday. It was Life List Friday. A group of writers known as The Life List Club would exchange guest posts with each other. The mission of the Club is to encourage its members to create a Life List, share it, and cheer each other on as they achieve the goals on their Life List.
That Was Then. This Is Now.
Things have changed since then. The Club is still here but we are no longer a scattered bunch swapping guest posts. Under the fearless leadership of Marcia Richards and the vision of Jess Witkins, the Life List Club now has its own blog to promote the membership and showcase their writing. Our readership is growing and the blog makes it easier for our readers to keep up with us.
We Have Reason to Celebrate.
Today is a special day for two reasons. First, it’s our regularly-scheduled Milestone Party where we assess our goals, lament our shortcomings and celebrate each other’s triumphs. Second, it’s the Club’s One Year Anniversary. Sherry Isaac was kind enough to prepare and post an interview of the membership. It’s a flash summary of what each of us has been up to and there are links to each writer’s page so you easily can follow along.
My dear friends and fellow Life Listers, Sonia G. Medeiros and Lara Schiffbauer are also celebrating with us today. Stop by and say hello to each member. You may end up winning a prize for simply saying hello.
Our Readers Are a Big Part of It.
We appreciate the comments and feedback that our readers share on our posts. In large part, it goes towards making our efforts worthwhile. To show our appreciation, the Club is sponsoring a $50 Amazon gift certificate for one lucky guest poster. There are other prizes you can win on the other member's blogs as well.
One poster on this blog will win a $10 Amazon Gift Card.
The comments must be received between 6 AM (EST) June 29th and midnight (EST) July 5th.
All the the winners will be announced on Friday, July 6th at LLC and the writers’ blogs.
That Was Then. This Is Now.
Things have changed since then. The Club is still here but we are no longer a scattered bunch swapping guest posts. Under the fearless leadership of Marcia Richards and the vision of Jess Witkins, the Life List Club now has its own blog to promote the membership and showcase their writing. Our readership is growing and the blog makes it easier for our readers to keep up with us.
We Have Reason to Celebrate.
Today is a special day for two reasons. First, it’s our regularly-scheduled Milestone Party where we assess our goals, lament our shortcomings and celebrate each other’s triumphs. Second, it’s the Club’s One Year Anniversary. Sherry Isaac was kind enough to prepare and post an interview of the membership. It’s a flash summary of what each of us has been up to and there are links to each writer’s page so you easily can follow along.
My dear friends and fellow Life Listers, Sonia G. Medeiros and Lara Schiffbauer are also celebrating with us today. Stop by and say hello to each member. You may end up winning a prize for simply saying hello.
Our Readers Are a Big Part of It.
We appreciate the comments and feedback that our readers share on our posts. In large part, it goes towards making our efforts worthwhile. To show our appreciation, the Club is sponsoring a $50 Amazon gift certificate for one lucky guest poster. There are other prizes you can win on the other member's blogs as well.
One poster on this blog will win a $10 Amazon Gift Card.
The comments must be received between 6 AM (EST) June 29th and midnight (EST) July 5th.
All the the winners will be announced on Friday, July 6th at LLC and the writers’ blogs.
May 3, 2012
The Lost Art of Letter Writing
Vincent Van Gogh was not only a great artist, he was also an accomplished writer. We know this because of the many letters that he wrote to family and friends. Some writers of significant renown say his writings qualify as literature.I recently read a blog post, The Beauty of Handwritten Letters by Guilie Castillo and it inspired me to write this piece.
Once Upon a Time
Anyone who has posted or received a scented, handwritten letter knows the joy that such a missive can carry. Today, there are so many ways to stay in touch—and they’re so much more efficient and immediate—it isn’t fashionable to write a personal letter any more. What’s the point of writing a letter when its contents won’t be read for a week or more?
Letter writing is a lost art. Once upon a time, letters were the most efficient method for individuals to stay in touch over a long distance. Nowadays, letters are used primarily for formal communications associated with a business purpose. The immediacy of mobile phones, email and text messaging have relegated letter writing to the status of a quaint and frivolous exercise.
Art Is a Painstaking Enterprise
Preparing a personal, handwritten letter requires the writer to put her heart into the task. The letter writer also needs time to choose her words carefully and to fashion her thoughts with deliberation.
All art is a painstaking enterprise and writing a letter is no different. Letter writers of bygone eras did not have the luxury of spell-checking software and couldn’t easily go back to rephrase sentences. They certainly had the option of preparing a first draft if they were so inclined, but all last minute corrections showed on the page.
What some might consider insignificant details like the choice of stationery, the writing implement used and the writer’s penmanship are all an inherent part of what makes a letter special. Because of its relative permanence as a tangible object, the final piece is literally a work of art.
The Contents of a Letter
The very essence of a letter limits it to conveying written information. But, very often, a personal letter serves purposes other than communicating essential pieces of information.
A typical letter starts off with the dateline (like a news article) and the salutation. If appropriate, at the outset, you make reference to prior correspondence and acknowledge its receipt. Aside from these basics, the contents of a letter are limited only by the writer's imagination.
A letter is also a way for the writer and the recipient to affirm their relationship and reinforce the bond they share. To this day, the salutation (dear) and the closing (very truly yours) reflect this erstwhile function. Love letters are a specialized form of this type of written interaction. If the writer is so inclined, the parchment can be scented as a way to add a personal touch of intimacy and to highlight an ethereal presence.
An Inspiration for Creativity
The act of writing a letter might encourage the writer to mention pleasant memories and portray them in the best possible light. It can compel the writer to be imaginative so as to tell an interesting anecdote. Under particular circumstances, it can require the writer to be careful in framing a delicate situation.
As with all writing, composing a letter requires the writer to narrow his focus and organize his thoughts. Today, we share more information with more people than ever, but it’s mostly in bits and pieces. Many of the stories and sentiments we share online are reduced to a few sentences on social media websites with the benefit of digital photo albums.
A Sense of Mystery
At best, a posted letter can take a few days to reach its recipient and, depending on the destination, can take several weeks to arrive. The recipient, very often, doesn't know for sure a letter is on its way or when one will arrive. The physical distance that a letter has to travel and the lapse of time until its delivery gives each letter its own aura of mystery.
It could very well be that when the letter arrives, and is read, some of the circumstances it describes have changed or that perhaps—because of the change in circumstances—an argument that it convincingly lays out is now invalid or has become irrelevant.
Have you ever had occasion to write a personal, handwritten letter?
Painting: Vincent Van Gogh, Self-Portrait
April 9, 2012
Writing as Habit: Not a Job, Not a Chore
Remember, a page a day equals a book a year. Now there aren't too many writers around who create a book a year. . . . But it's not the outcome that is most important, it's the method: one page per day. The page doesn't have to be good or interesting or worthy of publication. What that page (250 words, one double-spaced piece of paper) does is to feed your habit as a writer. You want writing to become a habit, not a job, not a chore, not a responsibility; not something you do every month or so, but something you do every day. If you exercise a half hour a day, you will be a very fit person.
If you write every day (and forgive yourself those occasions when you don't), you will become a very fit writer. Now get to writing!
-- Roy Peter Clark
Painting: Pablo Picasso
See also: The Race, The Swift and the Finish Line
March 23, 2012
The Power of Intention
A caterpillar can fall into a deep sleep, undergo a metamorphosis, and wake up as the butterfly it was meant to be. You and I don't have that luxury. We are, however, blessed with the ability to dream and aspire of great accomplishments. But dreams and aspirations alone are weak forces. We need more to help us manifest our full potential. We need a strong force.
Intention Equals Possibilities. In his book, The Power of Intention, Wayne Dyer tells us that there is a universal source of energy, always available to us, that can put us in the realm of infinite possibilities. Our infinite capacity to learn, create, discover and build is available to us through the power of intention.
Unlike the caterpillar that does not have a creative spirit, we have at our disposal a formidable force. We tend to take it for granted and underestimate what it can do.
The smallest act begins with an intention.
Your decision to wear blue stockings, to sleep in on Sundays, to write a blog post, each begins with an intention. Just as we use the power of intention for small and insignificant decisions, we can also use it for worthy and significant objectives.
A guiding intention can take you far even if the original dream that inspired it doesn't come to fruition. Whenever naysayers tell me what I can and can't do, I remember the story of Christopher Columbus. He started out with the dream of finding a shortcut from Europe to India.
Columbus misjudged the circumference of the Earth by orders of magnitude. Instead of finding a shortcut, he ended up discovering a new world. Today, Columbus is a hero with his own day marked on the calendar. His huge mistake goes largely unnoticed.
How to Harness the Power of Intention
Choose a course of actionSet a goalOwn the challenge
Listen to what President John F. Kennedy had to say about choosing a course of action, setting a goal and accepting the challenge.
35 years after we flew across the Atlantic.*
We choose this goal, that challenge, these things,
• not because they are easy, but because they are hard,
• because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills,
• because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win.
— John F. Kennedy, We Choose to Go to the Moon
Why I belong to the Life List Club
I belong to the Life List Club because my membership is an affirmation of my belief in the power of intention.
* When we landed on the moon, all of NASA's computing power was less than that of a modern smartphone. Pocket-sized calculators became available a few years later.
Glossary
• Metamorphosis: a profound change in form from one stage to the next in the life history of an organism
• Intention: a determination to act in a certain way; what one intends to do or bring about
• Affirmation: a confirmation of the truth or validity of a prior judgment
Today our Life List Club celebrates a Quarterly Milestone. Please visit the blogs of the other LLC members who are celebrating their triumphs, sharing personal stories and bemoaning missed opportunities. To help make you, our visitor, a part of this day, we are awarding prizes. If you leave a comment below, you are entitled to an ebook as a prize. See the web links of the members on the right-hand margin and visit their blog today.
Intention Equals Possibilities. In his book, The Power of Intention, Wayne Dyer tells us that there is a universal source of energy, always available to us, that can put us in the realm of infinite possibilities. Our infinite capacity to learn, create, discover and build is available to us through the power of intention.
Unlike the caterpillar that does not have a creative spirit, we have at our disposal a formidable force. We tend to take it for granted and underestimate what it can do.
The smallest act begins with an intention.
Your decision to wear blue stockings, to sleep in on Sundays, to write a blog post, each begins with an intention. Just as we use the power of intention for small and insignificant decisions, we can also use it for worthy and significant objectives.
A guiding intention can take you far even if the original dream that inspired it doesn't come to fruition. Whenever naysayers tell me what I can and can't do, I remember the story of Christopher Columbus. He started out with the dream of finding a shortcut from Europe to India.
Columbus misjudged the circumference of the Earth by orders of magnitude. Instead of finding a shortcut, he ended up discovering a new world. Today, Columbus is a hero with his own day marked on the calendar. His huge mistake goes largely unnoticed.
How to Harness the Power of Intention
Choose a course of actionSet a goalOwn the challenge
Listen to what President John F. Kennedy had to say about choosing a course of action, setting a goal and accepting the challenge.
35 years after we flew across the Atlantic.*
We choose this goal, that challenge, these things,
• not because they are easy, but because they are hard,
• because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills,
• because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win.
— John F. Kennedy, We Choose to Go to the Moon
Why I belong to the Life List Club
I belong to the Life List Club because my membership is an affirmation of my belief in the power of intention.
* When we landed on the moon, all of NASA's computing power was less than that of a modern smartphone. Pocket-sized calculators became available a few years later.
Glossary
• Metamorphosis: a profound change in form from one stage to the next in the life history of an organism
• Intention: a determination to act in a certain way; what one intends to do or bring about
• Affirmation: a confirmation of the truth or validity of a prior judgment
Today our Life List Club celebrates a Quarterly Milestone. Please visit the blogs of the other LLC members who are celebrating their triumphs, sharing personal stories and bemoaning missed opportunities. To help make you, our visitor, a part of this day, we are awarding prizes. If you leave a comment below, you are entitled to an ebook as a prize. See the web links of the members on the right-hand margin and visit their blog today.
