E.J. Eisman's Blog, page 6
July 14, 2014
What Do I Know About Writing?
I’ve been asked before what I know about writing and I have the same answer for everyone that cares to listen; NOTHING! It’s not that I’m a hard ass, wanting the questioner to struggle through the same bullshit learning that I had to do. It’s not that I’m a pious in individual thinking that I’m better than you, and can’t be bothered by such mundane questions. Writing, like a life, is a personal learning process that begins with experiences and continues throughout your life. Yes, I have written two books (Spoon Girl and Malaise, published by AuthorHouse), but to me that means nothing; every day there is more to learn, more to experience. The meager things I can tell you about writing, is that it’s about putting words on a page that somehow make sense to you (if it doesn’t, that can be fixed in editing.) If you ask me about advertising, and get the word out about your novel, short story, etc., I might just be able to give you some pointers. Writing? It’s a thing you do with the voices in your head. The more you write, the better you could get. The how to write though, it’s within the individual.
The process of writing is typically lonely. You and a computer are unseparated for finite amount of time. Most of the time you are looking at each other, wondering if either of you is going to fill up the white space. I spend my 15 minutes driving to work thinking about what I might write about that day. Other down times are filled about thinking about my novel. If I’m writing a specific chapter, I’ll map it out in my mind for later regurgitation. I don’t have a problem remembering the plan (so far), but you might want to have something to record ideas you might come up with.
Many famous writers have blocked out their schedules to write at the same time of the day. Setting a routine does help. I try to write over lunch at work. It’s the only time, I find when my mind is already working, and can tap into vein to get down a few words down on the blank page. Writing is not a race. Writing is a destination, so plotting out the story is helpful, whether it’s the entire idea or breaking things down so you can get from A to B.
Many people recommend writing down as much as you can. You need to stop that little person in your ear that makes you want to edit every word, change every sentence as you move through writing. It is a given that the first draft is crap. Except it! Rome wasn’t built in a day, and if you can write completed full novels without it have to be edited, then you are in a different class all together. While Mozart might have been able to write original orchestrations for his musical works in ink and pen without making mistakes, most people are not in that league. Again, life is a learning experience. As you grow with your knowledge, you will learn how to make your writing better. Tweaking will become second nature to you as you continue to write.
READ READ READ. If you are writing, you should read. There is nothing better to keep the creative juices flowing than reading other things in you genre. Not to plagiarize them but to learn. I think it was John Updike, when he was young and just starting out, that used to keep a book of phases from other novelists that spoke to him. You never know when you’ll need a turn of phrase that could be simplified, and oh, look, this writing said it best, then by taking one of these sentences you’ve written down, modifying them, and making them your own. If you believe in the 10,000-hour rule (Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell), you too can be an expert, by just putting in the time, reading and writing.
A lot of these things you’ve probably already heard, but they bear repeating. I’m not an expert. Actual mileage may vary. That’s all I know, and it’s what I’ve learned from other writers. I think writing is like starting a self-exercise program. You use what you got, then you see what others do, modify it to suit what you like or can do, and eventually you make it your own. It might hurt you. It might make you stronger. You might try to get a coach to help you, but they can’t do the exercise for you. You need to make the effort and you can’t blame others for not having the time. MAKE THE TIME!
Besides my own Facebook page, I run an online writers support group writers at http://www.facebook.com/onlinecommunitywriters There you have a group of 500+ strong if you have a question, comment, or you can take advantage of the knowledge drawn from other writing websites. It has a blog site too http://www.onlinecommunitywriters.com . There you can download presentations, and other writing information.
WRITE? RIGHT! EJE
July 5, 2014
July 4, 2014
July 1, 2014
Strange Stuff
Strange Stuff
I don’t know if it’s been watching reruns of the Dead Files on television or it’s just the paranoia all on its own, but weird things have been happening in the household. I like watching the Dead Files. If you haven’t seen it on the Travel Channel, you really should. A brief synopsis; a psychic and an ex-New York City homicide detective are called in to investigate a property with paranormal things happening. The detective and the psychic don’t talk until the reveal to the owners. The detective is cold and logical while looking back into the property’s history, families that had lived there, and other things that might have happened in the area that might be relevant. The psychic is affected by ghosts as she walks the place. She sees and talks to the dead. Most of the time there is some scary shit happening, the kind that causes the hair on the back of your head to stand on end. Don’t watch it in the dark, or alone; just a warning. Whether you like that stuff or not it’s interesting to watch. My family has always been “touched” by strange things happening, so it’s nothing new for me. It’s new when it’s happening to me.
A few things have happened in the apartment that I can’t explain. I live in an apartment with the number 13 in the number. My parents lived in NJ at number 13. My grandparents lived at 1714 and 113, respectively, so I knew I was going to be living there when I first saw it. Because of the number, my paranoia about this beautiful apartment was on high alert. I wondered, “Who died there?” as I walked into the place. It was nice, but I had felt something weird about it. Perhaps, it was just that it was the first apartment I lived at alone.
It wasn’t too much later I got a cat from my friend. Soon I would notice the cat staring into space just over my shoulder. That did a lot to start the wondering. I lost a watch that appeared years later. Since Kim has been around we’ve had other things that were weird. The two of us were sitting on the couch looking into the entrance. I had a sneaker piled on the others, but from its angle and direction it should have fallen toward the wall. Instead, it appeared to “jump” off the pile, roll three times, and landed in the middle of the vestibule. Right in the middle. The cat was nowhere to be found.
Kim lost her comb, only to find it later in the bottom of a makeup bag. She never puts it there. A bottle of nail polish seemed to disappear; one day it was mostly full, and then the next day it was mostly empty. We have a picture in the bathroom hanging on the wall. Kim was telling me that she doesn’t really like the watercolor Monet and we should talk about replacing it. It appeared to jump off its hook, twice. Strange? I catch things moving out of the corner of my eye, or I will look at something and think it is one thing and then I realize it’s something else. I’ll think it’s the cat, but it’s nothing. I feel sometimes that someone it there with me, but I don’t see anything. Weird.
Well the new season of the Dead Files starts soon and I’m looking forward to it. As for the things happening in the apartment, they can stop. Thanks.
June 28, 2014
Built a Bar Top on Vacation
New Bass
June 26, 2014
New Bass
I bought a bass as a birthday present to myself. Much lighter than my old bass and it looks cool.
