 September/October 2002
Making The Literary Life Work For You
by Alvin C. Romer
How would you, an aspiring writer bent on doing what it takes to be a success, go about making writing work for you? Writing takes heart and it is not easy to do it. The wherewithal to embrace and exemplify this medium can be heartening - the belief that you have something to say and the willingness to stick with it until you find the right words...and then having to face the roadblocks that are in the way. Writing responsively is something that others do without any problem, and then there are those that make it a laborious act. No two people do it the same way.
Let's face it, many dream of creating the rudiments of putting words to paper, but the dismal truth is that few get beyond dream stage. Moreover, let me tell you, Walter Mitty had nothing on me when it came to fantasizing about becoming famous writing! Forcing us actually to sit down and begin to write is perhaps the single biggest hurdle any writer has to face. I deem myself a 'freelance writer', which in some cases gives me protection from the psychological burden of writing on cue, or writing to meet a deadline that publishing houses are known to impose.
What really keeps me going though is the inherent belief in the
transforming nature of words that gives meaning to perseverance - if
you're prepared. For those that have the burning desire to not give up, and believe that there is a future for you in it, I applaud you. I was
reminded of this faith when Tracy and I discussed it during our various conversations preparing this newsletter.
In this issue, I tried to give bits of information where one would want
to go to satisfy the need to write...and I also culled information from
our spotlight author to shed light on some of the things she experienced nurturing the yearning. You've all from time to time heard
the age old adage of 'there's a book in all of us. Getting it published and the methodology of it can be fraught with all kinds of twists and
turns...some to the chagrin of eschrewing the establishment for the
self-publishing road if mainstream publishing is not accommodating. I
talked to several authors recently relative to their writing practices and this is what I came away with: Writing should be a passion that comes from within...the writer must combine keen sense of discernment, an ear for dialogue, and an astute talent for recognizing and developing a 'narrator's voice' for articulation. One passage that kept me spellbound was when one of them mentioned that the ability to write what others want to read may be a talent that cannot be taught...one must do what works best for you individually. In unison, they all echoed the same sentiment in how to make it work. and that was - GO FOR IT AND NEVER LET ANYONE TELL YOU THAT YOU CAN'T DO IT! |
