Barbara Fleming
author, historian, coloradan
Barbara Fleming |
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author, historian, coloradan |
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Barbara Fleming: Thoughts on Writing
From Idea to Form - August 2009
From Idea to FormAspiring writers sometimes tell me how hard it is to get started writing. “I’ve got all these thoughts,” they’ll say, “all these ideas floating around in my head. But how do I put it all into words that make sense?” From Shakespeare to any contemporary writer you wish to name, that must be the writer’s eternal dilemma. How do you shape ideas into sentences that make sense, stories that readers will want to dive into? Well, it isn’t easy. And everyone has different ways of approaching writing. Some make elaborate outlines. Some do story boards. Some create timelines. Some just start writing, putting the ideas into random phrases and sentences to be shaped as they go along. Then there are the plungers, who take a deep breath and get right into the story, just to have something to work with, knowing it will be reworked many times. That’s how I do it—I just start writing. I have a character, a setting, a situation in mind, but I do not begin with organization, timeline, or form. Like a sculptor who starts with a shapeless lump of clay, I keep adding and removing, shaping and reshaping, patting and pulling, until I begin to see a story, people, places appear on the pages. For me, that’s when the real work of writing begins. I have discovered, though, that writing a description of each character and of the settings (a separate document) is very helpful. I did not do that years ago when I started writing, but my writing partner suggested I try it, and it is wonderfully helpful. I find myself often referring to my description of the characters, just to make sure their actions and appearance are consistent. In fact, this might be a way for some writers to get started: Just who is this person? Where was she born? How old is she? Who are her parents? Siblings? Where does she live? How did she grow up? What does she look like—tall, short, thin, not so thin, and so forth? What does she like to eat? What are her hobbies, her interests, her main concerns? What is her manner of speech? What is her work? I’m sure other questions come to mind. It isn’t necessary to answer all of those questions, of course, and every writer no doubt has his or her own priorities about the main characters, but it can be a good starting place for writing. It can begin to give the story shape and substance, and it just might let the words flow more easily once the opus itself starts to unfold. At least, it’s worth a try.
Critique Groups - June 2009Even though writing is a lonely business (think of Alex Haley, pounding out Roots on his typewriter night after night), the best writing comes from time spent sharing your work with fellow writers you respect in a critique group, or with a writing partner. I have had both, and I can say without reservation that they are invaluable to me as I begin polishing my writing. Critique groups work in different ways. Some listen to writing brought to the session, work they have not previously seen, and comment on what they’ve heard. Some get a printed copy of the piece at the session and provide their on-the-spot reactions. Some, like ones I’ve been in, receive the copy several days in advance, read it over and comment, and then provide feedback during the sessions. The best part happens at these times, when ideas, questions, possibilities and concepts fly around the room. It is a heady time for the writer. A few points to keep in mind: responses to writing need to be absolutely honest—respectful, not negative, but also questioning what is unclear and pointing out what is incongruous. Nitpicking isn’t useful; a critiquer’s job is not to correct grammar or sentence structure or to offer what she considers better phrasing. Heavy-handed criticism isn’t helpful, either; nobody wants to hear only the bad stuff. Neither should it be all praise. What the writer wants is a balanced assessment of the work: what worked? What didn’t? Why? Why not? Is it believable? Is it clear? The critiquer’s job is not to like or dislike a work, either, just to appraise it fairly. My real writing work begins after the session is over, when I sit down with the comments and go through them. Some I address; most questions, I answer. If my instincts tell me otherwise, I may not change a phrase, a paragraph, a scene, despite the comments. After all, it’s my writing. But I know to the depths of my writer’s soul that my critiquers’ involvement with my work has brought forth in me the best writing I am capable of, and I am grateful. Each writer has to do what works best for him or her, of course. But I hope that aspiring writers choose to get responses to their writing from knowledgeable, fair fellow writers. Form a critique group if you don’t have one, or find a writing partner. I predict you’ll be glad you did.
My Muse - May 2009Is there any writer it hasn’t happened to – that ghastly struggle to get words out of your head, or to find them somewhere in your head. You know it well. You stare at the screen, place your fingers above the keyboard hopefully, and – nothing. Your thoughts are scattered; you feel empty. You want to write, but you are stuck. You conveniently discover that all your pencils need sharpening, your paper supply is getting low, you need to study the markets more first. . . And the things we do to get past it! Go to seminars and conferences, read articles written by famous writers, and talk, talk, talk to other writers. Sometimes they work. Sometimes, they don’t. For me, it began when my Muse went on an extended vacation. I don’t know why she decided to leave, or where she went, but go she did. I pictured her sitting on a rock on some sun-drenched Mediterranean island, enjoying her leisure. She didn’t warn me that she was leaving; she just took off one day. I can sympathize with her. It must be hard work getting me going and keeping me on track. Providing the inspiration that makes the words flow smoothly, the ideas coalesce, is surely exhausting. She helped me so often and so unstintingly over the years that I guess she got completely worn out. But because I belonged to a critique group which expected me to provide pieces to read, I kept trying to write without her. Even though it seemed fruitless, I kept struggling to get the right words out. Nothing I did suited me. Then, unexpectedly, after a long dry spell, she returned to me, rested and refreshed. At first I did not recognize her, because she arrived disguised as a small doll, fashioned by an artist friend out of a child’s cloth doll, with unruly gray hair, glasses, and an absent-minded expression. She had a quill pen in her hand and a scroll of paper on her lap. Amused by my friend’s creation, I set her atop my computer and proceeded to ignore her – except that she would not let me. She kept gazing at me with those big brown eyes; she seemed to have an expectant air. “Come on, you can do it,” she seemed to say. “I’m back, so get with it.” And voila! The writer’s block was gone. You’re probably scoffing by now. You’re saying that muses are the stuff of mythology, made up ages ago to explain the mysteries of creativity. You are thinking that none of the nine muses of Greek mythology applies to what people are creating nowadays anyway. Writing, you might be saying, comes from inside the writer – her experiences, her ideas, her feelings, her observations, her knowledge. I would not dispute your claim. When I write, I do indeed draw on all of those aspects of myself. I write from who I am, what I am, what I have been, what I see, what I know, what I feel. Nonetheless, when I write well, something more than that is happening, something beyond myself. I choose to call that something my Muse. And I know that she can help me now, in the 21st century so far removed from ancient Greece, because despite her roots in classicism she is a thoroughly modern creature. Muses surely adapt to the times. How can I not believe in her? She is inspiring me again. The top of my computer is not quite Mount Olympus, but she does not seem to mind. Since she arrived, I have begun once more to write words that come together and feel right to me. The ideas have started to percolate. I am grateful. So may you find your own muse if she is lost, or taking a sabbatical. May she stay on the job if you have her with you now. May she cure your writer’s block, ease your words. When she comes to sit on your shoulder – or atop your computer – you will know she is there, and you will be glad.
Getting Started - April 2009Writing is a solitary occupation, ideally done when distractions are minimal. When a writer gets into “the zone,” it can be hard to extract him or her, so it’s best if a large block of time is available. Every writer knows how annoying it is to be interrupted when the fingers are flying, the thoughts are flowing and the words are going together just right. Sometimes, though, it’s just not possible to achieve that nirvana. Sometimes, you have to fit writing into a day already crammed full of things to do, places to go, people to see—when all you want to do is sit down and write. Your head is full of ideas. What to do? I have always found it helpful to carry a notebook with me and write down my random thoughts so I won’t lose them, hoping that I will soon find a couple of hours to organize them into something coherent. Of course, these days people carry I-pods or Blackberries—whatever works is fine. For myself, I prefer the hand-paper connection, but I know not everybody does. At these times I don’t try to write, just capture my thoughts. However you choose to do it, making writing integral to your daily activities can help generate more ideas and clarify fuzzy ones. Give it a try.
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Barbara's muse
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