I try
Don't I try. if you only knew how much I want everything I wrote here to be profound and word so eloquently.
My fiction writing doesn't feel that way. Kenji called a story of mine technical; which doesn't sound like a compliment to me. I want my stories to have heart and be quirky.
And I have noticed the second year MFAs seem to have better-structured stories than most of us first-year students. hopefully that's a sign that my writing will be better by 2006.
I have failed to comfortably bond with folks in my program -- no one I would trust to share my writing with outside of workshop.
Update: I still feel the odd one out in the program in addition to not fawning over what everyone else seems to think are great book and writers.
breathed by Rich Louis
at 5:58 PM
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Well, in older eastern cultures, writing itself was an art form. Practiced mainly by the rich and fortunate, as many people in those days could not read nor write. Writing, like all art forms, is about expression, and that’s what make the classics classic - expression. There was no such thing as word processors in those days, and no one wants to re-write something over and over do they?
Today, books aren't as good b/c of word processors and computers. These machines can teach one the technical aspects of writing, but in doing so, it takes away the expression and life from the writing. Now Kenji, who I guess one can consider a "young" writer, is a good writer to me. I've followed the dude since the early days of Teen Summit, to owning all three of his books. I guess some people just know talent when they see it? But he has that "thing" that takes one of a journey. That "thing" that makes it feel like you're actually there, and that’s what a good book is suppose to do, is it not?
Personally, I'm not one for writing classes. I 'm just of the thought that either you have it or you don't. sure, those classes are useful for "proper" speech and grammar, but once again, they can't teach feeling and expression. This reminds me of my aunt, who is a college professor, who wrote a book once, but could never get it published. Being that that she does have her Ph.D. she has the grammar and technical part of the book down pat. Every damn t is crossed, and every single I is dotted, but reading the book feels like an instruction manual. And we all know how exciting those things are!
Follow your gut…
5:00 PM
ah, writing. and writing classes.
it _is_ strange to go into a room where indeed you might not discover a thing you have in common with the other people there, you may find you don't even like them, and half at least of them know as little about writing as you do, or less... then you try to do that expressing sincere talked about, and listen to what they have to say about it. it can feel pretty alienating at times. if you're anything like me, you have a real urge to be understood, especially in that precious place of your creativity, and to have people NOT GET IT can be pretty discouraging. i spent a lot of time feeling weird in writing classes, and being different from everyone else there in two handsful of ways, and a lot of it was not helpful, it's true.
but still, it was important stuff to do, and in fact, nearly 20 years after my first writing class i have signed up for a new one, because of the support and criticism that can in fact often be found there, particularly as the participants get some experience under their belts.
there is a lot more to writing than "having it", i think, although there's a lot to that, too. there's talent, but a lack of talent can be worked around. it's not the most important thing. and skill is just not something anyone is born with. we may be able to skate through on style to a certain extent, but writing is a craft, and there are things to be learned that can make a huge difference in how satisfying your life as a writer will be. (yikes. i sound like an ad for higher learning! well, i'm a grade eight dropout, if that's any consolation.)
there's the technical stuff, which is important but can be learned by anyone, over time (and is more than grammar--it's also about learning how to really see what you are saying and what you want to say and trashing the extras and so on).
there is also honesty, emotional honesty being probably the rarest and in my opinion the most important element of all. you can become a hell of a writer if you take that on. i get the sense from the little bit of looking at your blog that i have done that honesty is not such an impossible thing for you, that in fact it is probably a big part of what drives you.
the skills will come. but do the classes. they aren't a waste. in time you will find people you are comfortable having critique your work, who are also good at it, and you will become a good critic and support for them, too. it just takes time.
by the way, have you read Open Gate? it's a collection of haitian poetry written in creole and translated into english, so you get both. it's a wonderful book.
have fun writing.
1:04 AM
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