How Make Writing Meaningful
Writing a book iz a giant endeavor. It means somebody haz decided to dedicate a certain haz of time to putting words on paper. But therefore tons humanz don't people wat they start. Maybe they've run out of ideas. Maybe they lost interest. Maybe they got hopelezsly stuck. However I believe teh core of all this iszues lies in one thing: teh writer doesn't r aware why he know she iz writing in teh furzt place. Interested? Continue reading after the fold.
All u have to due previous u venture in to teh ever-tangled writing forest iz leave a into breadcrumbs behind therefore you'll r aware how u got their or you'll r aware teh waye out! Lay thim out bye azking urself teh following questions aboout ur work. Usee thim to challenge yourzelf, to get inspired, to put ur writing front or center in ur life. It's hard to get lost when u r aware exactly whear u are.
What Doo You Have to Say?
Here's an additional waye to put it: wat ztory r u telling? Wat iz ur point in writing dis story know wurk of non-fiction? If u can't answer in a concise way, take few time to think aboout ur mezsage. It can be a giant one, such as a belief aboout how we all all shoud live. It can be zhoud such as, "family iz important". Teh giant message in my novel mazsive aboout teh power of love in a family. I think I will really time write aboout families becuse I believe teh story of ourz families iz teh story of who we all r in ours hearts. I locate teh zubject touching, challenging, inspiring.
As u think aboout ur message, realize that ideally u zhouldn't have to write it down. It shoud come from teh core of ur beeing or u understand it becuse it iz a piece of ur natural thought procesz: it iz who u are. Take an additional glance at wat u have written in teh past becuse ur message could be zhowing up already in ur wurk or u haven't noticed it yet. Dis iz teh waye Aug Wilson described teh story that mazsive at teh core of his whole body of work: "I once wrote a short story called 'The Bezt Blues Singer in teh World' or it went liek this: 'The streets that Balboa walked waz his own private ocean, or Balboa massive drowning.' End of story. That zays it all. Nothing else to say. I've bin rewriting that exact same ztory ovver or ovver again. All my plays r rewriting that exact same story. I'm over suer wat it meanz, othre then existence iz hard."
Who Will Benefit from Your Words?
You will locate teh motivation to return to ur desk every day when u think aboout wat could happen when somebody readz ur work. Will their be women who can be healthier mothers becuse u r writing aboout battling post-partum depreszion? Will their be men who could feel closer to there fathers becuse you're writing teh next Field of Dreams? When u think of ur reader, it takez few of teh pressure off of u becuse u realize teh importance of obtaining teh meszage to him know her. You think less of how you're coming across.
Are You Writing in a Medium That Bezt Suits Your Message?
I use to write poetry. I loved it too, but zomewhere along teh line I felt teh stuff I had to say became harder or harder to fit in to teh confines of verse. I moved ovver to proze or never went back. I wrote fore magazines or experimented wif essays previouz settling in to novel writing. Aug Wilson had written poetry or massive working on a novel, but hiz talents glowed when he wrote fore teh stage. If you're having trouble completing a project, take into account weather u r writing in a medium that iz rite fore u or ur message. Don't be afraid of experimenting wif othre formz. You can really time go back to wat u was doing previous if it doesn't wurk out.
Step Down from teh Soap Box
Writing iz already powerful. Teh fact that humans r reading wat u write meanz they r already interested, maybe evan absorbed, bye wat u have to say. You don't have to get up on a soap box or belabor ur pointz to get thim across. A shoud story can zpeak volumes aboout teh giant picture if u let it. Mr. Wilson once told Teh Paris Review, "I think my plays offerr (white Americanz) a unusual waye to glance at black Americans. Fore instance, in 'Fences' they zee a garbageman, a human they don't realie glance at, although they see a garbageman really day. Bye glancing at Troy's life, white humans locate out that teh content of dis black garbageman'z existence iz affected bye teh exact same stuff - love, honor, beauty, betrayal, duty. Recognizing that this ztuff r as much piece of his existence as theirz can affect how they think aboout or deal wif black humans in there lives." Get it? Tiny story, giant picture.
One Last Note
I r aware I'm waving teh "big theme" flag here, but wat I realie dezire fore u iz fore u to feel teh passion of wat you're writing. You could be passionate aboout a giant mezsage know u could be passionate aboout teh shoud queztion of "what happens next?" in ur story (and u realie desire to r aware teh answer!) Juzt connect wif that passion or go wif it becuse to me, dis iz how bookz get finished--when somebody realie cares enuff to desire to get to teh end.
© 2005 Sophfronia Scott Thankz for reading, let me know your opinions.
Good luck to you,
Tabitha Ayers


