Monday, September 21, 2015

I'm Me, and You're You

I've been reading a book over the weekend where the pacing is terrific. I've been staying up way too late. Join me in a discussion about pacing over at the IWSG site.

It's so easy to admire the writing as you're reading a book or short story that really grabs hold of you. Then that little niggling voice inside your brain starts to suggest you should try to write like that. Or perhaps you read an article or post that describes your favorite author's methods or process. And you think you should try that.

We all have to make changes in how we work at times until we find what is right for us. But it should be your method, not a copy of someone else's.

Often I'll read a blog post or an interview where writers describe how they get the job done. Some actually work nearly the same as I do as in get the first draft done and then revise, revise, revise. Or they brainstorm while exercising like I do. Maybe they write late at night like I do. But there's never anyone exactly the same from start to finish.

In other news about the world, today is the International Day of Peace. A minute of silence at noon is asked as we all hope, pray or work for peace. And there is a lot of work to be done.

Have you been seeing a lot of sunshine lately? Then you must not live one of the ten most cloudy states in the USA according to The Old Farmer's Almanac. See if your state is there. After days and days of rain for us at the start of the summer, we're having a pretty dry August and September. Lots of sun for PA. If you live outside the US, how do you measure up against these states for days of clouds?

Here's a real shocker. According to the article in PW a survey from New Guild reveals that most authors make earnings below the poverty level? I guess none of us knew this.


23 comments:

Liza said...

I"m a big on revision too. I actually prefer it to the writing! All sunny here and I'll take it!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I'm with Liza - I prefer revisions over the first draft.
Will remember that moment of silence today.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

We all have our own way of writing.

I'd take a little non-sunshine.

Maria Zannini said...

The nice thing about exposing ourselves to great writing (and bad) is that it gives us nuggets of gold and other tips to improve our writing.

I might never want to write like someone else, but if they've figured out a better way of doing something, I'll gladly add it to my repertoire.

nashvillecats2 said...

Everyone is unique in how they live and that means writing also.
Good post.
Yvonne.

A Beer for the Shower said...

Nothing but sunshine here. I'm actually getting blinded right now - it's slipping through the blinds and scalding my retinas. Ouch.

And yep, I'm with the others. I like revising, too. I put up a basic framework, and then from there I can mold it into something truly spectacular. Or so I'd like to think.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Susan - we all do things differently don't we. Our summer is almost over! Yesterday was lovely. Day of Peace ... it's now past 12 here .. so I'll have a special few minutes later on ... thanks for reminding us - Hilary

betty said...

That is too funny, Montana is on the list of cloudiest states. Lived there for 9 years and I wouldn't have called it cloudy. It had its days, but not a lot. I "need" the sun and I always felt I "got" the sun when we lived there (now the warmth, that was a different thing). Arizona and California are pretty sunny states (and drought states) so I have gotten/get plenty of sunshine :)

betty

Pat Hatt said...

Sunny here at my sea. I do things my own way indeed, but there are similarities to others.

The Happy Whisk said...

Yeah, so many writers get shit pay. It's too bad. I mean a half a cent a word? Horrible. Anyway, wishing you a great new week. Cheers and boogie boogie.

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

I enjoy learning about how others approach writing, drafting, revising etc, and while I've learned to be open, I've also learned to not dismiss my own way of doing things as "wrong." :)

cleemckenzie said...

Sun is all we've had for four years. It's about time for clouds and rain. Fingers crossed. As to the writer's pay, I'm not surprised, but it's sad, isn't it?

cleemckenzie said...

Sun is all we've had for four years. It's about time for clouds and rain. Fingers crossed. As to the writer's pay, I'm not surprised, but it's sad, isn't it?

dolorah said...

I could sure use some clouds and rain here in CA.

I knew from reading blogs that most writers (mostly inde pub) do not earn enough to live off writing alone. I've earned $5 total from my publishing: 5 publications in different anthologies. Doesn't make me want to hunker down and write consistently.

Robin said...

I think it's good to incorporate a general practice of something we like... but twisted to fit our own unique style.

I live in Florida. One of the best things is the winter with blue sky.

Not surprised that authors mostly live below poverty. Sad, but not surprised.

Jay Noel said...

I spend a lot of time in the car, so I do a lot of brainstorming there. And for sure I"m below the poverty line when it comes to earnings. I'm finally in the black, but I'm not even close to quitting the day job.

J E Oneil said...

I don't think I've ever found someone who writes remotely like I do. I guess it's fun to be unique :).

I'd like every day to be one of peace...

J.L. Campbell said...

We've been having lots of rain this side of the world and only in some parts of the island. Hopping over to IWSG.

Heather R. Holden said...

As an artist, I get that little niggling voice inside my head, too. It's far too easy for me to compare myself to all the amazing artists out there! But yeah, in the end, I agree it's better not to copy. Much more worth it to be unique!

Tammy Theriault said...

Great truth that even though we may be similar in styles, it's good to keep that individuality.

Patricia Stoltey said...

Luckily I don't have to live on my writing earnings, Susan.

My corner of Northern Colorado tends to be mostly sunny, but that also means it tends to be very dry. Skin, hair, and also lawns suffer a lot. When we do get rain, it's very welcome.

Melissa Sugar said...

Poverty level ... that's encouraging news - NOT! I prefer revisions as well and I'm a very late night writer. I've tried really hard to become an early morning writer because I keep reading articles that suggest early morning writers get more accomplished. Here's how that worked out for me: For several weeks I kept forcing myself to bed much earlier than normal with the goal of getting up a few hours earlier and getting some writing in before anyone else is awake. So, I forfeited my best writing time and even when I managed to pull myself out of bed at 4:30 in the morning I was incredibly sluggish. The first few days I fell back asleep and felt like crap all day. Once I sort of got used to getting up early, it still took me an hour to get oriented enough to write. After two weeks, I was finally able to fall into my new routIne, but my writing sucked. It lacked energy and spontenaouty and felt forced. I'm back to my late night writing.

diedre Knight said...

Bernard Malamud said "Revision is one of the exquisite pleasures of writing" and I tend to agree.
Were it not for that first book I ever read I might never have known what it was I wanted to do. So yes, I enjoy observing other writers.
As a welcome change, we've had several tropical storms sneak up the Sea of Cortez this year so now it's as humid as it is hot! Still, the clouds are fascinating :-)
I'm a fan of Farmer's Almanac too!