One book leads to another...

Wednesday, March 7, 2018

Confessions and Awakenings



Welcome Writers! And Happy Cereal Day, everyone! Have you had your bowl today? 

There is so much to celebrate this month, and not the least of which is today, and here’s why:   Take a look around our awesome group by clicking the links below and check out the many fantastic resources offered by the Insecure Writers Support Group, founded by Alex Cavanaugh, right here and right now on this first Wednesday of the month, when IWSG members convene through blogging, Facebook, and Twitter to talk about whatever is on our writing minds and agendas. See what we’re all talking about here

As for me:
So far, I’m achieving my goal of at least 1400 words per week. Granted, once in a while that may or may not include a creatively crafted shopping list, i.e., Dishwasher pillows, Coffee buddies, Dog cookies, Rabbit food, and Carnivore essentials.
 
National Ghostwriter’s Week:
Do you know what Alexander Dumas, Ian Fleming, Tom Clancy and Michael Crichton all had in common? They all worked with ghostwriters. I considered ghostwriting once, briefly. The loneliness of secrecy seemed too high a price for too little pay. But is it really? Could a ghost also be a star in his/her own right? Author of over 80 books and one of the most sought-after ghosts in the world, Andrew Crofts sheds some favorable light on the once considered dark craft of ghostwriting in his 2014 memoir “Confessions Of A Ghostwriter.”  

National Women’s History Month:
After losing both her husband and mother in the course of a year, Kate Chopin; mother of six was left with enormous debt and deeply depressed. She took up writing as prescribed by her physician, for therapy, as well as possible income. Indeed, her stories appeared in periodicals and literary magazines, though providing little income. And writing did prove to be the perfect outlet for her “extraordinary energy.” Her second novel and best-known work “The Awakeningwas met with mostly unfavorable reviews and subsequently put out of print for 70 years! Critics claimed she was too far ahead of her time for her subject matter (southern feminism) to be embraced. The novel is now considered an American classic and lauded for its bold sophistication and artistry.

I can’t imagine having to be advised to write, can you?

If you could eliminate one word or phrase from the English language, what would it be? 

Happy Writing!


21 comments:

  1. Hi, diedre!

    "Hate" is a word that I wish could be eliminated from the English language and every other language around the globe.

    Congratulations on producing 1400 words per week. I appreciate your idea of applying your writing talent to the creation of weekly shopping lists. I have mixed feelings about ghostwriting. I admire the ghostwriter and tend to disrespect the author who takes credit for the work. (See the TV series Good Girls Revolt.) Given my background and training as a journalist and news reporter, creative writing does not come naturally to me. Influenced by Mad Magazine and the like, I developed a passion for spinning existing material for the sake of humor. Therefore being advised by a physician to write might seem like a laborious homework assignment to me. I am much more in my element working in the audio visual media - film and video production, sound mixing, etc.

    It's great to see you, dear friend diedre. Enjoy the rest of your week and month!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Shady!

      Writing is writing. No matter how you 'spin' it. I think you're quite good at what you do!
      Even better than eliminating the word would be to eliminate the emotion called hate.
      I would love to see and hear the last of snark.
      Have a wonderful week, my friend!

      Delete
  2. I'm trying to eliminate the word "perfect." Interesting about Kate Chopin. I like her short story, The Story of the Hour, I think it's called. I have her book Awakening. It's on my TBR pile! I've never considered ghost writing, but if it helped pay the bills, I'd consider it.
    Mary at Play off the Page

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Mary!

      Kate Chopin's endurance of her times was a story in itself, wasn't it?
      I was glad to learn of the other side of ghostwriting and am now convinced it takes a special kind of person to be successful at it. Not sure I could keep the pace, but it does seem fascinating ;-)

      Delete
  3. Hi Diedre - I'm sure quite a lot of people advise writing to help express themselves - I know of one young lad who was encouraged to do so ... and he's enjoying the experience.

    I'm sure there are a few words I'd prefer weren't used - can't for now think what they are ... cheers Hilary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Hilary!

      You do have a point there, some people express themselves much better in writing.
      I can't imagine you using a discouraging word ;-)

      Delete
  4. Don't. That's the word I would eliminate. I heard that word often while growing up. Don't do this/that because you might get hurt, you won't succeed, you don't know how. Putting aside fear and trying is so empowering.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Diane!

      You are so right. We'd never know our true potential if we didn't try ;-)

      Delete
  5. I wonder how many other writers work with ghostwriters? I imagine most actors do!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Alex!

      The actual number is probably astonishing, given that ghostwriting is not limited to books.
      Ha! I hadn't thought about actors, I bet you're right!

      Delete
  6. Yay for meeting your weekly writing goal! Hey, all writing is writing, right? :)

    I like Diane’s idea of eliminating the word “don’t.” Another I considered was “can’t.”

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Lady Chrys!

      Thanks, I'd love for my goal to be higher than a potato bug's bellybutton and am working toward that end ;-)
      'Can't' is such an easy excuse, isn't it? If we ever said the word around my grandma we knew we'd better have good reason why.

      Delete
  7. dIEDRE, that's a terrific Arizona landscape picture up at the top. Did you take that?

    >>... If you could eliminate one word or phrase from the English language, what would it be?

    That's a good question. I'm sure I could think of other answers as well, but the first thing that came to my mind was "I COULD CARE LESS".

    Not only is that wrong but it's 180-degrees wrong, expressing the EXACT OPPOSITE of what the person really means to convey (i.e., that it is not possible for them to care any less than they currently do).

    It is truly astounding to me how many people say and write "I could care less". And that includes a massive number of professional writers and speakers. I think it may be the most common mistake made by people who really should know better.

    ~ D-FensDogG
    STMcC Presents 'Battle Of The Bands'

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Howdy Reno!

      I agree. Unless you're talking about strawberry ice cream, it's at least one of the most pause-worthy mistakes. That and "irregardless". I heard a newscaster say that just this morning!

      Delete
  8. I'm struggling with word count too. Does copying and pasting from an old unused file count in word count? I'm trying to convince myself it does.

    Happy Cereal Day!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I wouldn't want to be a ghostwriter because I'd like to be acknowledged for what I write. But of course if the pay is right then I'll be fine with invisibility.

    One word that I've grown extremely tired of hearing is "racist" and its derivatives. This word has become so overused as a derogatory label for anyone with who you don't agree that it's lost a lot of it's meaning. I've been called racist a few times by people who should know better, but it's the apparently the only way they have to lash back at me when I'm right and they don't want me to be right. If you want to shut down a dialogue then just call your opponent a "racist"--that settles just about everything--or at least ends the debate.

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Lee!

      True on all accounts! Perhaps losing it's meaning is the best outcome for such nonsensical rhetoric. Imagine how quiet the world would be if we (they) ran out of words to use against each other ;-)

      Delete
  10. That's a fantastic daily word count. I'm impressed (even if some do or don't fall into the lists category ;) ).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Tara!

      Actually, it's a weekly word count, which is even less impressive given that I can easily accomplish that in an hour when I have the time (sigh). Thank you for the encouragement ;-)

      Delete

Any thoughts? Join the conversation, comments welcome here!