Welcome readers, writers, authors, and bloggers!
We’re glad you’re here!
It's the First Wednesday of the month; when we celebrate IWSG Day in the form of a blog hop featuring members and guests of
the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Founded by author Alex Cavanaugh (Thank
you, Captain!) and fostered by like-minded associates, IWSG is a comfortable
place to share views and literary news from our perspective writing desks as we
record our journeys. Check out the June newsletter here
Our awesome co-hosts
this month are: Patrcia
Josephine, Olga Godim, J.
Lenni Dorner, and Cathrina
Constantine! Feel free to hop around and say hello to
everyone!
The optional question for this
month is: If you ever did stop
writing, what would you replace it with?
I can’t imagine not writing anymore. If I’m
not writing, I’m thinking about writing. Does revising count as writing? Besides
writing and of course, reading, revising is one of my favorite things to do. It’s
not the same as editing, which is my likeliest Plan B. Finding and fixing
mistakes is easy and fun as long it’s not my own work ;-)
Revising fiction is often that second chance you never
really get in reality to hone the impression you want to make. For instance,
did the sun simply rise on any day in question, or did it burst from behind the
clouds and spill across the sky in crimson ribbons?
Author Anna Badkhen recommends avoiding PEDESTRIAN SENTENCES
and advises writers to “Approach each paragraph as you would a poem, then make
it stun” Because an orchard’s worth can’t be assessed without a taste of the
golden fruit?
On the other hand,
“Whenever you feel an impulse to perpetrate a piece of
exceptionally fine writing, obey it – wholeheartedly – and delete it before
sending your manuscript to press. Murder your darlings.” — Sir Arthur
Quiller-Couch, On the Art of Writing, 1916
Then again,
“You never have to change anything
you got up in the middle of the night to write” ~ Saul Bellow
Remember that eleventh-hour magic never happens before the
deadline, and it’s never too late to revise.
How often do you get up in the
middle of the night to write? How do you feel about revisions?
Happy Writing!
Revising as the second chance you never get in reality ? That's a great way to think about it. Thanks !
ReplyDeleteOne problem though - I don't have a Google account. Esther O'Neill
Thank you, Esther.
DeleteI'll see if there's something amiss on my end.
Lots of soul-searching questions . . . When I started writing (long-hand in a notebook!) revisions were a horror to do on a manual typewriter. It's amazing we have ANY writers who survived that generation! Now I look forward to that part of the process to pitch or polish to get to the heart of the story.
ReplyDeleteI loved my IBM Selectrics ;-) But, you're right, how did we ever not throw out our manuscripts?
DeleteLove the wisdom in those quotes. My "ideas" usually come to me when I'm in the shower or enjoying a lovely walk. Hopefully I can remember that story idea long enough to get it in a notebook when I can! Thanks for co-hosting!!
ReplyDeleteThank you, J.Q.
DeleteNature is always an inspiration for me too.
That, and co-hosting ;-)
Sounds like you found your calling in writing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for co-hosting!
I do love writing.
DeleteGood to connect, Loni ;-)
As usual, conflicting advice. Wish I was as good with descriptions as your first example.
ReplyDeleteIsn't that the truth? It makes groups like IWSG all the more important.
DeleteMy first example? Thank you, Captain.
Your choice of quotes was brilliant. Each one a gem! Thanks for such a great post and for co-hosting today.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lee! I felt like I stumbled on the optional question - ha! What if I what?!
DeleteHappy writing!
Love the quotes. Thanks for cohosting this month. I consider editing writing. I'm always adding new words, changing others.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Diane. And you're welcome ;-)
DeleteI've been known to wipe out entire sentences.
Thank you for the quotes. I needed to hear them today. Thanks also for co-hosting. Shalom shalom
ReplyDeleteAs conflicting as they may be, I think the quotes reveal more of an acceptance of variance than some would care to admit. I like that ;-) We can't all be the same kind of brilliant, right?
DeleteLove this!
ReplyDeleteThanks for co-hosting.
Thank you, Melissa.
DeleteYou're welcome any time ;-)
Revising had better be writing. It's my favorite part of the process. And I loved your quotes. Thanks so much for sharing them with us.
ReplyDeleteHa! Same here, Natalie. I thought we'd have that in common ;-) Glad I was right.
DeleteRevision has always been a mixed bag for me. Sometimes, I love seeing the work get better, and other times, it feels like I'm battling thorugh an uphill gauntlet. But I love writing and I love seeing things come together in the end.
ReplyDeleteI was ruthless, back in the day. So much so my manuscript ended up looking like swiss cheese. I'm much kinder to myself these days ;-)
DeleteYep, me too (about thinking or writing all the time). I have digital lists I can pretty much access anywhere when a brilliant idea hits me.
ReplyDeleteDigital lists sounds like a brilliant idea ;-)
DeleteNice quotes. :-)
ReplyDeleteAnna from elements of emaginette
Thank you, Anna
DeleteI feel like I'm always revising. But that is what makes it a better read, I hope. Thank you for Co-hosting!!
ReplyDeleteI think you're exactly right, Cathrina!
DeleteThank you for coming ;-)
I like those quotes. I do enjoy getting a little poetic with my prose, but not with every paragraph. I think the more colorful and flowery parts of my writing stand out better if I offer some stylistic contrast.
ReplyDeleteStylistic contrast (I like that phrase) is a good remedy for purple prose.
DeleteHappy writing!
:) Love all those quotes. It really does come down to the moment doesn't it. Revising is my favorite stage as well. Drafting feels painful, but once something is on the page it's a joy to improve it.
ReplyDeleteWeird, it won't let me sign in (probably Safari) anyway. The above was from Charity Bradford/River Ford.
DeleteI'm glad you found your way here, Charity. Thanks for coming!
DeleteThanks for the quotes in your co-host post - invigorating and awesome. And, I've learned to embrace revision, though I don't regard it as fun...
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome any time, PJ
DeleteRevisions, for me, anyhow, are like putting on your Sunday best. I don't mind dressing up - once in awhile ;-)
I'm always going to write, but I'm not one of those writers who gets up in the middle of the night to do it. I will get up and write down an idea, though I don't always understand it in the morning. LOL.
ReplyDeleteGwen, I think there's a quote for that ;-)
DeleteHappy writing!
I don't think I actually revised any of my stories. I don't even start writing them until I know what happened from the beginning to the end. Editing though - that's different. I like editing.
ReplyDeleteSince I don't do my own "deep" editing, at least a few revisions are sometimes necessary. I bet you are an excellent editor;-)
DeleteGreat quotes, Diedre! Personally, I like revising and editing. That's where my piece, whatever it is, really comes alive. The first draft is always torture! Thanks for co-hosting today.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Fundy Blue!
DeleteFirst drafts got easier for me, with time. But I still keep my shoes on because you never know ;-)
You're welcome any time, my dear.
Hello! Thank you for co-hosting and for the lovely answer & writing quotes. I love the advice about avoiding pedestrian sentences.
ReplyDeleteHi Sonia! The advice got my attention as I'd never heard it put quite that way ;-)
Delete"Revising fiction is often that second chance you never really get in reality to hone the impression you want to make." That is just brilliant!
ReplyDeleteWhy, thank you, Ma'am ;-)
DeleteI count revising as writing. It's part of the story creation process, even though the main or basic ideas have been written by that time. However, if I can write a whole new story and so a first draft between revisions, I'll do it. However, with how behind on my current book that I'm working on, I don't have that extra time to write new stories. Once I publish and release my book, I'll definitely have that time.
ReplyDeleteNothing fuels productivity like a deadline. Write away, Steven ;-)
Delete“You never have to change anything you got up in the middle of the night to write." Truth! Love this. Well - true for me half the time. Thank you for co-hosting!
ReplyDeleteI'm with you. Whether I use what I wrote while half asleep depends on how decipherable the midnight message is ;-)
DeleteThank you for coming by!
Thank you for the lovely post -- and for being a co-host this month! Just want to say I found the quotes so fun, though I must confess when I get up in the middle of the night, it's to write some notes for a scene, never to revise. At least, not yet!
ReplyDeleteCo-hosting is always a pleasure ;-)
DeleteI once wrote two words (gas station) that puzzled me for weeks before I realized I'd envisioned the perfect place for an ending scene.
Happy writing, Beth!
Your various conflicting writing rules reminds me of my favourite piece of writing advice: "Don't take writing advice from anyone, especially me."
ReplyDeleteAs long as it all comes together in the end, we can pretty much call the process anything we want ;-)
ReplyDeleteHi Diedre! Thanks for cohosting this month's question. And yes! Revising does count as writing. At least I hope it does. I live in revision. Sometimes, I get stuck in revision. It's moving ahead with a story that's harder for me. All best to you!
ReplyDeleteCo-hosting is always a pleasure ;-) So is working on revisions - long as I don't get carried away ;-)
DeleteHave a wonderful June!
Revising absolutely counts as writing! Thanks for co-hosting this month. @samanthabwriter from
ReplyDeleteBalancing Act
I sure like to think so ;-)
DeleteThanks for coming by, Samantha!
I like that middle of the night quote. It's true, when we are half asleep, somewhere in the background our creative juices seem to really flow!
ReplyDeleteI think creativity is always present, but there are fewer distractions while we sleep.
DeleteSweet dreams, happy writing!
I really like that middle of the night quote. I've woken up to write something down before but it was a long time ago. One of my favorite authors once said that if she wakes up with an idea, she'll just roll back over and go back to sleep. If it's important, she said, she would remember it. That takes a lot of faith! But it makes sense that we'd have great ideas in the night. Our inhibitions are down and we're more open to our imaginations. Thanks for co-hosting this month!
ReplyDeleteI like it too. Seems it was much easier to wake up in the middle of the night in my younger years ;-)
DeleteYou're welcome any time, Jen. Co-hosting is a lot fun.
dIEDRE ~
ReplyDeleteI liked your quotes regarding writing, and they reminded me of some other favorites of mine, such as...
"Write without pay until somebody offers pay. If nobody offers within three years, the candidate may look upon this circumstance with the most implicit confidence as the sign that sawing wood is what he was intended for."
~ Mark Twain
"As to the adjective: when in doubt, strike it out."
~ Mark Twain
"I love being a writer. What I can't stand is the paperwork."
~ Peter De Vries
"As a writer I've come up against a kind of wall that is starting to exist in America, which is that there's hardly anything left to parody. Almost anything you try to do satirically comes true within a few months."
~ Cathy Crimmins
That last one reminds me of what has been said about the movie 'IDIOCRACY': It was intended as satire, but over time it turned into a documentary.
>>... If you ever did stop writing, what would you replace it with?
My feeling is that if you were not a writer, you would be a culinary artist. Either that or a floral designer. In other words, just another form of poetry.
~ D-FensDogG
Howdy, Stephen T.!
DeleteYou've got some terrific quotes in your collection ;-) Most anything by Mark Twain is a keeper. I have to agree with Cathy Crimmins' take on satire - and you on IDIOCRACY.
Aw, I can't cook for beans. But I have been known to use a cookie cutter on specially made PBJs ;-)
Thanks for co-hosting this month. I don't get up in the middle of the night as much as I used to but I've coverted to recording quick notes on my phone and then rolling over and going back to sleep.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea, Toi! My luck I'd group-send it ;-)
DeleteHappy June!
I do get up at 5am to write, which I'm sure counts as the middle of the night to a lot of people. My mind is clearest then (after tea). I love how you highlighted how much advice contradicts each other. In terms of descriptive writing, I've been guilty of overflowery prose in the past and it's something I've had to work to pare down.
ReplyDeleteHi, Nick!
DeleteStories are born in the quietude of early morn, and whittled in the afternoon ;-)
As to contradictions, I think it all boils down to personal style and what works for your story.
Happy writing!