Russell Kirkpatrick's Journal
Writing Advice 1: Attitude
27-Jun-2006
So you want to get tips from a published author about writing? All right. But you won’t like it.
No, you really won’t like it.
You’re probably looking for help in being published. The problem is, I can’t help you get published. And if I was honest I’m not sure I want to – more competition, you see. But I can make suggestions about how to make your writing better.
Let’s start with your attitude. Why are you writing?
I’ll tell you why I’m writing. I have this ache in my chest. It makes me want to do things, to express myself, to influence people and make them remember what I have to say. I’ve sung in choirs and led a thousand people in song. I’ve lectured to students, to the public and to members of Parliament. Yesterday I spent the morning speaking to students from the local high school, without payment. Not because it’s a way to promote myself, but because, you see, I have this ache in my chest. I preached to congregations on a regular basis from the time I was seventeen until my mid-thirties. I’ve taught Sunday School and youth groups. I so much want to communicate. I make atlases to get across my particular (slightly twisted and subversive) view of the world. I lecture at University. And I write.
I don’t have to write. I do have many other outlets. But I have always had to do something. After all, I don’t want to explode.
Being published is a way for my writing to be read by many more people, and also means I earn money. But being published doesn’t ease the pressure in my chest. The act of writing does that.
I so enjoy crafting a scene, describing a landscape, getting dialogue to be more than perfunctory, linking the plot to some seemingly insignificant event that happened a hundred pages ago, and writing the moment of revelation when the character realises what’s going on. I wrote two books without any serious consideration of getting them published. I’ll tell you how they ended up being published sometime later. I ached before I wrote them, I enjoyed writing them and I felt better afterwards.
So why are you writing? Have you thought about it? Do you know? If you’re constantly starting and never finishing, if you seem always to lack motivation, chances are you don’t know why you’re writing. When you find out, you’ll be in a position to make some changes and some choices about what you write, when you write, how you write, and what your goals are. Go and have a think about it.
I've got that ache in my chest too, only mine's more like a high-pitched whine in my ears.
Kaaron
Kaaron
Most people are dreamers: we imagine alternatives in which we do deliver the cutting remark or get the raise. I do think, however, there is an element of exhibitionism in the desire to write the dreams down for others to read. I'm not ashamed of it though.
I wonder if that's what is behind all these people blogging.
It's sort of like I want things to be optimum and flow together.
I can't (don't want to) help myself, I see/hear/watch something and think what if it was tweaked like this?
Most often I keep quiet though I wish they'd ask what do I think?
Have you ever done a strengthsfinder test? (www.strengthsfinder.com)
Why did you stop preaching at 35?