Shame on me for not posting sooner, but this is something readers need to know.
Smashwords.com is having their “Read an Ebook Week” sale right now. This week. It’s happening.
Many, many books are on discounted sale, including mine! Look for books by RJ Minnick to find my books; and check out all the other great bargains as well! This sale is only at Smashwords and will only last through March 12. Hurry! HURRY!
And, sorry if I made you late…..
We all need encouragement and inspiration to write a story, but that kind of support is easy. We tell you how you have so much to say and you’ll say it so well. We remind you that you have a unique voice, and that we can’t wait to read your work. Then we ship you off to your study or desk with everything from a plate of beans and coffee to filet mignon and a glass of wine and wait for your golden manuscript to appear.
Okay, who said, ‘Yeah, right’?
All right, I get it. Writing isn’t that easy; neither is helping someone write. But it can be easier than the next step. Revision.
I enjoy a number of creative pursuits besides writing. One is house renovation. Ask anyone; I’d rather build a new bathroom than clean one.
Recently I heard Canadian Contractor turned YouTuber Jeff Thorman (Home RenoVision DIY), remark that “Anytime we’re doing dry wall mud or any other kind of finishing, we start from rough and push toward finished.”
The concept applies to a lot of creative endeavors besides building.
Painting
Sculpting
Dance – even choreography starts with rough blocking of movement before it finalizes into polished dance steps and poses.
How often do we tell writers: Just get the first draft done; get the main story down in print. Then you can go back and rework it.
Rework it. Revise. Revision is, according to some 90% of writing. What does the process look like? Many writers work in steps.
And so on.
First draft, second draft, …, thirtieth draft. However many it takes to reach the point where you put down your pen and decide it is really…
REALLY…
…Done.
The list here doesn’t encompass the question of how to fix things. My next few blog posts will deal in greater detail with the agony of revision, an agony only outweighed by its value.
“Anytime we’re doing dry wall mud or any other kind of finishing, we start from rough and push toward finished.”
Jeff thorman Home RenoVision DIY
Finally returning to our INKAS. Poetry is the next form of writing I want to discuss.
Working with multiple age levels in poetry can be tricky, something I learned early on in the years I coached Writer’s Club. Levels of understanding vary as much as levels of ability. On the other hand, nothing is more refreshing than to hear the original thinking that goes on in a new poet, especially when they are young. And, there is a form of poetry for everyone.
Poetry expresses our innermost thoughts and feelings. Poems can be funny — think Dr. Seuss — or sad. A poem can tell a story, as in a ballad, or it can describe a single internal moment in a person’s soul. Poetry is recited for entertainment and for learning. It can brighten our memories with a description of a grand day at the beach or touch our hearts with tender lines of love. Poetry connects the mind with the heart and the soul.
You will find that there are all kinds of poetry. There are poems that rhyme every other line, and there are poems that rhyme no words at all. There are poems only two lines long – couplets, and there are poems over 70 lines long: ballads.
Rhyming patterns – referred to as schemes – are described by assigning rhyming words the same letter. So, a limerick, where the 1st, 2nd, and 5th lines rhyme and the 3rd and 4th lines rhyme would be described as having a rhyme scheme of ‘aabba’.
Sometimes new poets like the idea of writing poetry because it is short – but that is an illusion. It takes thought to put expression into a few words or phrases. A good poem can take as long to write as a long story. But that doesn’t mean you can’t write a poem quickly, especially if you are excited about it.
One thing that young poets don’t always seem to know is how to present a poem visually.
Poetry is usually not written in complete sentences but in phrases. It is not shaped like a paragraph but takes shape on a screen or paper in such a way that the reader knows went to stop and start and what the rhythm of the poem is. The look of the poem adds to the pleasure and meaning of the poem.
I find it easier to write a poem completely, then look it over and adjust the punctuation, the capitalization, and the lines so that it reads the way I want it to.
I said earlier that there is a form of poetry for everyone. Below is a not all-encompassing of some of the different forms of poetry. Some you will recognize; some you won’t. You can read more about poetry forms and how to write it, including such details as meter and stanza, imagery and onomatopoeia, at Poetry 101: Learn about Poetry (where you can also find a link to details on US Poet Laureate Billy Collins’s MasterClass). I’m not posting this info as a promotion, it’s just a fact that you will find the link there.
We write for many reasons, and we choose the form our writing takes based on those reasons. For expressing emotion, discerning truth, and unlocking secrets of the universe, there is nothing so useful as poetry. Happy writing!
‘ta
Finding Robin's Story 