[stylist] How could I improve this story?

Thu May 10 23:13:44 UTC 2012

I just read through this thread and when I came to the last part, written by 
Chris, I found one of the best pieces of advice I have ever seen here on 
this list.  What a GEM this is for everyone! Thank you Chris for taking the 
time to think about this question and to respond in a way that is truly 
helpful to anyone.

I am going to cut and past it to a folder as it is full of excellent advice 
for writing. You write of choosing to change an attitude and I think that is 
the key to learning how to craft an excellent piece of creative writing, or 
any other type of writing.  Otherwise, a person goes on year after year, 
producing more of the same-old same-old and no real growth takes place. 
This is really a valuable "article" and could be passed along to anyone who 
wants to know "how to" write anything. thanks, Chris.

Lynda Lambert
104 River Road
Ellwood City, PA 16117

724 758 4979

My Blog:  http://www.walkingbyinnervision.blogspot.com
My Website:  http://lyndalambert.com

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Barbara Hammel" <poetlori8 at msn.com>
To: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, May 10, 2012 5:03 PM
Subject: Re: [stylist] How could I improve this story?

>I don't know.  I found them on bookshare.  Best money I ever spent, that 
>membership to bookshare.
> Barbara
>
>
>
>
> Poetry is an echo, asking a shadow to dance. -- Carl Sandburg
> -----Original Message----- 
> From: Ashley Bramlett
> Sent: Thursday, May 10, 2012 3:15 PM
> To: Writer's Division Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [stylist] How could I improve this story?
>
> Barbara,
> Are both books available from NLS? Older books are not on bard, but most
> are.
>
> -----Original Message----- 
> From: Barbara Hammel
> Sent: Monday, April 30, 2012 9:46 PM
> To: Writer's Division Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [stylist] How could I improve this story?
>
> I downloaded both of the books you suggested.
> Barbara
>
>
>
>
> Poetry is an echo, asking a shadow to dance. -- Carl Sandburg
> -----Original Message----- 
> From: Chris Kuell
> Sent: Monday, April 30, 2012 5:51 PM
> To: Writer's Division Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [stylist] How could I improve this story?
>
> Barbara,
>
> My first suggestion is that you download/request a book called 'Bird by
> Bird' by Anne Lamott. It's an absolutely wonderful book on writing and 
> life.
> The title derives from a story she tells about her brother. One time in
> school he had to write a report on the birds of North America. He puts it
> off because he's overwhelmed by the topic. Finally he asks his father--how
> can I possibly write a report about the birds of North America? "Bird by
> bird," his father answers him. "Just take it bird by bird."
>
> My second suggestion is that you try to adopt a new attitude. Writing 
> isn't
> easy. Sure, penning your thoughts or sketching a few rhymes can be fun and
> enjoyable and you don't have to break a sweat. But to be what I'd call a
> 'great writer' takes hard work, no matter what type of writing you do.
> Anybody can throw words down on a page, but only a writer can make them 
> come
> to life.
>
> The work of writing comes in creation, editing, revising, rewriting, and
> polishing. There isn't a book or essay out there that you thought was 
> great
> that wasn't slaved and sweated over by the writer who crafted it.
>
> We are actually fortunate these days because writing on a computer is so
> easy. A hundred or more years ago, writers wrote draft after draft by 
> hand.
> They didn't have spell checking or google to double check their work and
> facts. They couldn't get feedback from half-a-dozen friends across the
> country within a few hours. I remind you of this to help give you
> perspective.
>
> My third recommendation is that you read over your first chapter, then 
> think
> about how you would like to change it. Think about what would make the
> chapter better, the characters more realistic, what details will bring the
> setting to life for the reader. Then sit down with a blank document open 
> and
> rewrite it. Don't be afraid of the work. Writing is hard work, but it's 
> not
> the coal mines. J.D. Salinger spent 10 years writing and rewriting 
> 'Catcher
> in the Rye' over and over again until he got it right.
>
> Several years ago I drafted a longish short story, about nine thousand
> words, which I was pretty proud of. It took me about two weeks of writing
> every day to finish it. On the first day of the third week I opened the
> document--and it was gone. To this day I don't know what happened to it. 
> All
> I can figure is that I did a select all to adjust formatting, then did
> something to delete the text (easier to do years ago) then saved the blank
> document. Doesn't matter, my story was gone. So I cried, I swore, I broke 
> a
> few things. Once I'd accepted that the story was truly gone, I sat down 
> and
> wrote it again. This time it turned out to be about six thousand words, 
> and
> you know what? It was even better. Firstly, I cut out a lot of the boring
> stuff, but remembered all the lines I'd written that were really strong.
> Secondly, in the first writing of the story, I grew to truly know the
> characters. In the second writing, I did a much better job at bringing 
> them
> to life. Now, it still wasn't publishable, and in fact I think I revised 
> it
> 5 more times until I had it just right. It was published in 'Bewildering
> Stories', and later republished in the anthology, 'The Best of Bewildering
> Stories'. In all honesty, I probably put more than 150 hours of work into
> that single story. That's why I say good writing is hard work.
>
> Now, the good news is that the more you put work into the craft, the 
> better
> you get at it. It still takes a lot of work, rewriting and revising and
> editing, but you do get better and better at it. You can also see how your
> stories or essays improve, which makes the process a little easier.
>
> Yes, the tone of your story may change. But honestly, it will probably
> change for the better. If you want to be a good writer and not just a
> hobbyist, don't shy away from the work. Reading books on the craft can be
> very helpful. BARD doesn't have it, but I think web braille or bookshare
> does, but I highly recommend a book called 'Self Editing for Fiction
> Writers' by King and Brown. It's an excellent resource that walks you
> through the entire process of turning that mediocre first draft into
> something you can feel really good about.
>
> Are you up to the challenge?
>
> chris
>
>
>
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