I have been writing many poems, stories, and commentaries this month. It's pride month here and I don't remember ever writing as much as I have. Part of it, I believe, is presenting something that can be meaningful to people. I'm not a doom-and-gloom person, but one with optimism and hope.
I learned that you should feel while writing, not like Lord Byron on a mountain top, but like stringing beads in kindergarten, -happy, absorbed and quietly putting one bead on after another.
~Brenda Ueland, Writer (1891-1985)
I have this quote on my Facebook page in the past. Today, I read this quote and realize that it fits me to a tee. Sometimes I have so much inside of me I want to explode. That's why I carry a notebook and pen with me. To record it so I won't forget.
Reading should not be presented to children as a chore, a duty. It should be offered as a gift.
~Kate DiCamillo
MIEN, n.
A person's look or manner, especially one of a particular kind indicating their character or mood.
I wrote a story several years ago about a wealthy woman who eventually became queen of an underwater kingdom. I got the idea after reading some Celtic mythology. It was a fun story to write and I will do it again.
Is convention a stumbling block for authors who defy it? Jack Kerouac and Herman Melville are two of my favorite writers whose work went against conventions of their times.
Kerouac, of Beat Generation fame, wrote 'spontaneous prose' which forgoes punctuations. He touched on subjects which were taboo. I liked his work because he actually LIVED his experiences.
Melville, the author of Moby Dick, wrote of his sea adventures. His work was well written but didn't sell. Melville was a victim of convention.
I am drawn to people and places outside the norm. To me, these authors are interesting and challenge my own writing. I am going outside my comfort zone and am enjoying it. Thank you, Jack and Herman!
I read many genres. Fiction. Nonfiction. Plays. Poetry. I also read numerous subjects. Religion. Commentaries. Biographies. And others. I have come away with different points of view from the author. I have incorporated some into my writing habits.
One benefit of reading different genres is that I have learned new words. My vocabulary has improved much and I believe it has made a difference in my writing. I have files of words and their definitions. While I will never write like my favorite authors, I can incorporate some of their methods into mine.
Gwendolyn Brooks
Lucille Clifton
Paul Laurence Dunbar
Ken Follet
Allen Ginsberg
Nikki Giovanni
Thomas Hardy
James Weldon Johnson
Federico Garcia Lorca
Larry McMurtry
Czeslaw Milosz
Frank O'Hara
Joyce Carol Oates
Deborah Poe
Salman Rushdie
William Butler Yeats
Many writers are afraid of writing something bad, so they don't try or give up when their efforts don't lead to a masterpiece right away. If you work at it, you will improve.
Lauren Tarshis, Author
I'm sure many stories have been written about pride. With the many pride events coming this month, I will post something along the lines of what pride means to me. It could be a fiction story also. It could be a poem. I'm working on what to do.
