Where has the time gone? While I've been busy with renovations to the house, bloggers have been running circles around me. I can't possibly bore you with the details of my life since my last blog, so instead I'll offer up an exposition.
Music. Have you ever taken music lessons? My son is taking piano and my daughter is taking flute and piano. Weekly lessons, new songs, practice, practice, practice, right? I have never taken lessons for a musical instrument, but in my youth, I sang. I had voice class every weekday morning from the 4th grade to the 12th, vocal competitions, concerts, music camp, performances, even road trips with the jazz choir. As with playing an instrument, to achieve optimum performance, I had to practice daily. I had to warm up. I had to run through all the songs I was learning. I had to practice each song until I got it right. I had to work at it.
Why is it we writers expect to write a novel without daily practice? Shouldn't we warm up our instrument? Run through the scales, so to speak? But we don't: we sit down at the computer or with our pad and pen and expect an optimum performance of ourselves. We expect that if we start writing the lyrics, we'll find a song.
Just a thought.
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An Echelon Press LLC Short story
Writer of contemporary fiction, both short stories and novel length. Currently at work on two novels. One is an urban romantic comedy/mystery; the other is mainstream fiction. My published short stories can be purchased at EchelonPress.com, Fictionwise.com, and Amazon.com.
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- Janelle Dakota's blog
- I'm glad you stopped by. Stay a while, poke around in the archives, & leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you!
About Me
Words, and the intriguing way they arrange themselves to form a story, have always intrigued me. I love to escape into a story and see life through the eyes of the characters on the page. In pursuit of this passion, I've not only filled my home with books of every genre, but I've penned tales both long and short. In 2007, I decided to dive into the short story market just to see if I could find any success there as a writer. Two of my short stories were published with Echelon Press; another received finalist status with Lunch Hour Stories. My dream, however, is to write a novel.
I live near the Emerald City in the Pacific Northwest with my husband, our two children, and a dog we rescued and named Frederick. Most of the time I'm busy with the family: remodeling our 1960's rambler, homeschooling, and doing what I can to help my husband with his tool business. But when I get a chance to sneak away to my own pursuits, I spend that time writing and critiquing and striving to grow and improve as a writer.
I live near the Emerald City in the Pacific Northwest with my husband, our two children, and a dog we rescued and named Frederick. Most of the time I'm busy with the family: remodeling our 1960's rambler, homeschooling, and doing what I can to help my husband with his tool business. But when I get a chance to sneak away to my own pursuits, I spend that time writing and critiquing and striving to grow and improve as a writer.
Contact Me
Don't want to leave a message for all to see? Contact me privately by email at JanelleDakota@yahoo.com
E-book available on Fictionwise.com
An Echelon Press LLC Short story
Blogs and Links
- Addison's Disease
- Celine Shinbutsu Writing From Japan
- CJ Hill's Reading Blog
- Echelon Press
- Elizabeth Fitzgerald's Blog
- Elysabeth Eldering's Blog
- Fictionwise
- Hannah's Be Green Blog
- Heat of the Moment
- Heather Ingemar's Blog
- Madison Leigh's Blog
- Random Thoughts of a Midnight Mind
- UPositive Blog
- Viansa Blake's blog
Writing Tips
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Books I've read
- List will resume when my life returns to normal, whatever that is
6 comments:
Wow - deep and thought provoking - but cool thoughts. I can relate to that and unfortunately, I'm not a true writer since I don't write every day nor do I feel I have stories in me - they just come to me when a theme or idea hits me the right way - but you have been so busy with your house - you haven't had time to practice your writing skills and perfect them the same way that the kids have had the time to work on their musical talents.
It is harder to practice writing every day than it is to practice music - two different art forms entirely. But if you are wanting to write every day when you can, I'll figure out some challenge for you - E :)
OK, I messed this post up the first time, let's see how it flies this time!
Do you notice, Janelle, that if you take a break from the writing, it just becomes harder the next time you try to get into it? If I take a day off, getting the flow going again the next time I write is always harder. If I don't write every day, I feel like I'm pumping something that hasn't been primed--it takes some work to get going again to where I was, to get the flow going again. I'm not sure I've ever heard a writer say that they don't have to practice in order to be good, or in order to finish a novel. I think this is why a lot of would-be writers give up, and also why there is a line between would-be writers and writers. Writing is a lot of work--not just getting the ideas. A successful writer learns how to train words to behave for her in the ways she wants them to, and that takes a lot of practice; constant work. Most of us come to the point at which we see that it is a delusion to think, "Oh, I should write a story," and it be that simple. Anyone can write words on a page, but it takes practice and an element of talent to make those words come alive. It's not like riding a bike. If you stop writing for a year, it takes work in order to get back up to the level you were at the year before. When I start a writing session, the beginning part of the session is always practice. It's only when I start to write in almost a hypnotic state that I know that I am actually writing the good stuff.
I guess the meat of the matter is acheiving a point where one considers their writing as they would a musical instrument. I, too, have to get warmed up and get in my writing mode. But I am easily distracted by "life." No, distracted isn't the right word. I have obligations in my life that interfere with writing time, so my goals end up getting set aside. Said interference is undoubtedly a universal element of the would-be writer's life.
Hmmm.
That's a very interesting thought. I've always said that I write because I need to but do I devote enough time and attention to it? The answer, sadly, is no. I need to work on changing that.
Thanks for another little push that way.
cjh
How's this: like everyone, you have a Life, as a whole. Your Life is divided into work (or writing), kids, house, husband (or wife). The key is dividing the pie so that everyone gets their fair share.
My husband is a musician, and he says that unless he can get so much time in to practice, not even to do the "real stuff," but just practicing, then he can't take himself seriously, and therefore can't expect anyone else to take him seriously. I think it is a very similar way to how I see my writing.
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