What you love, what you fear, and what you hate

 

 

 

 

 

Aren't we all sick of snow and cold?

 

Besides taking care of and socializing the kittens

I have been reading a whole bunch.

 

My friend called and wondered if I wanted to go to a workshop in October

....oh isn't possible that October will be cold?

It's a rewrite and revision workshop.

Well since my computer has been down,

I haven't written much

Until....

I listened to a lecture by Ray Bradbury on my Ipad

It was a lecture about writing.

Wow, I love this guy.

He is kick ass about writing.

I remember one of my favorite shorts by him,

 

Bless Me Father For I Have Sinned

 

He stated in this lecture, that for him ,writing is about someone saying they connected

with what he'd written....that they were thankful for what he had written

that they found joy in what he wrote

hopefully as much joy as he had in writing it

Joy...why you should write--

It should bring you joy.

 

He went on to say that the three things that  you should examine in yourself

 are

what you love

what you fear

and

what you hate

 

 

Then he went on to give this advice:

Don't start trying to write a novel.......yea sure...I don't have to worry about that..

Start by writing a short story a week! ..

 

that's 52 short stories for a year....yikes...

 

Then he said it is imperative that you

read

One short story A DAY

one poem A DAY

....and not the modern poets....they're crap, he said

look to the masters...like Frost and Pope

Then read

One essay A DAY

.....on varied subjects

 

He assured...that if you do this, you will fill your head with stuff

and if you write one short story A WEEK...they won't all be crap

there will be good stuff

 

If you hit a writer's block....dump it....it's not truth

 

So I started to do all this...and man....oh man....has it lit my wick

 

one story a week

I actually think by next month I will be writing two a week

love, fear, hate.....

 

Now to word associate

 

I also took out some class notes from a prior workshop

where we were to listen for "found language"..eavesdrop

 

My were:

 "nobody's going to be arrested"

"he's all whiskers and gray"

"I like the reverse"

"I steep my tea bag a bit longer"

"my mouse is frozen, now what?"

and "lady slippers are behind our cabin"

 

Why not start with these, I thought

 

Bradbury's Martian Chronicles started out as a collection of short stories

and a publisher in New York said they didn't publish shorts

But could he go home and outline them to form a novel?

...the rest is history...

 

Snow...cold...who cares...I'm busy

 

Oh, I just finished a delightful book

 

A Man Called Ove

 

Maybe give it a look