"Life is 'trying things to see if they work.'" ~ Ray Bradbury, author
I'd like to add a twist to Bradbury's quote: The writing life is trying things to see if they work.
Trying things to see if they work. Sounds like writing and rewriting to me.
And writing and rewriting is a creative process.
You get an idea for an article. You throw some sentences on a page. The sentences become paragraphs. You go back and read what you wrote and think, "Not quite what I wanted ... hhhmmm ... Let's see ... I like that line and that line and hey! That's a great word picture! I'll move that up here and weave it all the way through. But what was I thinking when I wrote that?!?"
You rewrite some more. Repeat. Again and again.
You're being creative. One of the definitions of create is to produce through imaginative skill. All that playing with words, rearranging sentences, throwing out passive verbs for aggressive ones--that's creating!
If you can learn to relax and enjoy the creative process--all the better. It's like moving the pieces of a puzzle around, trying to figure out where each thought fits in the overall "picture" of your article. Imagine the satisfaction you'll feel when you're on the other end of the creative process--when you're article or book is finished.
Now that's one of the best parts of a writer's life!
2 comments:
I just finished reading Fahrenheit 451 yesterday and found the Afterword most interesting. Bradbury explained that he wrote the book on a rented typewriter in something like 9 or 10 hours.
To have finished it in such a short time, I am guessing that he did most of the writing and re-writing before he started typing it. I'm definitely spoiled by my PC because I doubt I could write a novel in long-hand and then type it on a typewriter. I'm in awe.
That's dedication: Renting a typewriter to write a book!! I almost failed the typing test for Journalism 101 in college. Thank God for computers and word processors. I do alot of backspacing and deleting when I write and rewrite.
LOL!
Post a Comment