Showing posts with label reading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reading. Show all posts
August 22, 2017
A time to write and a time to be a sponge
When I asked a group of Christian poets and writers what one thing they need most in their writing lives, a common response was “time!”
The King James Version (KJV) of Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven,” and then that entire chapter goes on to put all sorts of usages of time into perspective.
As poets and writers in Christ, we also need to know, there’s a time to pray and a time to listen…
• A time to read and a time to study
• A time to revise and a time to edit
• A time to soak up everything around us
• A time to write again.
Keeping a notebook or laptop handy can help even snatches of time become productive. For instance, when I wrote inspirational romance novels, I worked out my best dialogue while hanging clothes on the line. Now, my best poems usually come when I’m watching wildlife from our deck, whereas insights for devotionals often arise after discussing the Bible with Christian friends. The important step then is:
Take a sec to write it down before that inspired word is forgotten!
These little writing times might not multiply quickly, but they do add up! For instance, commuting to work can be a good time to work out a plot or record notes about a new project. Washing dishes might provide time to ask, “What do I feel drawn to write?” then listening to the answer that fills us with the most enthusiasm, so we can hardly wait to get to it.
Interruptions can produce insights too, though, for, in God, no time is wasted. If words seem to plod along, it just might be time to take a break, elevate those tired feet, and get refreshed enough to write again.
Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2017
…
February 26, 2011
You are what you read: reading to write well, think well, and have something to say
The old adage, “You are what you eat,” contains many grams of truth for weighing physical health, but when it comes to healthy thinking and the development of writing skill, you are what you read or don’t read.
Think, for example, of the books that have influenced you in some way. Chances are, you would not be a writer if you had never read a book, but writer or not, the books you loved during childhood, teen years, and last week have shaped your mental outlook and, very probably, your character. That’s power!
So let’s think about books that made us think and make us thinkers.
If you’re a guy, some of your choices most likely differ from mine, but as a young reader, The Secret Garden showed me the healing power of honesty and persistent love, while Anne of Green Gables encouraged belief in a creative voice and spirit. Almost before memory, though, The Little Engine That Could laid the tracks for those later books to carry strong beliefs in caring, persistence, and faith. Later still, such inspirational novels as The Robe and Christy put similar values into the forefront of my forehead.
Before we even begin to read by ourselves, book choices shape our thoughts.
Books continue to shape the well-read life.
Books also help us to develop as writers.
From childhood on, the King James Version of the Bible shaped my thinking, first for the content, which I better understood in the many newer translations that followed, but also for the poetry and musicality that still make me want to go for a poetic flow even in writing nonfiction.
To develop my writing skill on purpose, however, my initial choices came from books published by Writers Digest. Their magazine and also Poets & Writers continued to supply useful information and ideas as has my long-time membership in Writers-Editors.com.
Hopefully, you will gain some useful information about writing on this blog and about poetry on the Poetry Editor & Poetry blog. Such resources help writers in general, but our book choices show our individuality as we become what we read. So, let's:
Read ourselves well before choosing books to read.
My writings, for example, went from inspirational romances and devotionals to a picture book for preschoolers and life-health encyclopedias for college students. Sounds nice, but the fun of writing about all sorts of topics in all sorts of genres did not win a consistent readership nor help me to develop a voice that can be heard above the crowd.
Our books influence readers who stop to listen.
Our books help readers become what they read.
Our books also give us what we most want to read.
For years, I devoured novels, but I rarely read them now, so, for now anyway, I no longer write them. Thanks to my grands, I still read children’s books, especially well-written picture books, and I still like to write them. Most often though, I read stacks of poetry and every reputable translation of the Bible, which I also review on the Bible Reviewer blog.
As I put together my love of the Bible and of poetry, I asked myself this question, which may help you to read yourself well too:
What book(s) will be most likely to help me at this particular time in my writing life?
For example, my response led me into studying a classic that combines my particular interests: The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri. I read it years ago but did not get the literary references, spiritual themes, or political purpose of that book, which is primarily a treatise on the separation of church and state – a division that had not been fully realized in the early 1300's.
When Dante wrote his book, the current title had not been accepted. He did not call his manuscript “divine” since that might have been presumptuous enough to land him in a low level of Purgatory! Within a couple of centuries, however, readers added the word, but the original title was simply The Comedy, which has nothing to do with the comedic laughter of today but, rather, means the opposite of a tragic tale. To define quickly:
A tragedy is a story that starts well but ends badly.
A comedy is a story that starts badly but has a happy ending.
To keep my reading of this classical work from being tragic, I needed help! When I previously read the slender volume, I had somehow missed the heft of its meaning. So to help me “get it” this time, I ordered all three volumes with contemporary free verse translations by Robert M. Durling and heavy-duty footnotes and articles by him and Ronald L. Martinez. Yes, it's a little intimidating – okay, a lot. But reaching the half-way mark has gave me a larger view than I would have noticed on my own, helping me to reassess my biblical values, poetry, and life.
Undoubtedly, my choice of reading material will help to shape my thinking and my approach to future writing projects. And, isn’t it best to think about and assess our dearest beliefs before we sit down to write? It’s not that we want to tell people how to think or what to feel, but our clarified thoughts and beliefs help readers better clarify their own priorities as they continue to become what they read.
(c) 2011 and 2019 revision by Mary Harwell Sayler, poet-writer
The Divine Comedy of Dante, Vol. 1, paperback
Purgatorio, Dante, Vol. 2, paperback
Paradiso, Dante, Vol. 3, paperback
Dante, three-volume set, hardback
Think, for example, of the books that have influenced you in some way. Chances are, you would not be a writer if you had never read a book, but writer or not, the books you loved during childhood, teen years, and last week have shaped your mental outlook and, very probably, your character. That’s power!
So let’s think about books that made us think and make us thinkers.
If you’re a guy, some of your choices most likely differ from mine, but as a young reader, The Secret Garden showed me the healing power of honesty and persistent love, while Anne of Green Gables encouraged belief in a creative voice and spirit. Almost before memory, though, The Little Engine That Could laid the tracks for those later books to carry strong beliefs in caring, persistence, and faith. Later still, such inspirational novels as The Robe and Christy put similar values into the forefront of my forehead.
Before we even begin to read by ourselves, book choices shape our thoughts.
Books continue to shape the well-read life.
Books also help us to develop as writers.
From childhood on, the King James Version of the Bible shaped my thinking, first for the content, which I better understood in the many newer translations that followed, but also for the poetry and musicality that still make me want to go for a poetic flow even in writing nonfiction.
To develop my writing skill on purpose, however, my initial choices came from books published by Writers Digest. Their magazine and also Poets & Writers continued to supply useful information and ideas as has my long-time membership in Writers-Editors.com.
Hopefully, you will gain some useful information about writing on this blog and about poetry on the Poetry Editor & Poetry blog. Such resources help writers in general, but our book choices show our individuality as we become what we read. So, let's:
Read ourselves well before choosing books to read.
My writings, for example, went from inspirational romances and devotionals to a picture book for preschoolers and life-health encyclopedias for college students. Sounds nice, but the fun of writing about all sorts of topics in all sorts of genres did not win a consistent readership nor help me to develop a voice that can be heard above the crowd.
Our books influence readers who stop to listen.
Our books help readers become what they read.
Our books also give us what we most want to read.
For years, I devoured novels, but I rarely read them now, so, for now anyway, I no longer write them. Thanks to my grands, I still read children’s books, especially well-written picture books, and I still like to write them. Most often though, I read stacks of poetry and every reputable translation of the Bible, which I also review on the Bible Reviewer blog.
As I put together my love of the Bible and of poetry, I asked myself this question, which may help you to read yourself well too:
What book(s) will be most likely to help me at this particular time in my writing life?
For example, my response led me into studying a classic that combines my particular interests: The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri. I read it years ago but did not get the literary references, spiritual themes, or political purpose of that book, which is primarily a treatise on the separation of church and state – a division that had not been fully realized in the early 1300's.
When Dante wrote his book, the current title had not been accepted. He did not call his manuscript “divine” since that might have been presumptuous enough to land him in a low level of Purgatory! Within a couple of centuries, however, readers added the word, but the original title was simply The Comedy, which has nothing to do with the comedic laughter of today but, rather, means the opposite of a tragic tale. To define quickly:
A tragedy is a story that starts well but ends badly.
A comedy is a story that starts badly but has a happy ending.
To keep my reading of this classical work from being tragic, I needed help! When I previously read the slender volume, I had somehow missed the heft of its meaning. So to help me “get it” this time, I ordered all three volumes with contemporary free verse translations by Robert M. Durling and heavy-duty footnotes and articles by him and Ronald L. Martinez. Yes, it's a little intimidating – okay, a lot. But reaching the half-way mark has gave me a larger view than I would have noticed on my own, helping me to reassess my biblical values, poetry, and life.
Undoubtedly, my choice of reading material will help to shape my thinking and my approach to future writing projects. And, isn’t it best to think about and assess our dearest beliefs before we sit down to write? It’s not that we want to tell people how to think or what to feel, but our clarified thoughts and beliefs help readers better clarify their own priorities as they continue to become what they read.
(c) 2011 and 2019 revision by Mary Harwell Sayler, poet-writer
The Divine Comedy of Dante, Vol. 1, paperback
Purgatorio, Dante, Vol. 2, paperback
Paradiso, Dante, Vol. 3, paperback
Dante, three-volume set, hardback
February 2, 2010
How To Read Like A Writer
Writing well often depends on reading well, which means studying a poem or manuscript that you really like to see what works and why. To do this, try asking questions of the text. For instance: Why did the poet or writer use that particular form, structure, setting, viewpoint, character, or ____ (fill in the blank)? What effect did this decision have on the poem or manuscript?
Analyze each of those techniques to give yourself more information about what works well and what does not. Ask, for instance, if the style is formal, loose, or chatty. Does the poem or manuscript have a rhythmic flow when you read the piece aloud? What words jump out? Do they add emphasis or reinforce a sound effect or encourage readers to think more about the topic?
Also notice sensory details. Analyze whether the poet or writer relied more on the sense of sound, sight, smell, taste, touch, or feeling. A well-written poem or manuscript might tap into all of the senses.
Notice the viewpoint or perspective, too. Does anything seem fresh or memorable? If so, what? Be specific. Also ask what would happen if a first person poem or story (I, me, mine, we) were written in second person (you) or third person (he, she, his, hers, them, they.)
Asking questions of a poem or manuscript may seem awkward at first, but your interrogation skills will improve with practice. To ease the task, start with a book, story, article, or poem that you think is poorly written, then focus on the flaws. Identify each as clearly as you can. For instance, you might think a children’s picture book text or a short story for adults has too many characters doing too many things in too short a space. Or maybe a nonfiction article rambles too much to clarify the points. Or maybe you just don’t believe the characters in a novel.
As you precisely identify any flaws, you will begin to read like a writer. More importantly, the process will help you to be less apt to make the same mistakes yourself. If, however, you suspect your work of a similar problem, just ask questions of the poem or manuscript. See what’s not working and why. Then correct those mistakes as you revise.
Analyze each of those techniques to give yourself more information about what works well and what does not. Ask, for instance, if the style is formal, loose, or chatty. Does the poem or manuscript have a rhythmic flow when you read the piece aloud? What words jump out? Do they add emphasis or reinforce a sound effect or encourage readers to think more about the topic?
Also notice sensory details. Analyze whether the poet or writer relied more on the sense of sound, sight, smell, taste, touch, or feeling. A well-written poem or manuscript might tap into all of the senses.
Notice the viewpoint or perspective, too. Does anything seem fresh or memorable? If so, what? Be specific. Also ask what would happen if a first person poem or story (I, me, mine, we) were written in second person (you) or third person (he, she, his, hers, them, they.)
Asking questions of a poem or manuscript may seem awkward at first, but your interrogation skills will improve with practice. To ease the task, start with a book, story, article, or poem that you think is poorly written, then focus on the flaws. Identify each as clearly as you can. For instance, you might think a children’s picture book text or a short story for adults has too many characters doing too many things in too short a space. Or maybe a nonfiction article rambles too much to clarify the points. Or maybe you just don’t believe the characters in a novel.
As you precisely identify any flaws, you will begin to read like a writer. More importantly, the process will help you to be less apt to make the same mistakes yourself. If, however, you suspect your work of a similar problem, just ask questions of the poem or manuscript. See what’s not working and why. Then correct those mistakes as you revise.
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