Why do I write? Mainly I just love the constant rearranging of squiggles on paper, from puns to punctuation, alliteration to analogy, long sentences and paragraphs full of nothing new but worded in a different way- MY way. I relish breaking all the rules of good writing, just for fun. And writing one-liners, ditto.
I love everything about writing, especially when I do it in my sleep. How ideas descend on me the moment dawn pries open my eyes, or that they keep me from getting enough hours of zzzzz's each night. The mad scramble to jot them all down as they float through the ethers, trying to imprint themselves on me before vanishing like invisible ink.
The feeling of being quietly poised in front of my computer, where blank mind meets blank screen and then, suddenly, I'm panting and lightly perspiring as the Muse arrives and the screen starts to fill up, fingers twitching, flying all over the keyboard, fast furious and focused. Nouns conjunctions verbs periods. Sentences dangling participles phrases paragraphs. They take up a page, then two, then several. The earnest search for the just right synonym, thesaurus heavy on my lap, dictionary at the ready. The quest for the catchy title and the unexpected last line. The love of language expressed in metaphors, innuendo and nuance, the getting out of my own way and letting something, the nascent writing spirit, do her thing. Tap tap tap.The printer disgorges a first draft. I sigh, then start analyzing, sussing out funny typos and bad grammar, checking for weak spots and wrong words, better words. Small compliments to self, nice image, there. Red pen blue pen or pencil, cross outs all over the page. Note the growing pile of discarded drafts, 2, 3, 5, 7 of them. I get annoyed with myself and then email what I hope is a pretty good version to my best supporter and critic all the while revising, editing, never satisfied. The excitement and suspense of her forthcoming verdict. The practice sessions of reading the thing aloud, scared to bare my soul as I reveal the fruits of my labor to you, my colleagues, at group meetings. I write and write, have always written, not just because I can but because I must.
Writing is my way of howling at the moon.
Done writing, I then read what others have written, encourage and promote the writers who let me do it. I will probably keep doing this until the day I die, or until I run out of ideas.
Heaven forbid!
______________________________
Additional Information:
Formal Education:
- Graduated from Whitesboro Central School
- B.A. in English, minor in Speech & Drama and Education, SUNY Albany, cum laude
- Attended Utica College for Accounting
Informal Education:
- Constantly reading in all genres, fiction and non
- Listening and observing people in the real world
- Teacher, 7th grade English
- Public Accounting in several CPA firms. I also had my own bookkeeping and tax service on the side for about 20 years.
- Lived in 3 states: New York, Arizona and California. Living far from home gives great perspective!
- My ancestors founded a library in the old country, which still stands and expands, maybe that's why I feel so at home in ours.
4 comments:
Carol, thank you for your hard work and great job on the blog and for keeping us all together and on track. Your encouragement and expertise have given us the opportunity to learn and grow as writers.
Thank you so much, Ginny. I so appreciate your support and friendship, and your sense of humor is the BEST. Write on!
I would say this is damn near a masterpiece, girl !!!! And it is very revealing .. We get a glimpse of your writing style, while we simultaneously are shown how you eat, drink, sleep, dream, conjure, and conquer writing language. I really don't think I could have come up with anything this good for myself! And speaking of me, I think I made it in there - nice touch! And I loved the photos - who took them for you? Was this easy to write ? Fun to write ? Cuz it looks like it was fun to write! I didn't know about your relative building a library. I have a relative who built a school for his slaves after he freed them - but no libraries !!!! Very cool!
Good job, my dear, good job !!!
Carol,
It was a joy to read your thoughts. Thanks for sharing!
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