Always Learning and Another (Writing) Book

May wildflowers 2018

"I am still learning." --Michelangelo

Yes, I'm still learning, too (although far, far away from the category of a Michelangelo!)--and hope that I never lose the desire to do so. So it is, in the spirit of learning, that I've added yet another book on writing to my shelf: The Story Cure, A Book Doctor's Pain-Free Guide to Finishing Your Novel or Memoir by Dinty W. Moore (Ten Speed Press 2017). I've only just begun digging into it, but already I like Mr. Moore's premise: "A Book Doctor is different from a copyeditor or a proofreader. The task at hand is not to clean up sentences, adjust punctuation, or fix typographical errors. A Book Doctor looks at the patient as a whole--the plot, the main characters, the voice, the structure--or, to continue the physician metaphor, the arms, the legs, the belly, and the heart. The Doctor's job is to diagnose exactly why the patient isn't thriving" (p.2).

And if I were honest, it's the heart of the book I'm now drafting that's suffering. May the doctor help diagnose my problem. In fact, in Chapter One, The Story Cure, one section is subtitled "Discovering (or Rediscovering) the Heart of Your Story." I'll have that part of the book dog-eared, I think.

Maybe your problem is where your story begins. That's addressed in Chapter 2: Your First Breath. Maybe it's voice and point of view. See Chapter 5, A Visit with the Throat and Eye Doctors. Or maybe plot and structure? How about Chapter 6, The Strong Skeleton?

Have I whetted your appetite yet? I think most of the material will be familiar to those who have been writing for a while, but why not review the subject matter from such a fun angle?

And speaking of books on the shelf: today's the day to announce the winners of my give-away for the inspirational book, The Short and Sweet of It, When the Right Word is a Short Word, compiled by Susan Cheeves King--an anthology of inspirational pieces written in one-syllable words. Peggy and Cathy, be on the lookout for your copies! You both commented in the give-away post (here) and I couldn't bring myself to pull just one name out of a list of two, so you are both winners! I'll be in touch by email to verify your addresses.

Yes, may we live motivated to always be open to learning and, for us writers, to be open to improving our craft. The journey of life is far more interesting that way.

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The Heart of the Matter

"To imagine yourself inside another person...is what a story writer does in every

piece of work; it is his first step, and his last too, I suppose." --Eudora Welty

Artist: Margie Lakeberg

I love the goldfinch. He's a bright and cheerful burst of joy. I saw a whole flock of goldfinches on my walk yesterday, dipping and soaring like sparkles of sunbeams on the wind. What heart they have. My friend, and artist, Margie knows this particular bird is my favorite, and I cherish the gift of her oil painting that hangs in my office. I am continually inspired by it.

Sparkles. Heart. I look for sparkles, too, in my last read-through of my manuscript. I also find myself asking hard questions about my main character. Have I gotten to the heart of her story? Do I really know her--and what's deepest in her heart? Did I, as Eudora Welty suggests, imagine myself inside her? Welty says that that's what a story writer does, first step and last.

I think I did. I hope I did. And I hope the querying process in some way encourages me that I have been on the right track (or flight). But no matter what, I take inspiration from the goldfinch and look for the moments of joy in the writing--and in the finishing.

James Michener summed up the writing process when he said, "I love writing. I love the swirl and swing of words as they tangle with human emotions."

I wonder if he was inspired by the goldfinch, too.

In all of the great outdoors, what is your greatest inspiration?