Writing. How to learn how?
I may have written about this here before. I get confused about what I've written where -- in here, or in here but private, or in my paper journal, or perhaps I've just talked about it with people or e-mailed them. Yes, my life is a shambles. A disorganized mess. And I was so very organized Before. Not necessarily neat, but that was usually due to space contraints (although when I had serious space constraints when I lived in a 400 sq foot room in student housing building, there I was totally neat. My first day there I decided that I would turn the Futon back into a couch every single morning (including taking off all the sheets and folding them), because my greatest fear was having my bed turn into a very soft dining table. And I totally succeeded. I think there were only 2 or 3 days that I ddin't do that, and that was during Finals. But only the 2nd Finals period, the first semester one, I kept it going. Sadly,. this is one of my proudest achievement. Also, because there was so little space everything had it's place and I kept it there. This was also easy becuase I was young (meaning a lot fewer possessions) and I had just moved 3,000 miles, sending my belongings by UPS and sending me on a plane. It was so small a place that it only had a dorm size fridge -- this wasn't a dorm, it was an apartment building for students.
I've always been told that I'm a good writer, although I never really thought so. Of course there was also the college professor who literally wrote on my paper that I was illiterate and that my previous teachers had done me a great disservice in allowing this to happen. Mine you, my Freshman Year English Professor, kept telling me I was going to "be an English major" and thought I wrote o.k. The grades I received from her indicated that she was very capable of separating her fondness of me and her opinion of my papers. Which, I respect. Anyhow, I did get "Distinction" on my senior thesis, and I also got an A minus in a literature class, so who the hell knows. Years later, after being in the workforce, I discovered that compared to many, hell compared to most people, I was a good writer. However, I only cared about my writing in terms of getting my point across, and at that I was quite good.
Now, however, for the first time in my life I'm interested in become a really good writer. By that I mean, that the writing itself is really good. Since now, I want to write as an expressive and creative endeavor, rather than simply an argument using facts to change or explain public policy.
I know someone who teaches writing, but she can't deal with my illness, so there goes that one. I had really hoped she would help me. We'd been housemates for 2 years in college (with others), and were very close friends for many years. Oh, vell, put another check in the column for "used to be friends, but now that I'm sick forgetaboutit!
Many people say read good writing to become a better writer. I understand that, especially because I find that if I'm reading a good book, I often find the voice in my head speaking in the cadence or style of the book, and my writing reflects the same. This trait can actually be quite embarrassing when I'm on the phone because the same thing happens to me and accents. I have to very consciusly and deliberatley prevent myself from falling into their rythm and pronounciation. And to think, all through school I considered myself to be someone bad at foreign languages. Clearly this was not the case. alas. and. alack.
So, folks, any idea? Although reading is hard for me I still welcome the suggestion of books.
TIA
mariz
I've always been told that I'm a good writer, although I never really thought so. Of course there was also the college professor who literally wrote on my paper that I was illiterate and that my previous teachers had done me a great disservice in allowing this to happen. Mine you, my Freshman Year English Professor, kept telling me I was going to "be an English major" and thought I wrote o.k. The grades I received from her indicated that she was very capable of separating her fondness of me and her opinion of my papers. Which, I respect. Anyhow, I did get "Distinction" on my senior thesis, and I also got an A minus in a literature class, so who the hell knows. Years later, after being in the workforce, I discovered that compared to many, hell compared to most people, I was a good writer. However, I only cared about my writing in terms of getting my point across, and at that I was quite good.
Now, however, for the first time in my life I'm interested in become a really good writer. By that I mean, that the writing itself is really good. Since now, I want to write as an expressive and creative endeavor, rather than simply an argument using facts to change or explain public policy.
I know someone who teaches writing, but she can't deal with my illness, so there goes that one. I had really hoped she would help me. We'd been housemates for 2 years in college (with others), and were very close friends for many years. Oh, vell, put another check in the column for "used to be friends, but now that I'm sick forgetaboutit!
Many people say read good writing to become a better writer. I understand that, especially because I find that if I'm reading a good book, I often find the voice in my head speaking in the cadence or style of the book, and my writing reflects the same. This trait can actually be quite embarrassing when I'm on the phone because the same thing happens to me and accents. I have to very consciusly and deliberatley prevent myself from falling into their rythm and pronounciation. And to think, all through school I considered myself to be someone bad at foreign languages. Clearly this was not the case. alas. and. alack.
So, folks, any idea? Although reading is hard for me I still welcome the suggestion of books.
TIA
mariz