depth of experience

"To be a powerful writer, you need depth of experience. Live life before you try to explain it to readers." Dennis Hensley

Depth of experience. Do I have that? I think I do. My life has been rich. Not in terms of money, that's for sure. But in terms of experience. I have loved and hated. I have been hurt and healed. I have nurtured and wounded. I have seen shadow and light, good and evil. I haven't traveled far (yet) but I've had a wealth of friends and some few enemies. I think all that qualifies as depth of experience. The question remaining is do I have the skill to describe and explain that to readers in a way that will move them, that will enrich them and impact them in some way. That is the question that every writer faces as they sit down to wield the pen, or keyboard as the case may be. Not just a question to be answered, but a goal to strive towards.

"Put it before them briefly so they will read it, clearly so they will appreciate it, picturesquely so they will remember it, and above all, accurately so the that they will be guided by it's light.
Joseph Pulitzer

wow

Today, I was surfing the net a little, looking up information on how to improve my writing. I found a website that had free essays. I assume these are for people in high school or college, who don't want to do the work themselves, so they download some anonymous writing off the web. That is the first wow. I know students since the beginning of time have been trying to squirm out of assignments, but this is a whole new level of sloth. I wonder how teachers deal with this new cheating technology. But the second wow came when I read some of the essays. They say you get what you pay for and in this instance they hit the bulls eye dead center. The writing was horrible. Not that mine is perfect. I'm sure I have dangling participles and split infinitives and all other kinds of grammatical sins peppering my writing. But these essays sounded like they were written by someone who did not speak English very well, at least not as their native language. Come on people, if you are going to cheat at least have enough sense to use material that will garner you a good grade! I guess that is just one example of why you should not trust every peice of information that flows to you on this vast river of information, the internet. Be selective and use discretion as to what you accept or reject. But hey, why not be radical and write your own darn paper. Just a thought.

On the good side, I found one of the best pieces of advice when trying to improve your writing was to "just do it". Do it often. Do it everyday if you can. It admonished that the exercise of the muscle was the only way to build it. I was pleased with myself because that is exactly what I am doing here. My prose may not be perfectly planned or executed, but I am doing it. I'm doing it every day and flexing that muscle. Hopefully it is growing stronger, more agile with exercise and these short wind sprints will prepare me for the marathon ahead! Only time will tell if I make it across the finish line.

Good Stuff

Goals Inventory

Good Stuff:

Got my website up and running (and it looks awesome if I do say so myself!) check out www.wix.com/tesswest/photography

Lost 4 pounds...quite a bit more to go, but at least moving the needle in the right direction. Adding much more activity to each day. Tried quite a few new raw recipes-some successful, some not, but I attempted them.

Writing every day. Have missed 4 days on my blog out of 31, but did other writing, so I'm good there.

Taking pics for fun at least 2x per month. Have gotten some really nice images too. I'm happy with that.

Have a great start on my savings account for Italy. Making lots of headway on learning the language. All my flashcards are memorized, need to make more. Getting the pronunciation down pretty decent!

Ok...so those are the things I have accomplished. There are lots that I haven't yet, but the year is still young. What would I do with the rest of the year if I'd already accomplished all my goals? Am working on adjusting my plans and strategies for the rest so that I can do and be all that I desire to do and be in the upcoming year. One month down, eleven to go!

an example

The coolest thing happened to me today! A friend of mine told me I had inspired them to start writing again. She said she normally plays Tetris for a while before she goes to sleep, but now instead is going to do some writing. How awesome is that!? Not that there is anything wrong with Tetris, I love it. But I don't think anyone is going to look back at the the end of their life and say, "I just wish I'd played more Tetris, you know. I never got to the tenth level!" But I'm sure there are lots of people who look back and wish they'd tried to write that book that was in their head. Or kept a journal of all the wonderful, sweet things their child had done growing up. That's why I'm putting TV aside. I don't want to look back one day and regret all the things I didn't do, because I spent so much time watching it's hypnotic flickering lights, no matter how entertaining they might be.

And if I hadn't embarked on this adventure, I might never have inspired my friend. I'm not sure I've ever been an inspiration to someone before. I'm sure I've been a warning. You know how when you see someone do something really stupid, and then you say to yourself, "Please God, don't ever let me do that!" But that's a different kind of inspiration. I like this sort much better!

book lover's heaven

Anyone who lives in Nashville and loves to read should know about McKay's used book store. Or maybe they shouldn't. I found out it can be a very dangerous place.

I went there today to trade in some books I'm done with. I went in with twenty books to trade and came out with those twenty plus at least ten more! The line was too long for trading-in, so I decided to just look around a bit. Then I find they have the Dance Dance Revolution for X-Box for $20. A few minutes later I have a cart and several books on CD.  Then I find the Italian language section and the photography section. Now the cart has several more items in it. That's when I find the bargain fiction section. Oh MY!! It's like literary crack. 

But at least I got lots of fuel to stoke my imagination's fire. Hopefully it will overflow into my writing. Plus Riley is gonna LOVE DDR...can't wait to see her having fun. Maybe next time I'll actually get to trade in those books I was planning on getting rid of.

new story

This won't be a long post tonight, since my tail is draggin', as thy say down here in TN. But I will let you in on a little secret. I'm working on a new story and I think it's going to be really good. I have the characters outlined in my head and the plot already sketched out. Tomorrow I start putting ink to paper. I can't tell you what it's about yet. That would ruin the surprise. You're not one of those folks that sneaks a peak at the Christmas gifts before the big day are you? I thought not!

But I will tell you it has something to do with Woodstock-which will make my kids laugh because they already think I'm a hippie. And it will make my friend Annie laugh because she thinks I am not. But hippie or not, I think the story is going to be fun. So keep your fingers crossed and send lots of good vibes my way man...peace!

better pictures

When television came roaring in after the war (World War II) they did a little school survey asking children which they preferred and why - television or radio. And there was this 7-year-old boy who said he preferred radio "because the pictures were better." ~Alistair Cooke

Day Nine:

Are there still "better pictures" in my imagination? I'm hoping I haven't let that particular muscle atrophy so long that it cannot be exercised back into usefulness. I saw a strange story on the news and it sparked my interest. I thought it would be great material from which to make a short story. But to this point, I haven't been able to put any meat to the bones. Perhaps I need to find my muse. Or perhaps I need to not be afraid of walking on these wobbly legs and falling down. I need to write, whether it turns out wonderfully or poorly. At least I will be writing. At least I'll be exercising the muscles of my imagination. I know 99 % of the time when I read a book and then see a movie adapted from it, I like the book better. Maybe that means my pictures are pretty good after all! But just in case, if there is a muse out there looking for work, I'm a would-be-writer in need of inspiration. So let's get together.

Purpose

The main purpose for this blog is to force me to write. And to write everyday. And secondly, to help me develop my voice and what I want to say. Giving up the boob tube is mainly about developing myself. At the end of 2010 I want to be more than I am at this moment. A better writer, a better photographer, but also a better person. I want to be a better friend, a better sister and mother. This is a scary place for me. Anyone who knows me will tell you I am an extremely private person. I don't open up to many people. Maybe I figure the less of myself I put out there, the less they have to judge. But it also makes it very hard to connect. I often feel disconnected and distant from people and the world around me. So back to the theory of doing something different to get different results. This is radically different for me! Hanging myself out here for all to see. Even if no one reads these words. At least I've opened the door and made myself available. So here I am!