Relections on Becoming a Writer

This week our assignment for the Masters in Professional Writing Program is to read the first 75 or so pages from a collection from the Washing Post Book World, "The Writing Life: Writers on How They Think and Work." I am so intrigued by these writers and what they have to say. I really wish I had read this when I was in college the first time. I think it may have changed the way I planned my days. My writing habits would certainly have become a priority much earlier. Oh well, we are here. The time is now and I’ve got more deadlines than I can possibly meet.
In Joanna Trollope’s “Looking for the Spark,” she delves into the old question of teaching creative writing as a process. Yes, you can give instruction on the structure and format, she notes, but it is one’s observation and the kind of interpretation that make a creative writer different. She cites Coleridge’s explanation that there are two kinds of imagination: the Primary and the Secondary. And we all have the capacity to perceive, to notice, but only truly creative people have the capacity to select, translate, and then illuminate the observations, particularly when it comes to human complexities.
I agree that’s where the difference comes in. It is not what we SEE that makes a great writer, but how we take the observation and translate it into something new, whether it is “excitingly wonderful or terrible.”
Trollope says there is “nothing new to say about the human condition.” I agree; Shakespeare or Sophocles [and many others] have brilliantly said it. But I must argue that each writer has not only a different style or voice, but a totally different perspective, which reaches readers in its very own way.
She quotes English critic Philip Toynbee, who says, “The definition of moral progress is the realization that other human beings are fully as human as oneself.”
And I concur. It is as my friend’s father from Columbus, Georgia used to tell us in his southern drawn down-home way, “Peepul’s peepul.” [Or people are people. We are all human beings.]

Interview with Wendy Wax

This week, as an assignment for my Masters in Professional Writing Program, I interviewed local author Wendy Wax.
    I met Wendy several years ago when I designed a corporate logo for her husband’s consulting company. He told me she wrote romance novels at the time and it sounded interesting but I didn't talk to her about being a writer. We lived in the same suburban Atlanta community and our children went to the same high school. I only knew she was a writer; I didn’t know much else about her. A few months ago I read her book Magnolia Wednesdays for my book club, and then realized that she was my former client’s wife. She came to speak to our book club and she was a delightful guest speaker. While her writing career began with category romance novels, over the past several years she has evolved as a writer and developed her own voice, which fits into the romantic comedy genre. She has been tagged as a women's fiction writer, romance novelist, "chick lit" extraordinaire, and everything in between.
     I must confess, I have never read a romance novel. Having been a literary snob in school, I never really had much interest in the genre.
    As it turns out, Wendy Wax, today, writes fictional romantic comedies with some pretty interesting subject matter and plot lines. Her characters in Magnolia Wednesdays, based on the suburban women of East Cobb (my neck of the woods), are fairly true to life. I thought her story reflected their (or I should say "our") behavior and circumstances pretty accurately.  The book is quite humorous with an interesting plot line. But I believe characterization is her strength.
    Wendy has written for Random House, Bantam, and Penguin Group Publishers. She has published 9 books, one of which was recently re-released in paperback, The Accidental Bestseller. It is the inside story of the publishing business and touches on the difficulties of being a writer in today’s market. I spoke with Wendy in the comfort of her suburban Atlanta home on a Monday afternoon where she was open to chat with me about the publishing industry and her journey as a writer.
Here are some of the questions I asked...
What is the primary reason you got into writing as a career?
What is your daily schedule for writing, and why?
Your East Cobb characters in Magnolia Wednesdays are pretty true to life. Did you do extensive research on these women, or did you learn from observation by living there?
You began your career with romance novels, and now you are tagged with “chick lit” author. What is the difference to you - as a writer?
Tell me about the importance of your editor... your agent... and your publisher.
What is the most difficult aspect of being a professional writer?
If you could go back in time and change anything about your career, what would it be?
What advice do you have for new professional writers?
Next week, I'll post Wendy's answers to the Qs, along with my review.

Detail in Fiction Writing

Francine Prose’s Chapter on Detail in “Reading Like a Writer,” reveals how the use of minute trivia in storytelling can be a most compelling tool. Detail gives the reader something to relate to on a “here and now,” earthly level, yet many times it is representative of much more. Prose quotes Samuel Beckett, “In the particular is contained the universal,” and that pretty much says it all. I think I’ve always noticed the use of specific detail as a reader, but haven’t really thought about it in such a way as she presents it.
One of the most intriguing aspects of detail is how it relates to memory. Prose says, “If we want to write something memorable, we might want to pay attention to how and what we remember. The details are what stick with us…”
The correlation between memory and emotion is strong - in real life – as in fiction. I find it fascinating that when we go through a traumatic or highly emotional experience, we vividly remember the most explicit details about that day or that scene. (Where were you when you found out that John Lennon or John Kennedy died?)
So for a fictional character to have vivid memories (of a specific nature) during what may be a highly emotional or deeply sensitive scene (from that character’s point of view) in a story brings out truth. Truth about something deeper than just the particular scene, or the description of the hat, or the weather, or whatever the detail that is described. It, many times, is a symbol of something else with a much deeper meaning.
Detail is so much more powerful than I had considered before reading this chapter of Prose's book. Small but significant detail is yet another tool a writer uses to create great stories. Francine Prose, thanks for giving us your thoughts on this one and thanks for all the specific examples of detail in literature. Whenever I get the courage to try fiction as a sport, I’ll have a collection of tools to help me along the way. 

Careers in Writing

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-2011 Edition, careers for writers, authors and editors are going through a shift in nature. As the demand for online publications and web-based content continues to grow, those of us who write for a living will adjust accordingly. And happily. For me, personally, acquiring a Master's Degree will help with said adjustment.

The employment outlook for us is expected to grow about as fast as average. Competition is extremely stiff in this field, as many people are attracted to it, especially with new media, online publishing, and web content management areas. With the poor state of the economy and current high unemployment rates, it's not surprising that people are drawn to the writing field.

As a graphic designer and business owner (undergrad Art major, English minor), I have worked with many corporate executives (Presidents, small business owners, managers, etc.) who had no writing skills whatsoever, totally taking me by surprise. Twenty years ago, I was so shocked by written correspondence from a few extremely highly paid executives, that - by default - my design business grew to include corporate marketing and communications. I offered them help and was able to get paid for it. That is a beautiful thing.

I have been creating newsletters, brochures, advertising copy, and press releases for many years now and am ready to venture out. I am looking forward to offering the clients in my marketing business new options and services (new media, SEO, etc.), while entering into a realm I haven't yet explored ...fiction. I have several creative ideas I'm hoping to develop, but - at my age (non-traditional, even for grad students!) - there isn't enough time or energy in a day to achieve all these and manage the business. But I will do it. It will take a little time, patience and energy.

I have always had a love for the printed word. I haven't yet bought a Kindle and I'm not sure that I will. I love the feel and smell of paper in a book or newspaper (remember those?) and turning the page as I read. It is not for the money, but the passion for words (and images) that I have chosen the writing field.

So, to my fellow MAPW students, let the courses of nature shift our business. May the words and sentences flow. And may you find your passion and make a decent living along the way!