Writing in the 21st Century

Writing in the 21st Century
By Sally J. Walker

Historically, creative writing is a solitary, lonely venture. One’s words, images, concepts form in one’s mind and are then transferred to paper (or computer screen). The writer performs these tasks alone. Even when two or more writers work together, the creative process still takes place in each writer’s mind.

Creating in this manner takes a certain degree of self-confidence and self-discipline. The writer has to be motivated to get the words out in order to communicate with another human being. Yes, writing is done first for one’s self but the ultimate purpose is to share those words, images, concepts with another human being.

Here in the 21st century most of the western world has access to the “instant communication” of the electronic world. The power of written communication has exploded even as the visual world of telecommunications has made us eye-witnesses to contemporary life. Thus, writers are now communicating with a better informed audience. Misspellings, poor punctuation, misused words are intolerable faults. Poorly researched assertions are inexcusable. The pressure is on for writers to write their very best BETTER than the other guy.

How do 21st century writers meet that challenge? They network with other writers to keep informed on the perpetual changes in the publishing world. They take the time to communicate with their peers to share information and, yes, to critique one another’s efforts. Strangely, that camaraderie is not counter-productive in a competitive market. It merely raises the stakes and makes the competitive writer work harder to produce the best written work possible. “If it was easy, everybody would do it” is the serious writer’s motto. Thus writers appreciate one another. They support one another.

All of the above concepts are woven into the foundation of the Nebraska Writers Guild. Our 85 years of “Excellence in Writing” is advanced through the Guild’s conferences, July retreats across the state, e-mail list-serve, critique groups and Speakers Bureau. Yes, each of us writes alone but then we network and communicate to grow our creativity. The writing greatness of Nebraskans in the 21st century will be comparable or even surpass those who led the way in the 20th century! Mark my words!

The Writing Life in Nebraska

“The Writing Life in Nebraska”
by Sally J. Walker

I am here to shout to the world that my thoughts and words, my commentaries, my stories and characters are ready to stand shoulder to shoulder with any other writer from anywhere else! I may be a child of the plains but I am a resident of the world, the Universe. Without excuses, without explanations, I am ready to earn the respect due my Heartland-fed efforts.

Nebraska is a land of diverse geography and even more diverse population. A common element the Nebraska Writers Guild has discovered is the writers who persevere in every county from rural to urban environment. Passion for the power of the written word is alive and well in this state in the middle of the Heartland of the United States of America.

With those positive pronouncements in mind, I contemplate the difficulties we endure. Despite the international reputations of several of our state’s institutions of higher learning, people from either coast still think us backwards and a tad ignorant. Despite the flourishing use of the Internet and many other social medias, many think us unsophisticated and more rustic than cosmopolitan. The evidence of renowned Nebraskans who have risen to the epitome of their various professions in the past and present seems lost on these same short-sighted people.

Well, I am here to shout out to my fellow Nebraskans, young and old, to join me in making every day a “Write Across Nebraska” day, to learn everything we can about our art and craft, to support our peers as they perfect each project until it is the best it can be and finally to market our thoughts, words, commentaries, stories, characters to the rest of world . . . until no one doubts our quality of life and all recognize our leadership in the pursuit of excellence!

“Learning to Think for One’s Self”

From A Writer’s Year by Sally J. Walker

January 19

“Learning to Think for One’s Self”

Eons ago I took a required Ethics class and spent weeks listening to lectures and reading material about “What do the terms ‘good’ and ‘right’ and ‘truth’ mean in this life?” Students were challenged to consider many points of view. Ultimately, I came out of the philosophy course understanding just how relative those concepts are. There is no ONE absolute, though lots of people will try their hardest to convince you otherwise. Every human is challenged to think about goodness, rightness and even truth in every circumstance. Why? Because we constantly encounter EXCEPTIONS, times and circumstances when acting in good faith resulted in evil consequences, when holding fast to one ideal of “right” may do more harm than help, when a believed truth can be proven later to be false.

So how does one decide? When is this person good and that one evil, this action right and that one wrong, this statement truth and that one false? The thought-provoking conclusion of the course was that one must THINK and consider all available data before coming to a decision FOR ONE’S SELF . . . then have the courage to act upon that conclusion and accept the consequences of the outcome. Each person is responsible for themselves.

Pretty weighty, huh? But what a sense of freedom that awareness gives a writer when creating characters in fictional circumstances! The antagonists do not consider themselves evil, merely right . . . just as the good guy can make a flawed decision, suffer for it and come out stronger in the end. What incredible diversity and opportunity each writer has available in their own storytelling arsenal to demonstrate “life lessons.”

The Levels of Craftsmanship

From A Writer’s Year by Sally J. Walker

December 29

“The Levels of Craftsmanship”

I believe there are four levels of craftsmanship in any art form, be it visual art, weaving, composing music, writing or . . . whatever task requires structure, skill and creativity.

The first level is POORLY CRAFTED. This is where the beginner is first dabbling and trying to immolate someone else’s work or an instructor’s directives. Yes, the craftsman may show promise and may demonstrate some rudimentary skill, but the end product is crude and not executed with any depth of awareness of the craft’s full scope of guidelines. This is comparable to the work of school children. Hack writing is where rudimentary stories or teleplays are produced under pressure without careful attention to the fullest potential of the work.

At the second level of SIMPLY CRAFTED, the craftsman has learned the fundamentals and strives to create a work that at least meets the minimal requirements of the art form. The work is a tad more sophisticated, more promising, yet still lacks creative depth and the ability to move the audience. At this level critics may recognize an under-developed talent. In writing that criticism may say the poetry weakly mimics or screenplays are not quite satisfying in characterization or story or a novel shallowly skims interesting but troublesome emotions to get on with a predictable plot.

The majority of long-suffering, studious craftsman I believe function at the WELL-CRAFTED level. These are the folks who have moved beyond fundamentals and can incorporate sophisticated, intelligent nuances. Their work repeatedly demonstrates a solid grasp of the required structure and evokes emotion in the recipients. These craftsmen push their work as far as their creativity can take them. They are the people who have evolved a depth of self-confidence to the point that they can ignore critics and produce craft THEY want to work on. Most commonly, the fact that the creator is pleased is mirrored in the pleasure of the audience.

The final level is probably much more open to interpretation. I believe it is the highest level that can be attained, FINE ART. I do not believe that renowned critics can pronounce that so-and-so has produced fine art. No, each individual makes that discovery for himself or herself when the work of art is experienced. Why the individual rather than the expert? Because I believe that fine art is the result of a higher power touching the imagination of the artist who in turn creates a work of art depicting a sublime, rapt, soul-shattering insight into some aspect of the human condition, a depiction that reaches into the heart, mind, soul of the beholder and CHANGES the awareness of life. That rare work is executed with deliberate perfection and purpose above and beyond mere well-crafted guidelines. No one expert or group can explain that experience to an individual. It is solely between the artist and the beholder.

Now, can a child prodigy produce fine art? Of course. Mozart and a cascade of young artists through the ages have proven it. BUT I also believe the rich experiences of a long life provide more opportunity for awareness of “life lessons” as well as the opportunity for any craftsman to move up the levels of their chosen field through practice, practice, practice.

I am working very hard to be considered at the well-crafted level. Perhaps I will be fortunate enough to once or twice have the opportunity to produce a piece of writing that someone considers fine art.

Critique per the Golden Rule

From A Writer’s Year by Sally J. Walker

December 14

“Critique per the Golden Rule”

The end of the year puts me into the planning mode, especially figuring out my first round of submissions in the coming year. That mindset can create trepidation for some writers, but not for me. Nope, submitting material is easy compared to presenting my work to a peer. The editor, agent, studio reader or producer I send my work to is essentially a faceless entity. Yes, I have met some face-to-face but I do not KNOW them personally and vice versa.

On the other hand, when I share a piece of work with a peer it is almost always someone I know and trust. I have a pretty good idea of this person’s background, area of expertise and expectations. I do not put my work before them as a piece of perfection, rather as a work-in-progress that needs to change and grow. I am just too close to see its faults, where it sounds wrong, where it doesn’t connect. So I lay the work of my heart out there asking for someone else’s opinion, asking this person to tear it apart and find its specific faults. Ouch! Much riskier business than the generalized evaluation of that editor, agent, studio reader or producer!

I believe one of the hardest critique foibles to overcome is the “Comparison Syndrome” of “I would have said it this way.” That kind of feedback merely tells me the person giving feedback felt the need to say SOMETHING rather than to truly assess what wasn’t working and WHY it wasn’t working. I never want MY words in my poetry, fiction or scripts to be rearranged to match someone else’s manner of expression. I want to tell my story using my own voice. The most valued feedback can be as simple as “What are you trying to say here? I don’t get it.” Or just a simple question mark beside the point of confusion works, too. That is a thought-provoking flag for a writer, not a mean criticism.

I do not expect cruel judgment of worth, but rather motivational words, directions for what I need to think about and possibly revise. Neither do I expect patronization or groveling praise that does not specifically tell me what I am doing right and thus need to keep doing. Peer evaluation is truly a matter of practicing the Golden Rule of “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Believe me, those faceless professional acquisition people out there rarely have the luxury of being that kind of friend.

Forgiving Forgetfulness

From A Writer’s Year by Sally J. Walker

December 8

“Forgiving Forgetfulness”

“I can’t remember” is a disturbing announcement on many counts. Frustration is the primary experience when a time line, object placement or piece of needed information cannot be recalled. Sensory or information overload can simply result in failure to pay attention long enough to grasp the fact or face. One investigative method is for witnesses to be hypnotized to “relive” the event in the hopes of recreating the sequence and call attention to the flickering memories that barely registered or were deeply buried because the experience was too traumatic. The lack of recall is explainable and not particularly unusual.

However, when loss of memory becomes habitual or degenerative we become uneasy, even distrustful. Advanced mental limitation can become a horrific handicap. Cerebral atrophy (shrinking of brain tissue) with personality and cognition changes is currently considered by medical science to be a normal extension of the advanced aging process. Researchers are just beginning to study and diagnose Alzheimer’s, that disease of progressive memory loss where even repetitive and familiar connections are lost. It may be “natural” that aging people will grow more forgetful, but it certainly is neither dignified nor comforting to understand why it happens. As human beings our memories are vital to maintaining our sense of identity.

I am not a proponent of living life in fear of what “may” happen. I AM an advocate for living in the NOW, doing the most I can in the time I am given and savoring every blasted second, every sensation, every new piece of information, every imaginary treasure a Creative is blessed to bring into being. The possibility of forgetting any of it will not terrify me to the point that I will obsessively dwell on one thing at the expense of other factors in my life. The frustration and threat of that phrase “I forgot” will not dictate nor taint the joy of my moments. And I will not stand in judgment of the “why’s” of others being forgetful. The glass walls of my house are way too thin and vulnerable.

A Creative’s Mental Calisthenics

From A Writer’s Year by Sally J. Walker

November 24

“A Creative’s Mental Calisthenics”

Take a chance and stretch yourself to try something new, a new genre, a new sentence structure, a more demanding writing discipline. The effort will force you to focus and think in new patterns AND the results will most likely startle you. When you force yourself to THINK differently, to consider alternative methods of creating, you open latent pathways in your mind.

There is the psychology theory that from birth and throughout life the mind forgets absolutely nothing. So we humans catalogue even a glimpse of an image or the spark of an idea, but if we do not need that recording to relate to our world, the imprint on the brain tissue is bypassed. Only when we reuse neural pathways do thoughts and memories come easily. That is the philosophy that has proven itself when we memorize by repetition.

I challenge you to consider some idea, some information that seems entirely new to you and creatively manipulate it. Engage in mental calisthenics that challenge you to be and do more beyond your comfort zone. Discover something new about yourself then work that novelty until you can analyze both the positive effects and the negative. Just sampling is not sufficient because you will tend to discount any initially negative results. Only by truly investing a sincere effort can you CREATE something new. It may not be new to the world, but it will be a new awareness, a new appreciation in your mind.

That is a primal motivation in the CREATIVE soul. Turn an idea into a reflection of your unique view of life. Your art must reflect your life as seen in your mind. So discover new things just waiting to challenge that life. Feel the tingling of what it means to be alive? Push yourself. Create. Now.