Tell the Truth

I mentioned in an earlier post that I've been spending some time, when I can find it, reading some books on writing. In addition to it being the advice of a friend, I simply thought that if I really want to do this writing thing, maybe getting some pointers is a good idea. So, I've been reading Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird and just finished reading Stephen King's On Writing. Both books were exceptional, funny, witty, and very practical. Ironically, both were incredibly encouraging as well. Writing is oftentimes a solitary occupation with few rewards save the joy of doing the work and any encouragement, even from a book, goes well in my book.

In the reading, I noticed two common threads that both authors seemed to harp upon. The first item was that in order to develop, to grow, and to truly become a great writer, one must write. Whoa. This is crazy stuff. But the simple fact is that its true. The old adage holds true here as well: "Practice makes perfect." Besides, you never know what gems might burst forth in practice. So, I'm working on that. I'm doing all that I can to make time, even when it looks like there's no time to be had, in order to simply write. And, the truth is, the more I do it the more the ideas and drive are coming. It's a little bit disturbing but its also very, very cool.

The second thing that both authors emphasized was that in order to be a good writer you must tell the truth. This isn't to say that you don't write fiction or that you don't embellish at times but simply that you write from what you know. You tell the truth. The trick, and Lamott really hit home hard on this one, is that in order to tell the truth, that also means that you've got to be willing to tell the truth about yourself. You've got to be willing to open your soul to the world for each and every one of your characters will in some way or another carry a piece of your DNA. They are a part of you, like it or not, and you've got to learn to write the truth.

I'm not sure that I'm ready for all that yet but at this point it doesn't really seem to matter. I've come this far and I'm not turning back. I hope I get better. I hope somebody reads my work and likes it. I guess we'll see.