Reading with Intent

When learning to write the number 1 tip you will probably hear is "read, and read a lot". You'll find no true disagreement here, but at first it had me scratching my head. I do read a lot, maybe not a huge variety and maybe not as much as others, but I'm quite sure that I'm considered quite well-read for my age. With that in mind, does that mean I've fulfilled the requirement of reading a lot to be a writer? Of course not, even if I've read a lot I haven't read nearly enough. You can never read enough. That isn't the only reason though. Those books I used to read were read for enjoyment, and not for the intent if learning.

This weekend I read Isaac Asimov's "Foundation and Empire". I read the first one as a guy enjoying a story, but this time I read as a writer. This little difference, which had little effect on the actual process of reading, actually had a difference in the effect of reading. By reading with the intent to learn I was able to recognize the elements of Asimov's writing that made his story so compelling. Now I don't only know that I like Asimov, but I know why I do.

So when someone tells a writer they need to read, they need to know that just reading isn't enough. Reading with intent is how we learn.

The Inevitable Crash

I was doing quite well at making sure I write each day, maybe not a lot everyday, but I wrote. It made me confident. "I can do this thing.", I told myself. Well, than my evil younger sibling decided to bring disease from a foreign land home with him. Of course, its probably just a cold, but if there is one time when a man is allowed to be reduced to a sniffling little baby in need of care its when he's sick. It also doesn't help that I'm a neurotic germaphobic hypochondriac.Anyway, it sucks. I can't sleep, I can't move, and I can't think. Bam, the writing streak ended. I tried writing yesterday, but I'm quite sure that the one or two paragraphs were utterly terrible. This is all I'm going to write today, because I have nothing else to do but sit and stare at fans so I felt I should at least do something.

This is a crash, but it was going to happen. You, or maybe just me, can't in the middle of big life changes keep up with a new hobby everyday. The difference between the new me and the old me though is that this little break in writing isn't going to be a permanent hold. So, I will definitely be back to it when I get healthy, although it might take till next week as I'm moving this Thursday.

Oh, and when my brain does start working, or maybe even while its not, I have an idea on my next post. I'm wondering if there any qualities in life that can't be simplified down to "good" or "bad". Its more of that moral junk I like.

Moving Along

Good evening anybody out there. So I've been working on my writing every day still. Yesterday I less wrote than worked on my planning methods, jotting down notes on a story idea I have, but I consider learning to do that an important part of my education too.

I'm sort of writing one short story in an episodic fashion. So each day I write a new section of the story, put it aside and the next day I do a new episode. I like the way this works because it gives me an accomplish-able tangible goal for my writing each day. It also prevents me from starting and stopping in the middle of an idea when I write.

My only worry is that, while I'm obviously trying to make sure that each section follows the former logically, my writing will likely be different with each section and they might not mesh so well. My guess that this is a problem that would solve itself as I grow as a writer and develop basically static personal writing habits, or my own voice. Until than, I have to hope that by returning to past sections and editing them a week later I might fix any inconsistencies. I might also try and change the way I write so instead of writing one whole section a day I'll write the second half of one and the first half of the next each day. I feel like that would bring about some consistency, but than again it could make the inconsistencies worse.

Note: I'm writing this as my newest kitten, Hercules, walks across my keyboard so please excuse any errors.

A Story Has Been Made

It has taken me years of wanting to write, but today, or more like late last night, I finished my first short story. I've written half stories, I've dreamed of many amazing fantasies, but never have I actually finished a story. So, I'm most definitely proud of myself in a way. I don't actually consider this story finished, it was really just meant to be the first scene of a larger story, but than I decided that I really liked that part, I cleaned it up and now, while still usable in a larger setting, I have what I believe is a decent little short story that can stand alone.

My first real attempt at a short story that I wrote about several weeks ago was going to be about a man who was offered money to kill someone he didn't know. It wasn't exciting for me, so I can't imagine it exciting readers. This new one, I'm calling it "The Dream" for now, is about a young squire who is pretty much suffering from PTS. I wanted to avoid fantasy, its so full of cliches and often feels immature, but fantasy was what turned me into the avid reader I am today, and when I first wanted to write, even as a very young child, it was fantasy that had my imagination. So, writing a fantasy story is sort of like going back to my roots as a lover of words, and I feel a great way for me to get my writing off the ground.

If you can't tell, I'm excited to have finally finished something. Do I think its utterly amazing? Do I believe its an original idea lacking cliches? Am I ready to start pumping out publishable masterpieces? No, but I'm still proud of it because it shows me that if I really sit down and write I could get something interesting done. Plus, I like the character.

Moral Perseverance Pt. II (or Moral Fortitude)

After my last post I didn't really think about the topic much further, I've been extremely busy with some major life changes coming up and my mind has been off in wonderland. I stopped with my first attempt at writing, I know shame on me, but I really did not like where the story was going. I haven't given up on writing, not at all, but the genre of that story was more... I guess thriller, and I'm not even into that genre, plus I found that the story wasn't too original and bored me. So, I'll be moving on to the next one soon.

Anyway, onto the topic of moral perseverance, which is the wrong term. I think it should be moral fortitude. About a week ago I went to a bar with two of my friends so I could sit there and not drink, poverty works wonders when it comes to avoiding vices. The three of us got into our usual discussion where we bitch and moan about how difficult it is to find a job. My one friend, also named Scott being that almost everyone I know is named Scott, made the claim that there are only two excuses for quitting a job; A, the job is so terrible and demeaning that it causes utter depression and risk to your life, or B, the job actually costs more than you make.

Remembering how a year ago I turned down the only job offer I had been given a year after getting my BA, I had to disagree with my friend. I turned that job down because I would be working with a political group who's values I did not share. This might fall under the A category, but in my opinion it is completely excusable, and even the right thing to do, to turn down a job that goes against your own personal values. I was shocked to find that both of my friends disagreed with me. A long debate ensued, with them saying that they value personal comfort and happiness over morality.

Is it judgmental and wrong for me to say that I am horrified and to say the least disappointed in my friends? I think about it, and it feels as if this is really how most of the world works, people are so utilitarian that they will go against their morals in order to make enough to afford a nicer car. When given the option of driving a Hyundai and being moral, or driving a Mercedes and throwing away morals, it seems many would choose the Mercedes.

So, after my discussion I really came to the realization that moral fortitude is important. A month ago I said that I'm not sure if I would be able to keep my morals if offered a large sum of money, but somehow hearing someone say they wouldn't have a problem at all just felt wrong. It even saddens me, thinking that this is what our world has become. No longer are we mankind, risen out of natural chaos to stand on values and morals, we have reverted back to animals, doing only that which our instincts command us to do; seek pleasure and survive.