The Painted Word #41
Leave a comment with the advice you have the most trouble with. (Click an image for an Amazon link to a book by the author.)
1.
Forget grammar and think about potatoes.
(Gertrude Stein)
2.
Don’t write what you know. Start with what you know and invent from there. (Ernest Hemingway)
3.
A whole is that which has a beginning, a middle, and an end. (Aristotle)
4.
“The cat sat on the mat” is not the beginning of a story, but “The cat sat on the dog’s mat” is. (John le Carré)
5.
There is no secret to success. Rise early and work hard. That’s the only secret. (Phillip Glass)
BONUS!
A real writer doesn’t need lame advice from other writers. (William Shakespeare, maybe)
Leave a comment with the advice you have the most trouble with.
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The only thing worse than a poorly written page is a blank one.
Don’t be afraid to tell your story. Even the most poorly told tale will move the listener to something. Indigestion…disgust…repulsion…but those are something. Tell your story.
Write until it hurts. They will will eventually run out of things to throw.
While few get rich from their written words, no one ever made a hard penny by keeping their imagination to themselves.
Writer’s block is just your imagination taking a detour; embrace the scenic route!
I enjoyed this post! Inspiring. I appreciate the don’t take advice from other writers, lol.
This is some fine put togethering
🙂
I love the whole thing. Enthusiastically agree!
Kerry~
Enthusiastically agree! Loved it. Well said.
Kerry~
😀
Very informative
Glad you found it so!
Very good, I liked #2 and the Bonus one.
Thanks for the comment. Good luck with your writing! 🙂
Thank you! As writers it can be a lonely rode, we have to forge ahead! Good luck to you too.
Like your post.
Thank you! Good luck with your writing!
Thank you!
Nice and simple. Loving the end. It made me laugh
I didn’t know what to expect, it was a good read.
It took a while to follow at first.
🙂
Let the dream in your mind fill the shelf✨️
Thank you! 🙂
“A whole is that which has a beginning, a middle, and an end.” I beg to differ with Dr. Aristotle. A whole is that which is eternal (never-ending), constantly dynamic and fractally expanding into infinity, the World Serpent devouring her tail. Anything finite is by definition partial. But that may be poor writing advice. On the other hand, “A Hole is to Dig,” –Maurice Sendak. That advice may, in fact, serve an author better.
Ouroboros fans, unite where the wild things are. That’s a fun thought, thank you! 😀
Number 3 – Aristotle. Doesn’t really help, does it?
I smell something there, but I can also take it or leave it.
Yes, maybe, but we can get along without it. The other suggestions are excellent.
Thank you, I.V., I agree. The linear thing is over-rated. No offense to Aristotle.
Dog bites man–not a story Man bites dog-a story.
I love #4 especially. I suspect any writer could benefit by meditating on this–for a long moment–before each writing session.
Gets to the heart of the matter. 🙂 Btw, I thought of you when writing #139 a couple days ago. End of the second paragraph.
I need to start writing again. Not writing the stories bubbling in my head has not stopped them from growing and evolving. It’s just more work to catch up on.
Go for it!
I mean, #5 is what it all comes down to, right? I have young kids and so writing my last book I had exactly the amount of time I was willing to get up for before everyone gets up. I remember multiple mornings staring at the screen thinking “Not sure what to write” and then a little voice saying “Well, you’ve got one hour, so write something anyway”. Worked better than I’d have thought! Makes me think of one of my favorites, from W. Somerset Maugham – “I only write when inspiration strikes; fortunately it strikes every morning at 9 o’clock sharp”
Intuitive advice.
I don’t like Hemmingway, but I like his writing quote here – begin with what you KNOW, and then INVENT. Isn’t this all creative writing is?
Exactly! 🙂 Thanks for the comment.
A thought-provoking collection of quotes!
Thank you for letting me know! 🙂
I’m with Le Carré & # 4 — here are 2 rules of my own: (1) Take the time to write it short (thank you for this, Hal Tennant); and (2) in your commendably short piece, answer these two questions, first What? (the data) and second, So what? (why should I care?
Very nice! Thanks for contributing. 🙂
Good advice. I especially enjoyed the one with the cat sitting on the dog’s mat. It opens endless possibilities for an adventure.
Great! Glad you liked it. 🙂
As someone who taught creative writing some time ago, I always told students to listen to Elmore Leonard’s 10 rules for Good Writing. Here they are:
My most important rule is one that sums up the 10.
If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.
“If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.”
And that, my friend, is a rule I’m writing down and posting on my wall. Best advice I’ve read in a long time.
And the best reason to keep all ten of these is when you judiciously break them for variety; especially when the words “never” and “always” and “only” pop up looking so innocent. “‘Never use an adverb to modify the verb “said”‘, he said imperiously.” is a variation on a theme that delights me to this day.
Elmore judiciously (adverb alert) ignored most of these save the bit on adverbs.
You left out “the cheese!”
I shouldn’t hog it all; leaving room for you.
Hi 😊😊 so cool. I have a beef with #3 (“A whole is that which has a beginning, a middle, and an end”). I hate order. And formats. And schemata. Trash it, says Red Deer to himself. I don’t know, this is probably bad. I’m an unhealthy person.
I just think it’s possible to create a story that doesn’t have a beginning, middle and end. In the sense that there is no linear progression. And no clearly identifiable segments. I call nonlinear writing “adventure writing”. It’s more like a squiggly line than a cow cut up into head, belly and tail. Weird stuff.
I notice your “Reading Ulysses in Montana” posts don’t really follow Aristotle’s advice. Do you agree? Your Ulysses posts are more like ourobouros writings. Or a Mobius strip 🦌
It depends on how you look at it. Just in a formal sense, notice that most of these stories are three paragraphs, short, long short. They correspond to a kind of beginning middle end. And also in the writing process, there is preparing to write, writing and editing, and then publishing. Another kind of beginning middle end. I think the advice from Aristotle has larger scope than just how to construct a three-act narrative arc.
Cool 😊 Very interesting. Thanks… that is deep. I guess for me my experience of your Ulysses posts is like an ouroboros or a Mobius strip. I think it’s because all the puns and repetitions and alliterations & poetic devices etc. that you use all over the post bounce off each other, the ending bounces off the beginning etc. I don’t know. But I will take that with me: 3 short-long-short paragraphs, preparing + writing + editing.
It’s similar in chess. To play a good game you need to study alot beforehand (prepare). Then you need to play with all your strength at the board (write). And then afterwards you analyze your mistakes or you don’t get better (edit). Lol. Do you prepare alot beforehand when you make your posts?
🦌 Red Deer
Not much preparation, other than the 177 other posts I’ve made in this style. Or you could consider whatever I go through from the point I’m not writing to now I’m writing. Like sitting at my table. Pulling a blank index card from the stack. Scribbling with my pen to get it flowing well. And then finally putting a word on the card. All through that initial process I’m thinking about what word I should start with or if I already have a word, what other words should go together with it. But until I’m putting words to paper, all of that stuff I would consider preparation. And your analogy with chess includes openings, middlegame, and endgame. Beginning, middle, end. Aristotle’s comment is simply about a whole. So the b, m, and e just depend on what you consider the whole to be.
Awesome that is really profound. My sense of the literary experience has just been enriched. I don’t consider myself to be a writer. I’ve majored in being a father (20 years of volunteering and/or working with kids) hahah. I will reflect on Aristotle’s insight. It is surprisingly elastic. I guess there is no point in having a beginning, middle and end if they do not actually form a coherent whole. Still surmising where my chaos writing fits into this whole thing.
By the way I want to post one of your posts on my blog with your permission if you’re ok with it. Which do you consider to be your best blog post of all?
Best wishes 🦌 Red Deer
Sure, thank you. 🙂 From my perspective, one’s as good as another, so grab any you’d like.
Gertrude Stein’s advice puzzles me
#1 is great. Thanks for posting.
This is fantastic 🙂
Forget about writing novels. It’s outdated and fading out. Turn towards writing screenplays for games. They allow people to interact with the narrative. The only downside is that it requires writers who’re familiar with digital media.
I like the “cat sat on the dog’s mat” best. Thanks for sharing!
The Shakespeare one rocks my socks
I agree with Ernest Hemingway.
Don’t listen to other writers because even the rich ones are full of shit.
Try not to be more clever than you are.
Pay real money for a real, track record editor at least once.
Plot is math. If you need one quit now and become an accountant.
Stories, like music, are gifts and have nothing to do with the vessel’s aptitude. Our job is give them the best we have.
Hemingway. Start with what you know and proceed to add on to it.
“There is nothing to writing. Just sit before the typewriter and bleed.” Hemmingway.
What do they mean by “think of the potatoes” In the first advice? And can you please explain the second one too. I’d be delighted from your help.
please start writing the scripts for Hollywood. The new movies have either no, or only half endings. Thanks
I’m having trouble having trouble with one!
I have the most trouble with #1. The only time I can ditch grammar is within dialogue. Real people don’t speak using perfect grammar … well most real people. The rest of the time, it just bothers me to write in a manner that is not congruent with the application of good grammar. Also … why potatoes?
Love the no secret to success,just wake up early,work hard..day after day and one day, you will wake up and will be amazed at what you built
just make up shit and hope people love it
Write thinking someone will give feedback and receive silence .