Purpose of this blog

The original purpose of this blog, though it may change, is to communicate my feelings and process about my book-writing efforts.

Throughout my life, I have been a creative soul: often dramatic, but always passionate. This is a writer's diary-- a place to let my writing career evolve and develop, I hope, into a verile, fruit-bearing tree... preferrably pink grapefruit. I love pink grapefruit.

First, I want to express my disappointment with the over-mechanization of novel-writing that occurs first in the public schools when well-meaning teachers insist that young writers conform to a series of rules, some of which are ridiculous... like delineating which tense we all should write in, and that you should never end a phrase with a preposition as I just did. In truth and in life, we all communicate imperfectly and I think we all enjoy reading thoughts that share this degree of imperfection. In my writing, I strive for accuracy in mechanics, grammar, punctuation, etc., but I have all but given up many of the other rules I have been taught for writing good essays and fiction. For example, some people would have you believe that you can never use the helping verb "had" or "have" in your writing, because it is cumbersome (or for whatever reason). Or they will tell you to limit your descriptive adjectives until your sentences are streamlined steam engines that get straight to the point without meandering at all. How awful! What if Robert Frost wrote like that?

Over-mechanization of novel-writing will claim me as its constipated victim no longer! I will write according to the rules I have learned, only insofar as it sounds and feels good! I know, that's so bold and brash, but it must be said by me if I'm to continue in this journey. I will write freely and I will revise conscientiously. But (yes, I started with that word on purpose) I will not revise my work to match the trends of today's popular fiction or non-fiction. I do not want my books to have the same trendy covers and titles that I see on the shelves at the bookstore. I prefer them to resemble the classics I find in the library. And what I have learned from the writers of yesteryear is that great writing can be done in my own style, even breaking a rule or two here and there. Even using "trite" expressions appropriately can serve a purpose in great writing. And so I declare my independence from over-mechanized writing and say, "Leave me be!" to the great critics of the world who are great only for criticizing those who are truly great.

And thus begins my blog. Most of it won't be this self-righteous-sounding, I hope. :-)