Who Knew?
Image courtesy alexkerhead.
I was thinking this past week about the changes technology has made in the life of the writer. At no time in history have we seen the advent of change as clearly as we have in the last century, except for an invention in Europe that changed the lives of readers world wide.
It once was that a writer wrote his words long hand. In order to share them, the original was loaned out or given away. If he had the time or the money, the book would be copied, and therefore given a wider readership.
Eventually, someone found a better way to produce copies of original works, and at less expense than hiring a scribe. I can imagine should this happen today…scribes hitting the streets with their signs and placards, protesting this “infernal machine” that took away their livelihood. Of course they would object to the printing press.
The press took control away from the scribes and those that hired them. The press created multiple copies, all identical, in which writers could share their knowledge, experience, and flights of fancy. (The press took control away from the church and the ruling class but that subject is for another post at another time). Anyone who could read Latin or the prevailing language could read, and perhaps even own, a book. Lending libraries were common by the early 1800s and “penny presses” were in operation not long after. I can imagine writers from the earlier centuries examining this new contraption and thinking “who knew?”
Skip forward a bit to the invention of the first typewriter. If the press changed how the writer’s works were disseminated, this invention changed the life of the writer himself. Thinking about the original typewriters makes my hands ache with sympathy. The pressure required to strike the keys must have landed many pairs of hands in ice bags and enforced recovery. And yet, we have enduring images of writers from the first and middle parts of the last century pounding away at these machines. While they might have had to retype whole pages and manuscripts with every revision, addition, or extraction, they produced faster. Yes, type they did, in glorious abundance. Their predecessors from the 19th century and all eras previous whispered to each other, “Well now. Who knew?”
A few decades later, electric typewriters, upon which I began my writing life (IBM Selectric, of course!) appeared, along with the fancy word processing typewriter such as my first boss’s secretary prized. With correction tape and ribbon, the electronic touch of the keys, and the reduced need for carbon, the writer’s life improved indeed. The writers of the previous generation massaged their well muscled forearms and muttered, “Who knew?”
And then came the computer. Angels sang from heaven, the earth rejoiced, and writers were in love. Well, most of them anyway. (I know one writer in his 70s that still does his first drafts on an old manual typewriter, though he now does all his revisions on a computer). Here was an instrument that allowed us to revise before we printed, print only the sections we wanted to hold in our hands, and move large blocks of text around to suit our fancy. Longhand writers finally admitted defeat, if not for composition, at least for revision and final draft. No more the expense of hiring a typist or slaving at such a machine yourself. Anyone who could type could use a computer for his work (though some folks, claiming a mutual dislike with their electronic helpers still hired help, now called word processors). Another generation of writers joined the throng. “Can it really do that? Who knew?”
The single biggest change for this writer came with the advent of the split keyboard. Gone were the tendinitis braces (as long as I paced myself) and ice packs. The split keyboard was and is my idea of the best writing invention in the world (after the computer!) The old IBM Selectric was consigned to a garage sale. I am now on my seventh personal computer, but still using my first split keyboard.
The funny thing about the computer, according to William Zinsser (On Writing Well), is that, while it made good writers better, it made bad writers more abundant, and often worse.
Two opposite things happened: good writers got better and bad writers got worse. Good writers welcomed the gift of being able to fuss endlessly with their sentences–pruning and revising and reshaping–without the drudgery of retyping. Bad writers became even more verbose because writing wsa suddenly so easy and their sentences looked so pretty on the screen. How could such beautiful sentences not be perfect?
Writing and language are still at the heart of our governments, our businesses, and our entertainment. The written words and their understood definitions comprise our laws, contracts, policies, and promises. I can’t foresee a time in which that will change. Our best entertainment has always been based in written language, from plays to screenplays, from the first treatises to the most modern novel. While I can see there will be changes in the mediums of delivery, such as the rise of E-Books and devices such as the Kindle and Sony Reader, this fact remains true.
I can only anticipate with excitement what inventions of the future might mean for writers and the dissemination of their words. I also have to wonder if I, in my 70s, will insist on doing my first revisions on that “really old, totally passe computer.” Who knew?
The Right Way
In a follow up to my post from Friday, Writing Advice, I went in search of something from a working author that might lend weight to my words for those who believe in a more black and white theory of process. It was under my nose, here on my desk. I remembered sitting at Books A Million, thinking “yes!” as I read the following words:
For there isn’t any “right” way to do such personal work. There are all kinds of writers and all kinds of methods, and any method that helps you to say what you want to say is the right method for you. Some people write by day, others by night. Some people need silence, others turn on the radio. Some write by hand, some by computer, some by talking into a tape recorder. Some people write their first draft in one long burst and then revise; others can’t write the second paragraph until they have fiddled endlessly with the first.
But all of them are vulnerable and all of them are tense. They are driven by a compulsion to put some part of themselves on paper…”
The above is taken from the first chapter of On Writing Well, now in its 9th publication, by William Zinsser. The quote on the back cover from Library Journal says it all:
Not since The Elements of Style has there been a guide to writing as well presented and readable as this one. A love and respect for the language is evident on every page.
The reason this subject of process comes up so frequently for me is that I am, by nature, a coach, an encourager, someone who helps others to find their own solutions. I have read the black and white versions of literary process and learned from them…but I will never say there is only one way to do something. Writing is an individual, often lonely process, and the methods of its successful execution are as varied as the writers themselves.
I am a writer, and therefore I produce words. However, my passion is the process. My study is of the means by which writers write. From this study, perhaps I can find ways to encourage other writers when they feel something isn’t quite right or when they stumble. Most certainly, I learn for myself, and have improved both my personal process and the quality of the words I write.
Established writers and authors have already found and honed their process. For those pen holders out there who are thinking of writing, I say again…learn from them all, and then do what works for you.
Saturday Morning 11.15.08
What a great week for writing related posts and articles! Dive right in, and have a great weekend!
Liquid Bookmarks…they look interesting. The small print says that a designer souvenir might not actually be intended for use.
Alex Moore posted a very nice piece on the importance of reading for contemplation and education.
Jamie over at Blue Duck Copy does a list of her favorite blog quotes each week. I’ve enjoyed this feature of her blog for several weeks now. I hope you do, too!
Creativity Portal posted a two part article by Naomi Rose titled Is it Commerce or is it Art? It is a valuable look at writing from the heart, and why writing from that place produces superior work.
James Chartrand, of Men with Pens fame, guest posted on Write to Done this week on how to break through mental barriers to find your writing inspiration.
Kiersten over at Keirsten Writes landed an agentl! She’ll be walking on air for a while. i would be!
Time to Write posted a great reason to work shorter hours and keep a messy desk.
Marginal Revolution posted the Ten Most Irritating Phrases. Good to know!
Here’s Zoe’s latest in her series, Navigating the Idea Dump. Zoe was the first blog chosen for Chuck Westbrook’s blog project, in which I participate. Chuck, the project really needs a name…. Check out the rest of the series as well.
How Not to Write has been hosting guest posts from NaNoWriMo participants. On Thursday, the guest poster was from Elise Koerner, on the subjects of writing procrastination and the importance of having a life.
7 Steps to Zap Your Creativity, on Dumb Little Man, was written by David Bohl of Slow Down Fast. Nice way to open yourself up again.
Think Simple Now has a nice companion piece to Zoe’s series this week, titled How to Organize Mental Clutter.
Writing Time shared the first step in an article she published, titled Discovering Your Personal Essay: Step One. As pimarily an essayist myself, I could really identify.
Gretchen Rubin’s Happiness Project post titled Ten Tips for Being Happier is a really nice piece. I like the paragraph on not venting all your irritations.
From The Writer’s Technology Companion, insight on the differences between a writer and a dabbler, and advice for How to Pull Yourself Over the Hump.
Melissa Donovan has been busy recently with her new blog for Scribizzy, which is looking great. She posted on 10 Tips to Improve your Fiction on the blog we all know and love, Writing Forward. She also posted her advice on writing a really bad villian (in a good way).
Kelley posted what many of us aspiring authors are thinking. How much harder will it be to publish in the new economy, and should it change what we do? She also provided a link to some good insight from an editor in the publishing business.
First Time Authors - Good Reads.
I am kind of a collector of novels by first time authors. Sadly, many of them can be picked up in the bargain bin for under $5.00, and quite a few of them are really good stories that are told well.
Last weekend, I hit pay dirt. I picked up a copy of The Historian (2005) for about $6. It’s not my preferred genre, really, because it is about vampires, but this book was heavily researched for history and location. It spans three generations, moving back and forth in time, and was an excellent read. It also gives a lot of history and information on the real Dracula, Vlad Tepes. It is his story told by people driven to find him.
As an unpublished (so far!) writer myself, I tend to read these books with a critical eye. This award winning NYT best seller was very entertaining and, for me, quite educational as well.
Elizabeth Kostova did an excellent job of changing scene and has a good build/release flow for story tension. Her characters (there are a lot of characters with minor parts) are well developed. While the “primary” story is told in the first person POV, the letters, journals, and other materials found by the protagonists (also written in FPPOV for the most part) give a well rounded view of what’s going on.
I only have one complaint about the book. One complaint in 600 plus pages. I can’t explain the scene to you because it is integral to the story, but I can tell you this much. The big finish…the crisis scene…deserves to be drawn out and dramatized. Build the tension and release it with a flourish. So many first time authors have a good crisis that is perhaps under developed. Most of the scene was laid out well. Just one part of it that deserved build up and an “oh wow” moment didn’t get one.
For those of us waiting to be published, reading novels by first time authors is educational as well as entertaining. We learn to write by writing, and we learn pace, plot, language, dialog, and much more by reading.
The Historian is a well written book with researched and rich details. That it was the first published novel for this author leaves me anxious to read her future works.
Writing Advice
Image is courtesy Son of Groucho.
It seems that writers, both professional and unpaid, have quite distinct views of what works and what doesn’t in terms of process, goals, and quotas. In some cases, I’ve read extremely polarized opposite views from authors who have successfully published.
I am a member of a forum in which one writer has views quite opposite my own, so I’ve given some thought to what I’ve read and experienced.
I have come to one conclusion:
The method that works is the method that works for YOU.
If part of your process isn’t working, or you are experiencing difficulty not related to issues of discipline, my thought is that you should examine your methods and perhaps change them. It’s good to have a rough idea of some of the methods that have been successful for various authors. It gives you some ideas to kick around and try for yourself.
Our processes and methods of writing evolve along with us. What worked for me 15 or 20 years ago might not be so great for me now. Part of living an examined life is paying attention to the things we’ve outgrown
My writing advice? Simple. Feel free to take all writing advice with a grain of salt. Experiment, try things out, and use what works. Don’t use what works for everyone else. Use what works for YOU.
