A Writer's Motivation

One of the fun things about having a website is getting contacted out of the blue by a reader you'd have never made a connection with in your daily life routines. For example, many years ago when I posted one of my daughter's stories on my website (she was 12 at the time) I was contacted by peridoicals in California and New Zealand that wanted to publish it.

The following is a letter from a university lit student inquiring about the motivations behind one of my stories. I received this letter in 2004, when my stories were still posted at ennyman.com.  

I'm not too sure how to go about this, so here it goes. Hi, my name is Julia, I'm an English Literature student at ______ University. My Literary Criticism class is analyzing short stories in the reader-response style and one of the possible perspectives is to include the intent of the author as part of the interpretation.

I've chosen your story, M Zone (I hope you don't mind), and I would appreciate it if you can give me any idea as to your purpose for writing that story, how were you inspired, and so forth. Any information would be helpful. No information would mean I'd just have to B.S. it like usual. Hope to hear from you. ~ Julia 


morning, 9-30-2002

Julia:  I am delighted that you have selected my story for analysis in your English class.

You mention having to B.S..... Are you saying, then, that you also are good at fiction?

As regards my story The M Zone.... Briefly, I have always been fascinated with how the mind works. In college I took a Philosophy of Mind class, for example, but have longtime mulled on the topic of how the mind works, how memory works, how reality is perceived. This theme appears in a number of my stories, along with the notion of what is real and what is not.

My reason for writing the story was simply this. I had an idea for a story, shared it with someone, and they said I should write it.

Many of my short stories are initiated by a dream which then becomes one scene in the longer story. Others are like a puzzle which the writing is the solution. That is, I have an idea for a story and I do it to see if I can "pull it off". That is, can I make it work.

One thing different between Hollywood and story writing. If I fail, I have lost a few hours or days but no money. When Hollywood directors fail, (and a movie flops) it is millions of dollars lost, and many times whole careers. That is why you seldom see Hollywood movie directors taking risks, doing something really new.

Thanks for visiting my site. What is your deadline for this assignment? I will mull over your email and reply tonight if able.

evening, 9-30-2002

Hi again. Just a late night note in response to the question again. When I write I am generally attempting to connect with a reader, a person, a human being with a mind and feelings and a will. The goal is usually to "reach" that person and make them think. Occassionally I aim to move people to action, though primarily the first aim is to "connect with a human being." I am not writing just to express myself. What is the point of sharing if you are writing only for yourself?

So, if one seeks to connect, one has to develop the skill of communicating what is in the author's head and create the picture for another human being so that they see it, and feel it and comprehend it. This takes craft, discipline and a measure of skill. If the writer CARES about the reader he will work very hard to learn how to engage a reader, paint a picture, create a story.

I hope this is helpful in some small way. And if you desire to be a writer, I wish you the very best. And even if not, may you become all you are meant to be as a human being, a Person.

***

The M Zone and other stories can be found at Amazon.com in my short collection titled Newmanesque. It is also available for Nook and in the Apple store for iPads and other digital reading devices.

Message to a Young Writer

Yesterday afternoon as I was talking with Karen M. Collins, author of Danny Boy, she said that when writing her book it was her earnest hope that it would change one life. If she succeeded in that, then having written the book was all worth it. She was thrilled to say that it has already accomplished this modest goal.

That's my motivation this morning with this message to a young writer. The world needs writers. Today's young writers will be here long after we old ones are gone. It is my hope that at least one young writer will stumble across this and take something away that makes fires him or her up to be a better writer than they might have been otherwise.

1. Never quit honing your craft.
There must be fifty books on writing in the library. Most of them carry some new insight or anecdote that you can add to your toolbox. Writers conferences and workshops can be helpful, too. Never stop learning and never stop trying to improve your writing.

2. Become a deeper person.
Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Sartre, Camus... agree or disagree with their ideas, but in each case they had become deeper persons first, then writers. The books that have changed history were written by people with personal depth. They didn't write just to hear themselves chatter on about poppycock. What this means for you is that you need to read the classics and grapple with the great questions. Don't be in a hurry to grow up. Take your time. Deepen the foundations of your thinking. Broaden your life experience. Travel abroad. Then you'll begin to have something to say.

3. Write about anything and everything.
When starting out it almost doesn't matter what you write about. Just keep trying to write it better. Try new approaches. Write a story in first person and then write the same story from another character's point of view in first person. See if it's possible to write the same story yet again in second person. And then try telling the story in form of someone's diary entries. Maybe you can tell a story from the point of view of a piece of furniture. It may be silly, but it will teach you something. Most of all, write.

4. Be willing to accept criticism.
Sometimes it's really hard to evaluate your own creative efforts, whether art or writing or music. Feedback helps us understand better how something is coming across. Is the tone right? Are the words making sense? Is the subject matter worth the pain of trying to get it right?

Try to find a mentor who cares about your success as a writer. Thirty years ago I was helped immensely through my friendship with an experienced writer who edited my first articles and helped me see my shortcomings. All writers got help from more experienced writers when they were starting out.

5. Know what good writing looks like.
Being published by a big New York publishing house doesn't mean the book is well written. There is a lot of hack work out there, but it sells so it's on the shelves. If you want to be an important writer, you'll have to learn what good writing looks and sounds like.

6. The world will always need writers.
Businesses need writers. Publications need writers. Even if you're only writing letters to the editor, get in the habit of polishing your words. You want your ideas to connect with readers. Even if you never make a career through writing itself, writing well will make you more valuable in any career that you do ultimately pursue.

The written word has power. The Bible, the Magna Carta, the Declaration of Independence... these are written documents whose power has shaped history. Aim high. Whether your words touch lives a thousand years from now or not, you will be a better writer for having tried.