I've undertaken the challenge of becoming a writer - not some hack "throw a few words together and hope for the best" - but, rather, a true wordsmith that earns admiring readers. Since there is no purpose to doing something halfway acceptable, I am diligently researching what the top-notch writers know. Lucky for me, no one is hiding their trade secrets. Without exception, the top money winners all recommend reading as much as possible – the good works along with bad. On the downside: I will have to change my reading habits.
Ever since I learned how to open a book and enjoy its contents, a wealth of literary material has always surrounded me. To get through all of these exciting books, I trained myself to read as fast as possible while still absorbing as much as possible. This has not been without its dangers. On more than one occasion, I crashed into an unexpected period. Fortunately, I wasn't wearing a seat-belt at the time so I was thrown clear of the book. In any case, now, instead of reading for pure knowledge, I will have to slow my speed to a crawl and read for pure style.
Great! I get to reread the "Marked" and the "Twilight" series. Slowly. I first read these books to keep up with what was popular with my children. During that time, several passages made me cringed in horror - not from the storyline but from the way the authors slapped the words together. I didn't stop to figure out why their fingernails-on-chalkboard style jarred me. I just needed to get through the sparkly vampires, impossible villains, and whiny teenagers. Now, my all-consuming mission is to suffer through these famed works again; learn why those words needed a massive stake through the heart; and learn how to not create the same mind-numbing horrors.
My counsel of great writers also recommend against rapid publishing, which means a radical change in my posting routine. Instead of writing a few paragraphs, followed by a few edits, then hitting the [publish] key - all within hours of the initial idea - I now work to write, edit, put the post aside for a day or two, reedit, and then MAYBE hit the [publish] key if the piece is concise and (hopefully) enticing. Well, for the most part. Hitting the [publish] button is often the most exciting part of writing.
Still, please help me with your comments. Or, at least, just put a stake through my ignorant heart before my words become the sparkly undead of the Internet.
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