HomeStepping Stones
by Carol Smallwood
Keep Those Rejects. Rejects beg to be sprinkled with other material and given another chance of growing into acceptances. That paragraph or line tossed out of one work may flesh another or take on a new life of its own; that rejected short story may have a minor character waiting in the wings to become a leading one. Work takes on a sea change beside new writing.
Autobiography/Biography. It may be wiser not to delve into the life of your favorite writer because you'll run across facts you cannot match with your rosy assessment of them through their writing. One needs someone to look up to, to have a star to reach for--a writer we totally admire.
Let It Sit. Most writing can benefit with aging a few months or a year. When you look at it with new eyes, you'll see it offers possibilities you didn't see before, shades and tones to be developed not evident in the glare of composition-and what you thought crystal clear is not.
Keep Paper/Pen Handy on Hand. Be able to access writing materials quickly as a gunslinger of the Old West: don't lose threads of creativity looking for a piece of paper. Be quick on the draw even at night when ideas seem to delight in mushrooming. No bedside table or lamp? Try a pile of books to hold flashlight, pen and paper.
Quotes. Gather quotes like pearls when they spill your way. If it is one you heard, be sure you check out a reliable printed source before adding it to your collection. Writing them helps you remember them and makes you more familiar with different writing styles. Quotes can become a theme for a short story, what you need to polish an article.
Conversations. Listen to what others say and how they say it. Most people have favorite words, ways of phrasing that flesh out character. We probably don't recognize this in ourselves but keep that pen and paper handy.
Carrots. Having something to look forward to keeps you writing. Grab whatever prevents making writing a burden-work that we resent is too hard to keep up. Have some reward in mind, a cup of your favorite tea, listening to your favorite composer, taking your dog for a walk. Exercise is probably the wisest carrot because writing is so sedentary.
Television. Watch programs with a writer's eye for plots, characters, how mood is portrayed, dialogue, timing, word use. The news is filled with ideas no matter what kind of writer you are. PBS documentaries are crammed with great raw material.
Focus. Deadlines won't be met if we don't write. Setting aside needed time and doing what is needed requires giving up other things. Concentrating on what it takes becomes easier the more we do it and when we realize it gets us what we want, we're on our way.
Small to large. Building up credits is the way to get more: everyone starts at the bottom. If you have no publishing credits, include other accomplishments that will show editors you are serious such as helping with a newsletter, tutoring children in writing, taking a creative writing class.
Know Your Time. How we feel on a certain day has a lot to do with how we write. Some writers make themselves sit down and write each day, others find that writing when in the mood works better. The amount of sleep we get of course has a lot to do with how we feel. Become aware of when you do the best writing: is it in the morning, late at night, riding the subway, with or without music--and guard it like a St. Bernard.
Keeping Track. If working on a long work it helps to know where you are so it doesn't seem to have any end. Keeping track of pages, number of words helps with post-it notes on your computer.
Keeping a schedule on a calendar, crossing out completed tasks may work for you.
Flavor. Become a taster of words: use a variety of words before deciding on one that is the closest to what you want to convey. A thesaurus on or by your computer provides a handy palate to word paint. Unexpected words delight, add spice.
Changing Genres. If you are getting stale in writing short stories, stir up your juices by switching to poetry, or nonfiction. You will find using new writing muscles is uncomfortable at first but tell yourself you have nothing to lose and that any acceptances in a new genre will be a reward.
Leaving. Leave off at a place you know where you can pick up the next writing session. It will make you want to dig in, and following a trail is easier than starting out cold. Sessions will begin with a good momentum.
Batting Like Pro. Remember baseball heroes are those that keep hitting-they've missed many balls, have struck out, but keep trying. The more you submit, the more chances you have of acceptance.
Know One Author. Read as much as possible the works of one author. It will make you a more critical reader while absorbing something you enjoy that'll touch your own writing. Get to know that one writer and like your best friend, you'll find the more you know, the more fascinating layers you will uncover. Mine is John Galsworthy-an author I first read in high school-not his most famous work, but it remains my favorite: The Patrician. I didn't know much about literature but just knew I liked being in the world he created and sensed quality; over the years I kept coming back to him till I got the Dover Edition of his complete works as well as some signed copies and limited editions. I was lucky he was an essayist, dramatist, poet, novelist, short story writer, and some of his letters had been published. No matter the genre, he deals with similar themes, characters, giving me a sense of his territory, his space, like Faulkner's famous fictional world. And yet the familiarity hasn't bred contempt-instead, it resulted in an increasing awe for his style, insight, and humanity. And even awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1932, he's still contemporary: "There are people to be found who object to vivisecting animals; but the vivisection of a woman, who minds that?"
Carol Smallwood's books include Women on Poetry: Writing, Revising, Publishing and Teaching, foreword by Molly Peacock (McFarland, 2012) on Poets & Writers Magazine list of Best Books for Writers; Writing After Retirement: Tips by Successful Retired Writers (Scarecrow Press, 2014).
