By: Bruce Black,
on 4/29/2012
When do you accept the invitation to step into the water, to begin the process of swimming that will take you into the unknown territory of a new story? The invitation can come at any time or place. You might be standing in the shower rinsing your hair or getting into bed or folding laundry after dinner and, as you reach into the laundry basket for another napkin to fold, the invitation strikes
By: Bruce Black,
on 4/22/2012
Sometimes I think swimming faster will help keep me afloat, but it’s just the opposite. Slowing down is what gives me a chance to swim deeper and farther. But it’s hard to go slowly when reaching the end of a draft. That’s when my muscles are aching,I can barely lift my legs, and I try to speed up, kicking like mad for the shoreline in the hope that I’ll make it to the end before exhaustion
By: Bruce Black,
on 4/15/2012
Distinguished poet, anthologist, editor and teacher, Lee Bennett Hopkins, admits that he happened to start writing poetry in the 1960's by accident. “The first poem I penned, 'Hydrants,' was written in the late 1960’s,” says Hopkins, who has written hundreds of poems since then. “It was a result of my city-living. The first person who heard it was May Swenson, the great American poet, who further
By: Bruce Black,
on 4/8/2012
The process of reading–taking in words, images, emotions–is related to writing, except the words, images, and emotions flow in the opposite direction.While you’re reading, you’re thinking critically, analyzing plot or theme, evaluating a character’s developments, measuring the success or failure of the story based on how deeply the story and characters move you. And you’re using your imagination
By: Bruce Black,
on 4/1/2012
By the time we reach the end of a draft--whether it's our first or forty-second attempt--we’re so close to the work that we can’t always see it clearly. That's when it's helpful to ask for feedback, to rely on another pair of eyes to help us see and understand what we may have accomplished (and what we may still need to do).But who do we trust to give us feedback on our work? How do we know if
This is so true. I still struggle with impatience and learning to hold back and not let myself hurry ahead. Thanks for the insights.
Me, too. It's an ongoing challenge to balance my impatience to reach the end with holding back, slowing down, and going deeper. Glad the thoughts were helpful.