Monday, February 18, 2019

How, Not What

I have two excellent posts I'd like to share with you all. 

The first - "A Writer's Manifesto" - is by Julie Duffy. You might know her, as I do, from StoryADay, but she wrote this for Writer Unboxed. 

"A writer’s manifesto is a highly personal document that,

  • Is about your identity as a writer.
  • Gives you a unified sense of what you want to achieve in all your writing.
  • Transcends genres and projects.
  • Is more motivating than individual goals."
She not only shares her own manifesto, but she also gives guidance on how to create our own. I wrote one up for myself and put it on my bulletin board. I look at it every day, and it does exactly what she says it does. 

"When you find yourself struggling, ask yourself how you want to be writing. Not what characters or stories or subjects you’ll tackle or how you’ll make this scene perfect, but what you want to achieve with your writing. Pick up your manifesto and ask how you can make today’s writing align with your values."

*****

Now, any post that starts off referencing actor Bryan Cranston as dentist Tim Whatley from Seinfeld has me hooked. So, of course, I kept reading James Scott Bell's "What Bryan Cranston Can Teach Writers" over at The Kill Zone.

Bell talks about Cranston's autobiography, A Life in Parts, where Cranston talks about his acting career and the moment he started focusing on the process and stopped focusing on the outcome. Bell relates it to writing. 

"You’re not here to get something, 
you’re here to give something—
entertainment value to a reader."

An excellent reminder! 

*****

Do you have a writer's manifesto? Plan on creating one? Are you able, for the most part, to focus on the process and let the rest go? 

18 comments:

  1. "You’re not here to get something,
    you’re here to give something—
    entertainment value to a reader."


    I love this. This is why I don't agree with authors who think they need to state their political beliefs on their writing platforms. I'm not buying their books for their politics, so it's off putting for me.

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    1. Isn't it a great reminder?

      I try to stick with entertaining. I hope it works. :)

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  2. I love your manifesto! And the wise words from Bell/Cranston are great too. How easy it is to forget the entertainment part.

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    1. One of the things I love about the manifesto idea is that it's so personal, and we can revisit it as we grow and change as writers.

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  3. I love that quote!! After I published my first book and I realized people were paying money for it, the second book was bit harder because I started to feel the responsibility. People work hard for their money, so I want every book to be worth its cost. And for those who are downloading illegally, I still want it to be worth their time. LOL

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    1. It's not only the money but also the time. We want it to be worth our readers' time, too. :)

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  4. I've never thought about writing a manifesto for my writing.

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    1. I don't think I ever did either, but her post really hit home for me at this time in my writing life, so I thought I'd give it a try. So far, so good!

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  5. I don't have a writer's manifesto, but my philosophy about writing often has a lot to do with respecting the journey and challenging myself to do more.

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  6. No, I don't have a manifesto. Perhaps I should. I've been struggling to work on the WIP lately. Too much to do, too little time.

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    1. I really recommend reading the whole post, JH. It helped me take a step back and look at my writing in a bigger picture kind of way. Once I did that, I felt...I don't know, relieved, lighter? I'm definitely more motivated and more focused, anyway.

      Good luck on the WiP! You'll work it out. :)

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  7. Love that quote! I have to sometimes step back and remind myself that I'm here just to entertain too. :)

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    1. When I look at my work as entertainment, I'm able to relax a little and let go, be less serious and more fun on the page. :)

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  8. Writing has been a struggle of late. That said, I'm focusing on voice. All the writing rules of engagement I followed had a cost. Now, I'm back to the beginning. I'm hoping I'm wiser. I guess, we'll see. :-)

    Anna from elements of emaginette

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    1. I'm sorry to hear you're struggling, Anna. Maybe check out the whole Manifesto post - it might inspire you and set you on a better track.

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  9. That was such an amazing read, thank you for sharing it with us!

    www.ficklemillennial.blogspot.com

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