The Writing Life
In college writing courses, professors typically warn against making absolute statements. It’s valid advice; there always is a “but” for an absolute. An avoidance of absolute statements, though, does not mean writers shouldn’t take an absolute stand.
Stepping back: yes, lengthening the scene, so awe has a little room to breathe. That courtesy. – Lia Purpura’s “Sugar Eggs: A Reverie”
My heart is astir with a good theme;
I address my verses to the King;
My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.
Psalm 45:1 (NASB)
My younger brother says I’m determined. Other people have said I’m resilient. Perhaps. I err on the side of self-awareness and say I’m stubborn. Whatever the case may be, it has proven a trait, if kept in check, that helps me keep going no matter how bad the start or the day.
When I read Lia Purpura’s On Looking a year or so ago, I found three questions swilling around my head:
Writing, as an activity, often is a free-form sort of thing. Writers arrive to the work, and they work for a certain amount of time or until the words satisfy them. Such constraints can be enough, but for the writers who want to become better, deadlines are necessary.