“…if writing is about anything, it’s about seeing things fresh.” – Francis Flaherty, The Elements of Story
perspective
How to be a Better Writer: Have a Sense of Humor
To be a better writer, you have to have a sense of humor about what you do. You have to be able to poke fun at yourself. You have to be able to laugh even when your work is critiqued and you feel yourself to be a failure.
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Where’s Your Confidence?
When I paint woodland animals or dinosaurs or trees or oceans, I have to trust that the brushstrokes will result in something akin to those four things. I can’t tell when I’m painting; I’m too close to the wall. All I see is colors blending together. It’s only when I step away from the wall and have some distance that I can see correctly. I see that I have, in fact, painted a sheep or a fox or a deer. The tree is convincing. The crashing waves actually look like crashing waves.
A Grin without a Cat
If I had to choose a favorite character from Alice in Wonderland, I would choose the Cheshire Cat. He’s creepy and possibly madder than any of the other characters, but he knows things. He knows things, and he refuses to share them.
Is It Time for New Glasses?
I’ve written about perspective previously, but it’s usually been in relation to seeing oneself correctly – to have the right amount of confidence or to act in a manner worthy of one’s business and calling. Perspective, though, has a wide variety of applications. In this instance, the application is to the writing life.
What is Failure?
Perhaps failure is a gift. Perhaps it’s the muse, as Hugh MacLeod suggests. Perhaps it isn’t the terrible thing it sometimes is made to be.