What’s Your Greatest Weakness, as a Writer, and Why?

"Study drawing shows the allegorical figure of Romance nude. She bends her head to read a book on her lap. Romance was one figure in a painting, The arts, in the north end lunette of the Southwest Gallery in the Library of Congress' Jefferson Building." Graphite drawing (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

And, How Are You Overcoming It?

Last week, I looked at strengths. This time, I want to take a gander at weaknesses. We all have them. I know what my major weakness is, one of many, but this one is the most important: I spread myself too thinly.

What do I mean?

I do this in many ways:

1.      I divide my time between many activities instead of concentrating on what's most important.

2.      I can't settle on any given genre, spreading my ideas into many different types of writing so that I find it difficult to label myself as a practitioner in any one field.

3.      I support too many different campaigns, giving my voice and action to a multitude of worthy causes.

4.      I read many differing titles, failing to concentrate on a specific topic or genre.

Okay, I hear many of you choosing one or more of these instances and arguing that these are not necessarily bad things. And, I agree. Variety is essential to anyone who creates. A wide-ranging interest is vital to the development of knowledge and intellect. Compassion is a response given by a caring heart and restricting it may seem selfish. Ideas can either be adapted and crammed, made to fit a specific genre of writing, or they can be given the freedom to express themselves in whatever form seems most appropriate for the story.

Let's deal first with those things that are outside the narrower field of writing, those things that fall within the normal life choices of us all, regardless of what we do for a living.

The causes are always a personal matter. I feel as if I get involved with many, but, in reality, I tend to concentrate on 4 main areas. (a)The environment and those things that impact on the future of the planet. (b) Poverty and it's destructive effect on those under its heel. (c) Religion and its negative input to society in general. (d) Education for all, especially women. Of course, these interests tend to spread and merge with others and bleed off into associated topics. And, yes, I do find myself sometimes pulled into a fight for farm animals, wild animals, even pets. It would be possible for me to spend my entire waking life fighting for causes in one way or another. But I feel I wouldn't be doing the best possible with the few talents I possess, so I have to consciously curtail and restrict those activities. They do, nevertheless, consume large amounts of my time and energy. Will I stop? Of course not. It's who I am and I'm willing to put up with that for the sake of those things I care about. Could I do more? Of course. Will I? Probably not, simply because I have a limited amount of time and energy at my disposal and there are other aspects of life I wish to become involved with.

Reading is another personal choice. The experts and pundits would have us believe that we, as writers, must read all we can of the contemporary genre(s) in which we write. I have some sympathy with the point of view. But I'm interested in many different things and my reading time is as limited as all other aspects of modern life. Let's have a 72 hour day and the need for no sleep and I might get close to reading some of what I'd like to sample. But the reality is that we are, again, limited by time and energy and therefore must select those books that we feel are most likely to entertain, inform, educate and inspire us. I currently have a 'to read' list over 130 titles in length, all sitting on my shelves. I had made a decision to read them all before I bought, borrowed or accepted as gifts, any new books. But, in writing this piece, I find myself subject to a small epiphany. I shall go through that list and extract all those titles that I was going to read in reality because they 'ought to be read'. They can go back on the shelves, to be read at leisure once I no longer have the urge to write. So, they can accompany me in my coffin and I'll read them by the light of slow putrefaction. I'll read those that I actually want to read and the rest can wait. I'm curious to see how that will reduce the list. See, this exercise has already produced positive results, for me at least.

Finally, my inability to settle on a specific genre. Will I tailor my future writing to, say, thrillers, or perhaps that most popular genre, romance? Maybe I'll concentrate on science fiction, or its brother, fantasy. Should I dive into the dark world of horror? Maybe I could dig up some crime. A bit of mystery? History calls from afar. A bit of sex in the form or erotica might spice things up a little.

But, actually, I'm not the sort of writer who can even begin a story with an idea of genre. When an idea takes me, I start to write and the genre emerges from the tale as I tell it. I am, at heart, a story teller. I love character and those threads of event that characters cause during interaction. I cannot envisage sitting down and writing out a plot. Oh, believe me, I've tried. Plot is a device, an artificial construct on which a story may be built. It's suitable for many types of stories. But not for the stories I develop. I write organically, I write by the seat of my pants. A plot would simply get in the way and, in any case, I'd deviate from it as soon as the first character decided he or she didn't want to go in that direction. So, I guess I'm stuck with being a multi-genre writer. I accept that means I'll never be known in any given field; I'm unlikely to be considered a commercial prospect by any publisher. I understand that my chances of making a million with my writing are significantly reduced (as if that chance ever really existed anyway. Even if it did, it was never a motivator for me). But I write because I must and I write because I love it and I write because I have things to say. If I don't do that in my own way, with my own voice, what's the point?

So, those are my confessions, which, they say, are good for the soul. This has been a useful exercise for me. It might help you; it depends on the sort of writer you are and what motivates you, I suppose. Why not share your thoughts in the comments? I love to know what others think.

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Cutting Through the Academic Crap, by April Taylor, Reviewed.

Are you a university student, or the parent, best friend, trusted sibling or confidante of such a student? If so, I strongly advise you to read this little book. It took me 40 minutes, that’s all. So, it’s hardly an imposition, is it?

Written in a friendly, approachable style, it details the methods, pitfalls, techniques and crucial points in the process of writing that all-important dissertation. I learned a good deal I didn’t know about this specialist academic topic and was prompted to read the book because my daughter is currently attending university and will be required to produce a dissertation in her final year.

The book is presented in easily digested bites, each of which deals with a specific aspect of the whole. Breaking it down in this way makes a difficult subject more easily understood. The author has personal experience of the needs, having two degrees herself. She demonstrates empathy with the lot of the student and uses some vernacular with which the student should be familiar. But she provides her advice in an authoritative manner without that off-putting arrogance and superiority that defines so much academic writing.

Students who follow her advice and take account of the various pitfalls and distractions she highlights will stand a very good chance of not only completing the dissertation on time, but also of gaining maximum marks. Such a chance to increase the success of all that hard work and study that exemplifies the lot of the student must surely be worth the short time and attention that this essential little book deserves.

So, if you’re studying for that degree, or supporting someone involved in that demanding task, I unconditionally recommend the reading of this book: BEFORE you start.

BTW: this is an ebook, available on Smashwords , Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com  

Reading Fiction Stimulates Brain Activity

Image via Wikipedia

It's probably too early in the research to reach too many conclusions, but it looks as though reading fiction may do serious good to your brain. Have a read of this article - http://news.wustl.edu/news/Pages/13325.aspx from the Washington University website and see what you think.

The Republic, by Plato, Reviewed.

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This classic, in the true sense of the word, was written by Plato some time after the execution of his admired narrator, Socrates, in 399BC. The supposed dramatic setting for the narrative is around 420BC.

Taking the form of a discussion between Socrates and friends, the work is a philosophical treatise founded on the theme of justice. It touches, along the way, many other aspects of life and thought and can be seen to be a foundation stone in the building of Western thought, politics and ideas.

That Plato wrote in an era when slavery was not only accepted but was an everyday normality, and where women were perceived as inferior beings, permeates the text for a modern reader. There are many places where I felt like grabbing the narrator, and his fellow conversationalists, by the metaphorical lapels and shaking them out of their complacency over these two issues. But that is more a reflection of my attitudes about these issues than of the quality of the writing.

I started reading this tome, which requires a good deal of concentration, before Xmas and the season rather interrupted the serious read. But I became determined to finish the book before starting on the editing of the novel I'd written the preceding November (NaNoWriMo challenge for those interested). The reason was that it immediately became clear that The Republic deals with many of the themes I included in my novel and I wanted to see what this seminal work had to say on these ideas.

The ideas expressed are remarkably contemporary in many cases. I was surprised by references to personality, character, political systems and religion that I'd previously considered to be relatively modern. There were times when I completely forgot that this book was written almost 2,500 years ago.

What I found most disturbing, however, were some of the theories and philosophical ideas that have clearly been responsible for the way we think and live today in the Western world. That some of these ideas have been distorted, misunderstood, partially comprehended or, in some cases, deliberately taken out of context, to justify certain modern political decisions became clearer as I read. I understood, for the first time, some of the classical references I've come across in life and many of the underlying reasons for our current way of life became obvious. It's clear that many of our current leaders are steeped in the arguments put forward in this narrative. The teaching of the classics is, of course, fundamental to the education supplied by most private schools. That it isn't generally included in the curricula of state schools is equally clear. I'm not a lover of conspiracy theory, but it's difficult to avoid the conclusion that there has been a deliberate policy of discouraging the reading of such books as this, lest the general populace become aware of what leaders have always known.

It's impossible to do justice to this text in the space of a simple review. I can only suggest that those who have the intellectual stamina and the necessary curiosity about the nature of thought and life read this book. There is much that the modern reader will deplore, disagree with and denigrate. The benefit of living long after the work was completed provides us with a greater understanding of many things that must have been mysteries to Plato and his contemporaries. But the fundamentals of his thesis on politics, rule and the actions of leaders and the general populace are sound.

Those who love the superficial and the easy will find this book indigestible but those who like depth, provocation of the grey cells and stimulus for the imagination and curiosity will find this a singularly rewarding read. I thoroughly recommend it.