Time

Rush, rush, rush, rush…  Time seems to be an enemy to most of us, especially if we are writers.  We always seem to be one article, story, book behind where we are supposed to be.  Papers, project, research, notes, pile up as we try to keep our head above the ever growing wave of responsibility that we take upon ourselves.

We are the clock that ticks away our time.  We are the authors of our own struggle.  What is the point?  To share, interpret, analysis, think, address and practice the skill of writing?

It is the printed letters, that is why we do it, to see the well rounded, black inked letters printed on a white page, stating that we lived. We thought. We felt. We connected with the world beyond ourselves.

Time, responsibility, effort, self-discipline…  All time consuming fiends that we battle with, push through, and with some luck, write beyond them.

What a way to spend one’s hours on earth.

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Write Right from the Heart

“I want to be a writer.”
“I can write a story, so I know I can write a book.”
“My story should be published because my mom and teacher both told me it was good.”
These are some of the comments I hear on a regular basis from young writers and Young Authors. As a student of writing you need to understand that because you have a talent of writing, doesn’t necessarily mean you have the skill of writing.
There is a difference between the two. A talent is a gift you were born with. Something that makes writing “seem” easy to you. A talent also comes with a hidden secret, that of responsibility. If you are given a gift (talent) you also have a responsibility to give it back to others, in the form of your work. So, you might say, a talent isn’t a gift to you, it is a gift to the world.
Now, the writing skill is totally different. This is something you need to learn, you learn writing skills by reading good books and analyzing them, thinking about their research, setting, character development, and plot. You learn writing skills by keeping a journal of writing ideas and writing in it daily. You learn writing skills by taking writing workshops, writing short stories, experimenting with writing styles, and reading about writers.
No one, even if they are born with the talent of writing can “just” sit down and get the story correct the first time. Even if you write a story you are very happy with it and your teacher and parents compliment you on it. You must edit it and change it to make it even better.
Remember: There are lots of very talented writers out there that will never acquire the skill it takes to become successful writers because they aren’t willing to work to acquire the skill.
Don’t let your ego ruin your talent by making yourself “think” you already know everything there is to know about writing.
I have been writing professionally for over 33 years, I have had over 1,000 newspaper and magazine articles published and am working on my 16th book, and I still go to workshops, read books on writing, do tons of research, edit, and work at building on my knowledge (skill) of writing.

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You Gotta Read!

Something fun!

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French River on the Way to Georgian Bay…

Canoe route to Georgian Bay, the doorway to the Great Lakes

Georgian Bay the doorway to the Great Lakes.  Historical research comes in many forms.

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Writing Advice Video Clip

Writing Advice

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Write – Right

Write – Right is a blog created for the writing in mind…  

The  Importance of Writing Everyday

I am often asked by those who want to become writers, if there is one thing I can recommend to help them.  My answer is there is never any one answer to that question, but I do have a couple of suggestions; read everyday something that makes you think and keep a writing journal.

The importance of filling your brain with stimulating information is essential for you to always have thoughts, ideas and words in your mind that stimulate and excite you into wanting to express yourself. 

A writer is supposed to only write about things they know.  So to know about things you must research and be educated.  Also, reading the words of others who have made it into professional publication helps you to see what it takes to become a published author. 

In a good book, the words dance off a page, the sentences have style, pace, functionality, and the grammar and punctuation – impeccable.  The many different things your mind learns and picks up while reading a book, if you are reading like a writer, is immeasurable.

The other recommendation I suggest is to keep a writing journal, start in the morning and kick-start your brain by writing in your journal.  Write down what you need to do that day or plan on doing.  Write down things that happened yesterday or didn’t happen and how you feel about that.  Start your day writing words, let the words flow, this is where you can write for yourself, you can free-form your writing with no one else’s concern about structure, spelling or grammar.  Just put words, your words, to paper and exercise that part of your brain where the words spill out.

During the day, don’t be afraid of picking up your journal and jotting down notes of observations, like the car accident on the corner, the dead cat you nearly stepped on while taking your walk or the beautiful and fragrant garden you had an opportunity to visit.

Don’t forget conversations you have been part of or might have overheard.  Each person is unique and if you, by lucky chance, happened to overhear someone expressing themselves in an uncommon way, remember and record the incident.

Record using your senses, write down the most interesting or stimulating things of your day.  How did it make you feel, what did it taste, smell, look like?  Make sure you write with details because this is what you are trying to savor and save until another time, when you might need this information to write with.  It is also training your mind to pick up on things that are different from your everyday life.

Writers are recorders of life.  Perhaps, someday, a few years in the future, your writing might be what helps the people of that day and time understand who we were as a culture and society.

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Welcome to Write-Right

This blog is created to share writing advice, tips, and suggestions. Please feel free to contribute.

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Just playing

Wanted to get a better feel for how this would look.

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Hello world!

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

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