Instructions

As a new year unfolds around me, I find myself pausing to look backwards, and to lean forwards to examine what the road ahead might hold. 

Understanding ~ Ignorance

Until you understand a writer's ignorance, presume yourself ignorant of his [or her] understanding.    ~ Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Until you understand a writer's understanding, presume yourself ignorant of his [or her] ignorance.    ~ not Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Words of the week

reject:  / 'rɪ: dʒɛkt, rɪˈdʒɛkt /

(noun)  1. A person or thing that is refused as not meeting a required standard or is otherwise unsuitable or unacceptable   2. a product that is damaged or not perfect, an item sold cheaply because of minor flaws.  

(verb)  1. Refuse to accept, agree to, make use of or believe in someone or something   2. dismiss as inadequate, unacceptable or faulty   3.  rebuff, or behave in an unkind or unfriendly way towards someone   4. discard or throw something aside.

[From Latin reject- ‘thrown back’, from the verb reicere, from re- ‘back’ + jacere ‘throw’].

deject:  / dɪˈdʒɛkt / 

(verb)  archaic  To depress the spirits of; dispirit, dishearten.  

(adjective)  dejected   Disheartened, low-spirited, feeling or showing sadness and lack of hope, especially because of disappointment.

[Late 16C. archaic deject, from Latin dejectus ‘thrown down’, from deicere, ‘throw down’, from de- ‘down’ + jacere ‘throw’].

object:  / 'əb:dʒɛkt, əbˈdʒɛkt  /

(noun)  1. A thing that is visible or tangible or can be perceived with the senses   2.  a person or thing that is the focus of someone's attention or emotion (an object of curiosity)   3. an aim, goal or purpose, an end towards which effort is directed.

(verb)  To oppose or be averse to something, or to argue against or express opposition to something.

[From medieval Latin objectum ‘thing presented (to the mind/sight)’, from Latin obicere ‘throw in the way of, present’, from ob- ‘in the way’ + jacere ‘throw’].

You

"You are the only person your writing ever needs to please."

~ Jackson Pearce, in Everybody's Free (To Buy A Laser Printer)

Tools of the trade

It's been a while since I've served up some original writing. The wheels of denouement have been turning in the background, but at this time (for many reasons) the stony glare of the internal censor rests heavily upon me. So I'll do what writers do, and keep writing steadily (and privately) until the censor backs the hell off.

Word of the week

fox:  /fɒks/ 

(noun)  A small carnivorous animal of the dog family, with a pointed muzzle, large ears and a long bushy tail, usually with reddish brown or silver-grey fur [Family: Canidae, Genus: Vulpes].

(noun)  A crafty, cunning or sly person.

(noun)  slang  A physically attractive or alluring man or woman.

(verb)  informal  1. To deceive or outwit somebody by means of slyness or trickery  2. to confuse or baffle someone  3. to keep an eye on someone without seeming to do so  4. to be too difficult for someone to understand or solve.

The seed

… but the seed of doubt was there, and it stayed, and every now and then sent out a little root. It changed everything, to have that seed growing. It made Ender listen more carefully to what people meant, instead of what they said. It made him wise. 

 

From Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card

Why do we need to work so hard?

The question asked by a fellow writer today:  If 85% of everything that’s published today is crap, why do we need to work so hard to improve how we write?

Word of the week

regard:  /rɪˈɡɑːd/ 

(verb)  To look at carefully; gaze at steadily; observe. 

(verb)  To consider (something) to be (a particular way).

(verb)  archaic  To take notice of; pay attention to; heed. 

regard:  /rɪˈɡɑːd/

 

(noun)  A long fixed look; a gaze.

(noun)  An attitude of admiration or respect; a feeling of friendship and esteem.

(noun)  Attention to, or thought and concern for something.  

[Middle English: from Old French regarder 'to watch', from re- 'back' (also expressing intensive force) + garder 'to guard']

NB rhymes with canard, charade, façade. 

Truth

'Truth seems to want expression. Unacknowledged truth saps your energy and keeps you and your characters wired and delusional. But when you open the closet door and let what was inside out, you can get a rush of liberation and even joy.' 

~ Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird 

What lies beneath

In fiction, as in life, all is revealed through the actions of our characters.

Characters, like people, don’t always tell the truth. They often say what they think is true, or what they’d like to be true, without arriving at a clear expression of their most salient psychological reality.

Usually it’s because they hold multiple truths – layers of thoughts, feelings and motives - which are tangled together in complicated ways.  They may not always be aware of them. Or they may be hiding them, from other people or themselves.

The right words

‘I’ve been studying history,’ Peter said. ‘I’ve been learning things about patterns in human behavior. There are times when the world is rearranging itself, and at times like that, the right words can change the world.’ 

From Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card