The Wisdom of Words # 4: Get outside of the box - or at least get outside.

Sometimes, I feel like I live my days in different types of containers. My home is essentially a box, albeit a fancy one. When I 'go out' usually I place myself inside another compartment, my car, which I take to bring myself to another elaborate box such as a store. If I'm not careful, it's easy to spend my entire life enclosed in man-made spaces, with controlled temperatures and artificial lighting, all designed for my comfort. The trouble is, being comfortable is overrated.

There's something to be said for discomfort, especially if you're a writer. Without conflict or desire, our characters would be boring. I think the same can be said of us. It's easy to fall into a rhythm of daily habits, but if you want to be creative, plan on making time for something new, something different, something uncomfortable.

When you are stuck on a creative project (writing, painting, etc) try taking a break and give yourself a mini-adventure. Sing in public, go roller skating, eat food you've never tried before. Or combine the already existing elements of your life in a different way, such as mixing friends who have never met, even if they might not get along. (In fact, that only makes things more exciting.)

Another way to get out of your box is to experience it another way, such as blindfolding yourself and navigating your home that way for an hour. How does the space seem different? What senses can you bring to your writing that have been overlooked?

For me, just getting outside of my 'boxes' and being out in nature makes me see things new again. Walking through a forest challenges me to identify bird calls and enjoy the wind applauding through the leaves. When at home, I find that using natural light as much as possible keeps me in touch with the larger world as I notice the change of light and shadow as Earth pirouettes the sun. It makes me notice time differently. It reminds me that I'm a part of something bigger, more wonderful and extraordinary than anything I could imagine.

Writers, don't forget to get away from the computer and live a little! If we do the same things at the same time and have the same conversations with the same people every day, is it any wonder when we get writer's block? Get out of your box and do something uncomfortable. Your readers will thank you for it.

Picture: The Vanishing Soul (detail) mixed media on wood © Kathleen Sullivan Isacson, 2010

The Wisdom of Words #3: Edit or Die

Yesterday, my son asked me if he could 'borrow some of my geekiness' to solve a math problem. I had to admit, I've got plenty to spare.

One--just one--reason I've been awarded a moniker worthy of taped-together glasses is this: reading manuals on grammar, style and punctuation gives me absurd joy. They make me thrill at each turn of the page and guffaw (at bad examples) as I plow through chapters with the eagerness of a drunk whose alcohol has taught her to sing. My husband, who believes most reading can (and should be) accomplished during a bathroom visit, finds this comically disturbing.

"You read that thing like a novel," he'll say, recoiling from a passage about commas. "That's disgusting!"

By now, the more astute readers out there will have noted (as evidenced in this blog) that reading books on writing does not insure perfection. So, why do I read them? I read books on how to writing as a form of immersion therapy; I hope that one day it will all sink in and I will emerge at the end of each book miraculously transformed, perfect in style and form. This is probably because, in addition to being geeky, I am also delusional.

But I live in hope. In short, I will always make mistakes. So far, I bet I've accomplished at least 1,238.5 atrocities against my mother tongue in this blog alone. Assuming you are mortal, you will make lots of mistakes too. So count on them. Start off recklessly. Speed along like the new owner of a McLaren F1 out on an remote highway for the first time. Then, go back to the beginning. Go over your work with the obedience of a driver inching through a speed trap in front of a preschool.

I mention this because there are a few myths I find among aspiring writers:

Myth # 1: Editing is a waste of time. It takes away from the essence of my unique message.

I have met many writers who just don't see the value of editing what they have written. I'm sure there's some good stuff in your first draft. But, chances are, it can be way better. Editing is like the difference between a chunk of coal and a cut diamond. For the average writer, it takes patience, pressure, and a lot of cutting to get your work to shine.

Myth # 2: There must be a short-cut around learning grammar.  I've met others who don't wish to be bothered with the basics of English, yet feel compelled to write. If you are writing for anyone but yourself, do your readers a favor and at least attempt to learn the basics. It may be inconvenient, but it's nothing compared to the agony of writing without, say, commas. (I've actually given feedback for a writer who avoided commas as if they carried leprosy. As a result, reading her prose was hilarious, only for unfortunate reasons.)

Myth # 3: I edited it, now it's done.  Plan on editing your work, not once, but twenty or more times. If your goal is publishing, make sure to edit multiple times, ideally on multiple days. Edit once and you might kill your chances of publication by overlooking mistakes you could have easily fixed.

Once is not enough. In fact, one person is not enough. Get other people to read and edit your work in progress. You don't have to take all the advice you get, but it's a crucial step. Editing your own work is like cutting your own hair; there will be some things you just can't see for yourself. We all have blind spots. So get someone else to help you see yours.

For those of you looking for great books on good writing, check out the list below. They are a few of the tomes I tuck under my pillow at night when I want to make my husband jealous--or horrified.

Suggested Reading for Aspiring Logophiles:

Eats, Shoots & Leaves : The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation - Lynne Truss
The Transitive Vampire: Grammar for the Innocent, the Eager, and the Doomed - Karen Elizabeth Gordon
Bird by Bird - Anne LaMott
The First Five Pages - Noah Lukeman
The Elements of Style - Wm. Strunk & EB White
The Elements of Story - Francis Flaherty

What do you do when you have an editorial 911 and nary a grammar book is in sight?

Try Grammar Girl online. (She also has a book, should you prefer your grammar the old-fashioned way.) I think of her as the patron saint of obscure punctuation marks.

These resources have helped me and made me laugh all at the same time. Hopefully, they have made me a better writer, too, although I still have far to go...

Stay tuned for installment # 4 (coming soon to a monitor near you)

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The Wisdom of Words, #2: Avoid il-literary-acy

There are perils involved when you expose your children to great literature. Parents who insist upon recklessly filling their children's minds with stories and wisdom from throughout the ages should proceed with caution; it can wreak havoc on your life. The danger? Knowledge is power and children love to use it against you. Here's a perfect example: last week I decided we should watch an adaptation of Gerald Durrell's My Family and Other Animals, which features a twelve-year-old boy's account of his adventures in Greece. Perfect, I thought. And it was. Except that Durrell's charming gift for rationalizing sloth has rubbed off on my son. Now, when I ask the boy to do anything that even smells educational, he quotes Gerald ruthlessly. "But I prefer to be half-educated," he says. "Life is so much more surprising when you're ignorant."

Despite this hazard, I have to admit that I am one of those parents who impose culture upon my son with zealous abandon. In the last ten years he has been subjected to jazz, opera and the Beatles; wayang, kubuki and early American historic recreations; Hitchcock, Buster Keaton and The Seven Samuri. He will no doubt spend years in therapy because of this. However, as long as he waits until adulthood and pays his own counseling bills, it's a chance I'm willing to take. Why? Because the world is far larger, more intricate and varied than our day-to-day life implies. Because if we're smart, we learn from our own experiences, but when we manage to learn from the success and folly of others, then we're wise. And that is what brings us to No. 2 in this blog series:

Avoid il-literary-acy

Yes, I made that word up. And I must say it was very un-literary of me to do so. Invariably, the second thing I recommend to new writers--or to any writer...OK, or to anyone who will listen--is to read. Read everything you can get your hands on. One of the best ways to learn a craft is to study, observe and expose yourself to finished examples of it. If you are an artist, look at lots of art. If you are a musician, listen to tons of music. If you are a writer, read. Read the classics, read contemporary work, read books written by people you admire and even people you despise. Read books that annoy you and figure out why you don't like them. Read what you love and come away inspired. Read great books slowly and take in every ordinary detail like a tourist in awe of the pyramids. But take notes with the eye of an archeologist and learn from what you see. I have met many, many people who pursue a craft without studying what others have done before them. In my opinion, that makes learning much harder than it needs to be. Learn from the success and folly of others. It makes all the difference in the world.

Looking for something new to read? Here are a few random picks from my bookshelf. In this list I've tried to include writing from different continents, eras, faiths, genders and genres. If you read something here, let me know what you think!

Arrow of God - Chinua Achebe
Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Barbarian Way - Erwin Rapheal McManus
The Bone People - Keri Hulme
The Dream of the Red Chamber - Cao Xueqin
The Art Lover - Carole Maso
Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert Pirsig
Searching for God Knows What - Donald Miller
Odes to Opposites - Pablo Neruda
Zami: A New Spelling of my Name - Audre Lorde
Something Wicked This Way Comes - Ray Bradbury
Kent Haruf - Plainsong
The Famished Road - Ben Okri
The Shipping News - E. Annie Proulx
The Winged Seed - Li-Young Lee
Blindness - Jose Saramago
Haikus - Richard Wright
Narcissis & Goldmund - Herman Hesse
Still Life with Woodpecker - Tom Robbins
The Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis
Krik? Krak! - Edwidge Danticat
Moo - Jane Smiley

Disclaimer: I in no way guarantee that you will like these books or even agree with them, but that's not the point. Writing allows us the privilege of gaining insight into the hearts, minds and souls of people we ordinarily would never meet. That is a tremendous gift to me. I hope it is a gift to you as well.Next up is # 3: Be "Ear" Now - The listening test.

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The Wisdom of Words - #1. Put Descartes before the horse.

If there's one song that captures the human condition in a sentence, I think it must be this: "Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die." It's certainly true in my household; for example, everybody wants to eat dinner - but nobody wants to cook. Over the years, I've taken to singing variations of it spontaneously, as it seems to suit almost any occasion. The writer's version of this is "everybody wants to publish books, but nobody wants to write."

Every so often, someone will ask me about how to become a published writer, yet few people ask me how to write well. My answer is always the same; worry about your writing first. Write early and write often. Carry a notebook or a pocket audio recording device to capture those random insights you have throughout your day. Inspiration is lightning to the soul; it can illuminate a hundred thousand things in a flash, but it's impossible to recreate exactly once the moment has passed. It will come again, but is different each time it strikes. You might get close, but typically something has been lost.

To severely misquote Rene Descartes, "I write because I am." The best writing comes from people who care more about the art of their craft than they do about getting it published. That is not to say you shouldn't try to publish your work or get paid for it, please do. But beware: when you find yourself focused more on selling your work then on the writing itself, it will show. Ironically, your writing will be less marketable as result. Write because you can't stop writing. Write like you're trapped in a fire and you haven't finished your will yet. Write because the thought of lying on your deathbed before you have finished your manuscript makes you gnash your teeth with premeditated regret. When that's the thought that haunts you, you're on the right track, you're on your way.

To be continued, check back for more (solicited) writing advice in #2: Avoid il-literary-acy.

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