tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post9153324936855729753..comments2024-03-28T10:41:26.999-06:00Comments on Blood-Red Pencil: Learning about Self through the Act of WritingDanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-57249276757765253092013-06-12T15:58:32.336-06:002013-06-12T15:58:32.336-06:00Catie, I enjoyed reading your post. I haven’t gott...Catie, I enjoyed reading your post. I haven’t gotten into a rhythm yet in the books I’ve written. I’ve written while learning and trying new things at the same time. For this reason the sub-themes are different, aside from universal themes, and the stories quite different.<br /><br />As far as getting into any minds and giving advice to help people outside the pages, I’ve struggled with a curious phenomenon in which people try to get into mine based on what I write. (The layperson version of psychoanalysis.) It isn’t a nice experience and so I will refrain from saying anything introspective or too profound in this type of forum.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-66370659171118555412013-06-12T04:23:48.605-06:002013-06-12T04:23:48.605-06:00Thanks, Shon. You're right that creative writi...Thanks, Shon. You're right that creative writing is an intensely personal matter. We put our souls into it, to coin a cliche - and our souls change with time. I'm amazed when I look back at stories I wrote five years ago to see how far <i>I </i>have changed, as a person. <br /><br />That said, as we mature as professional writers, we stop taking our work personally. At least, we should. If an editor wants to change something, fine. They're not tampering with our souls...Dr John Yeomanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03457052363231077457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-74142806058312481072013-06-10T20:21:56.806-06:002013-06-10T20:21:56.806-06:00All stories, like all lives, should have purpose. ...All stories, like all lives, should have purpose. For our characters to ring true, they must connect with our readers on an emotional level. When we care, our characters care (at least some of them). When we change and grow, our characters change and grow. Only then can we take our readers' hands and show them the way.<br /><br />Great post, Shon! :-)Linda Lanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06686488133905538811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-945964205157916202013-06-10T17:49:14.808-06:002013-06-10T17:49:14.808-06:00Thanks for commenting, Deborah! You know, for some...Thanks for commenting, Deborah! You know, for some, that "penny" never drops!Shonell Baconhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04827197354857197637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-6416625335630045022013-06-10T17:49:05.304-06:002013-06-10T17:49:05.304-06:00Hey there, Dani.
I've heard of Story Circle N...Hey there, Dani.<br /><br />I've heard of Story Circle Network, but never checked it out fully. Will do so now, :-)Shonell Baconhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04827197354857197637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-65166849084114645162013-06-10T15:29:21.028-06:002013-06-10T15:29:21.028-06:00About the time I handed in the third book in my Ca...About the time I handed in the third book in my Caledon trilogy, I suddenly realised that all my works are about redemption. Funny how long it takes for the penny to drop.<br /><br />Thanks for your insights!<br />Deborah Turner Harrisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-51978688509817341932013-06-10T13:49:05.438-06:002013-06-10T13:49:05.438-06:00Shon, do you know about Story Circle Network? &quo...Shon, do you know about Story Circle Network? "For women with stories to tell." It's a lifewriting group started by Susan Wittig Albert based in Austin, TX. It might be something of interest to you as related to examining your life through personal writing. http://www.storycircle.org/ Terrific organization. They have a conference coming up early next year.Danihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-13635961963831352102013-06-10T11:32:44.590-06:002013-06-10T11:32:44.590-06:00Hey there, Kathryn! I can't wait to read your ...Hey there, Kathryn! I can't wait to read your novel. And you are SO right about perseverance and hope as needed tools in publishing!Shonell Baconhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04827197354857197637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-172454651501238232013-06-10T11:32:29.498-06:002013-06-10T11:32:29.498-06:00You should have been glib, Christopher. I always e...You should have been glib, Christopher. I always enjoy it! :-) Having read your comment, I'm looking forward to the third act a bit. Me and my axle get SO close, SO often!Shonell Baconhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04827197354857197637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-48756695578674772202013-06-10T11:32:19.903-06:002013-06-10T11:32:19.903-06:00I totally get that, Terry. I think that also might...I totally get that, Terry. I think that also might shed light, too. The want to escape says as much about you as any other thing people might learn about themselves in the act of writing.Shonell Baconhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04827197354857197637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-18327468020042065112013-06-10T11:32:12.054-06:002013-06-10T11:32:12.054-06:00Alison, thanks for the comments. And you know, you...Alison, thanks for the comments. And you know, you mentioning your great leap made me think about that as well. Finding faith in God was also a big turning point for me and for my writing.<br />Shonell Baconhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04827197354857197637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-7209502699288093172013-06-10T10:48:57.654-06:002013-06-10T10:48:57.654-06:00Haha! Thanks for adding the visual!Haha! Thanks for adding the visual!Kathryn Crafthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08371458857187160425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-5366104076433542822013-06-10T10:35:39.729-06:002013-06-10T10:35:39.729-06:00Kathryn, I was once mowing the lawn sans shirt ......Kathryn, I was once mowing the lawn sans shirt ... my wife ran out and told me to put it back on ... quickly ... it was scaring the neighborhood women and children.Christopher Hudsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03667548312923348614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-67103488768473863362013-06-10T08:28:18.993-06:002013-06-10T08:28:18.993-06:00Shon you sound like my kind of writer! This post r...Shon you sound like my kind of writer! This post really spoke to my heart. I too write stories of perseverance and hope. 'Cause wow, if there are two things you need in publishing, it's perseverance and hope! <br /><br />The novel coming out in January was such a journey of healing for me after my first husband's suicide. My protagonist, who was much more raw and angry in early drafts, healed and matured right along with me. I went from a woman full of anger for what her husband had done to a woman who could now have empathy for his plight. I owe that all to my novel.<br /><br />And Christopher—thanks for giving us a peek at the person wearing the comedy shirt. Nice to see you. ;)Kathryn Crafthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08371458857187160425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-21967647429816276042013-06-10T08:13:52.481-06:002013-06-10T08:13:52.481-06:00Shon, it's hard to be glib when someone bares ...Shon, it's hard to be glib when someone bares their soul in a post like this ... but I'll do it anyway ... just kidding. Seriously, I think much of your sentiment has to do with age ... when you're in the third act of your own personal play, all the conflict and drama of life is behind you ... you don't get wrapped around the axle about stuff anymore ... you just try to have fun.Christopher Hudsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03667548312923348614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-50334862152507207822013-06-10T08:12:00.888-06:002013-06-10T08:12:00.888-06:00Interesting post. I fear I'm the sort who want...Interesting post. I fear I'm the sort who wants to escape when reading, and those are the books I write as well. In fact, the hardest part about sharing any writing when I first began was the fear that people would think my characters were "me." I prefer to hide when I write, escaping to my world where things all come out all right in the end.<br /><br /><br />Terry <br /><a href="http://terryodell.com/terrysplace" rel="nofollow">Terry's Place</a><br />Terry Odellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11610682530545306687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-66103463140519330722013-06-10T03:49:14.095-06:002013-06-10T03:49:14.095-06:00Shon, Excellent post. I haven't been plugging ...Shon, Excellent post. I haven't been plugging away at fiction writing long enough or consistently enough to glean insights about myself that I didn't start out with. However, since childhood, poetry has been my main form of written expression, and it is great look back through them to see "me" at various stages throughout the years. And one great leap where the tenor of my poems changed was when I found faith in God as an adult. The poems became more settled, though not with losing the probing and questioning that always marked me. I call the early poems, "Glimpses of my Wanderings," and the later ones, "I've Come Home."alisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17481879917467051418noreply@blogger.com