"Do a second and third rewrite before you show the manuscript to the editor. At the very least, use spell check on the entire manuscript, and then have some friends check for errors. Make it the best you can do on your own so you won’t be paying for a professional’s time to do what you could have done yourself." Patty Zion, from "Working with a Freelance Editor"
We ended the workshop with examples of these techniques by poets such as Robert Frost, Robert Burns, Elizabeth Bishop, Mary Oliver, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and others. For me as the presenter, the discussion reinvigorated my awareness of these tools and the power they give the poet to touch the reader at a fundamental, emotional level.
Submitters, supporters and followers of The Watershed Journal (TWJ) may have also heard of the group of writers called The Writer’s Block Party (WBP), a social group for writers that is sponsored by the Journal. It might be confusing when TWJ writers talk about being WBP writers (oh the joys of acronyms!).
Many of our local writers have found blogging to be a great way to reach their audience. Some of them use blogging as a way to journal their creative processes and some use it as a professional platform. However, all of these blogs feature distinct, unique voices that contribute to our understanding of ourselves as creative people and the world around us. Check out our list of blogs by local writers which are in no particular order.
Certainly, writing is an inspired process, driven by passion and made possible by discipline. Like anything else, it is a practice. We become better by investing the time and honing our skill. But are we only to be considered writers once the Nobel prize has come in? Do we cease to be writers the moment our pen rests?
As if being a veteran, a boxing coach, a philanthropist and a narcotics detective weren’t enough, Jimmy Cvetic published four books containing his hard-hitting, humorous and street-wise poems. His style has been likened to that of Charles Bukowski, an acknowledged influence. Stories from his Catholic childhood in Garfield in the early 1950s, his observations of human nature, and his experiences in the military and in law enforcement dominate his writing.
Sometimes, I feel conflicted. Why am I so drawn to the arts? Why did I choose to study communication disorders? Where’s the connection? I sometimes forget the connection is the human element of expression. As humans we seem to be motivated to express ourselves. This need is also reinforced when our needs are met through communication. Our mere survival depends on it. My time with you now will explore the connection between visual art and written language as evidenced by a total of four works.
As writers, we bring our own set of experiences and perspectives to whatever we write. That’s part of what makes writing compelling. But with collaborative writing, you bring in the experiences and perspectives of several other writers as well as your own. By including more writers in the process for a single written piece, you enrich the word choice, syntax and thematic elements dramatically. Sometimes the product gets muddled with competing ideas and approaches. But more often than not, particularly if there is no ego or agenda brought to the table, the product of collaborative writing is something that astonishes the participants.
This feeling only grew when I bought a used copy of Ralph’s book – an autographed copy, it turned out— and began reading. Ralph’s True Stories is a lovely compilation of articles that reminisce about a life lived fully, mixed in with folksy observations and no small amount of humor. Even more wonderfully, these vignettes are accompanied by photographs infused with the vintage charm of old-fashioned cars, clothing and past traditions. There’s Ralph in a gaggle of school boys in front of the old school house, 1930. There he is in a bobsled pulled by the family’s horses, 1931. He and his wife as a young couple, 1948. His mom holding their first-born in front of the chicken coop, 1950. The 300+ page book had one homey, sweet, candid photograph after another.
When we started The Watershed Journal, we had the idea to develop a model for the magazine that would be based on inclusivity. Everyone gets in. Our only restriction is to select local writers, photographers and storytellers so that they can best represent the feel of this region. But we aren’t looking to filter out submissions until we get to the best. We want everyone’s story.