The Write Tips

            I read as much as I write, but my reading is far better onemight say. That being so, I'd like for my writing to excel and reach out andgrab a reader who will sing my praises to the blue sky's and eagerly await mynext novel.
            So I dream on.
            I tend to study all the writing tips that appear in thenewspapers, magazines, and study what successful novelists have to say.
            I've come to a conclusion. One that I learned as a teenagerfrom my primary doctor. Dr. J. J. Whitsett told me over and over as I left myteens and settled into my adult years something I've always remembered.
            I continually asked him questions on how to maintain ahealthy body. When I was eighteen years of age I came home from my freshmanyear at the University of Texas, severelyanemic. My hemoglobin was so low he wanted to put me in the hospital, butdecided that we'd try liquid iron for three months.
            That brought up my count and I had energy. Energy I was notaware that I lacked. I started with books and pamphlets on health and irondeficiency anemia.
The more I read the more it echoed in my head what Dr. Whitsett toldme.
            It is so very simple and I'll share it here.
            Consider this, in one week, month or year, an item will appearin our newspapers, magazines and TV.  This item will be extolling the virtuesof a wonderous cure-all ointment, pill or liquid that will make us healthy,happy and rich. With our minds so saturated with this info, we clean out ourcupboards and fill it with the new, safe stuff.
            Time will pass. It always does and soon we hear, threetimes over how we've been poisoning our bodies with the heretofore healthystuff.
            Now, I'm using the above as an example, but it can beapplied to every level in our lives. One day we hear that X is good for us.  Wego out and we fill our cabinets with X. With this accomplished, more timepasses, lots of it and we discover that X is not good for us.  We need Z. Onceagain our minds are saturated with some special or horrible information and itgoes on ad infinitum.
            Think how we banned eggs from out diet and now we can enjoyour eggs with out guilt.
            Writing hints are the same.  It depends on our voice, ourtopic and the rhythm that is natural to us. 
            I've applied thistheory to my writing.
            Just last month a new list of tips on improving one'swriting appeared in one of the magazines I read. The article compared a longopening sentence from one of our literary treasures. The sentence could haveseveral drawbacks, one being, the reader may never get to the period.
            On the other hand, there's Herman Melville's classic: 19thCentury Novel, Moby Dick.
            "Callme Ishmael." was the opening sentence. Can't get much shorter than thatexcept in the Bible.
          So, for me, I consider the flow andrhythm of the words. That may not make me a good writer, but I enjoy myrelationship with my keyboard.
          I've got to go load the coffee pot andcheck on Perry Mason, who's in the other room. Goodnight Mr. eMachine.
By: Pauline Hallard (7-11-2012)