I have been thinking about my own writing and why the novel I am working on is on the subject that it is. I have been working on this book for close to four years off and on, yet is nowhere near ready for any publication of any kind.
I have found that my classes in creative writing have helped immensely, whether it was poetry, fiction and even non-fiction. Each of these genres taught me different methods to better my writing.
For poetry it was how to convey an idea in a short concise way. Also, poetry taught me how to find new ways to say things as demonstrated by the sonnet. In the confined spaces of the Sonnet, a poet chooses his or here words very carefully, both because of the rhyme scheme and only 10 syllables in one line.
For fiction, it was how to build a world that is both believable and easy to understand, whether the story is based in places people know, in some fantastical world that only exists in imagination or some combination of the two.
For non-fiction, it was how to really show instead of telling the story. Show the people, the places and the situations so that the reader is in the moment with the writer. I learned it is so important to have those concrete details and have those tell the story. Everyone can tell a story. It is more difficult to show the story.
Yet in all this the author has to know the audience that he or she is writing for. If a person is to ever show his or her writing to anyone they have to know who that person is. It is not a matter of writing for that audience; it is a matter of knowing them so that you, as the author, can convey the story so they understand it.
To get to know your audience and those that may buy your books watch such bestseller lists as in the New York Times. This can offer insight into who is buying what at certain times, and trends in genres, may lead you to understand on when you should send in your book.
Also, one of the most influential women in the world can help shape what is being read.
Of course she is only one person and it takes more than that for a book to be put on the bestseller list.
More than likely the book that I am writing will never see the pages of the New York Times but I can hope that people will read the pages that I am working so hard on.
To end this post I really would like to share another poem of mine. This one was published in the Great Lakes Review, the literary magazine on the SUNY Oswego Campus. It is an example of a Sonnet.
A Field Proposal
Mother saying no, Father saying yes.
A story of contempt it thus began.
A blessing he asked for, and I said I guess.
"He is a good man," father said, "kind man."
"We are different, you and I, to love."
"What, you prideful, I… me indifferent?"
"No, shy and you outspoken, beloved.
To love in such a way, so defiant."
Another suitor hoping for romance,
my mother liked his chances better.
First look, I knew I didn't like his stance.
I found on my room desk a sealed letter.
My love asked me to meet him in the field
of white flowers hoping my hand to yield.
