Like a lot of full-time writers (most of us do something else part-time, like teach), I get inquiries about how to get published, what to write -- about the writing life in general.
I'll try to give a few decent answers over the next few weeks. Here's one thought for today. (Then I have to get back to writing; that's one thing about the writing life -- you have to write for real a lot more than blog or twitter.)
If you want to be a writer, you have to go places inside yourself where you might not normally go. You might have to face the idea of your own mortality, or that of people you love. And then you write about it. Writing about it means showing, not just stating your observations. You tell a story by showing life in all its dimensions, not stating facts.
I'll try to give a few decent answers over the next few weeks. Here's one thought for today. (Then I have to get back to writing; that's one thing about the writing life -- you have to write for real a lot more than blog or twitter.)
If you want to be a writer, you have to go places inside yourself where you might not normally go. You might have to face the idea of your own mortality, or that of people you love. And then you write about it. Writing about it means showing, not just stating your observations. You tell a story by showing life in all its dimensions, not stating facts.