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mary rosenblum
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Good morning, all!
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mary rosenblum
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I hope you're having a great
week.
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mary rosenblum
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I have to say that I had some
good news this week. A short story of mine that appeared in Analog Magazine
in 2006..
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mary rosenblum
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has been included in the
annual Year's Best SF collection.
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mary rosenblum
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I'm very pleased for Search
Engine. It was one of my favorite stories this year.
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mary rosenblum
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Jane asked me to talk about
creative ability at a Forum and I thought it was a good issue to bring up.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about creative ability. If you're new here, remember that you need
to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach me! You can also
type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach me.
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mary rosenblum
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Some people whether writing
can be 'taught' or whether you are simply born with or without the ability.
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mary rosenblum
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I know I got fed that 'you
have to be born a writer' line when I was in High School.
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mary rosenblum
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I always wondered how that was
supposed to manifest. Maybe a golden W on your forehead at birth?
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mary rosenblum
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Never have met anyone with one
of those.
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mephistopheles
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Well you sort of answered my
first question, can you be taught to be creative or do you need to have it
already inside of you waiting to surface through instructions and lessons?
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mary rosenblum
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Well, I don't really think
I've 'answered' it, mephis...
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mary rosenblum
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but I do think it's a mix of
both.
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mary rosenblum
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Writing is a mix of both.
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mary rosenblum
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You have the craft side of
writing....learning how to put language together in such a way that you
communicate...
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mary rosenblum
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the images and sounds in your
brain to another person clearly.
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mary rosenblum
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In effect, we use ink marks to
create telepathy.
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mary rosenblum
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And no matter how lovely the
images in your mind, if you cannot share them with your readers, your story
will not work.
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mary rosenblum
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The telepathy is broken.
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mary rosenblum
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But imagination DOES play a
role, too. So does a 'sense of story'.
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mary rosenblum
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Many very excellent nonfiction
writers couldn't tell a story to save their lives...that is not something
that interests them.
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mary rosenblum
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But they are powerful
nonfiction writers because they can connect with their readers...
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mary rosenblum
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that is an important craft
skill...your ability to empathize with your readers and speak to them.
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spider
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Could you clarify 'sense of
story'?
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mary rosenblum
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Yes, let's.
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janecj333
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you mentioned how you steer some
students to nonfic, those who lack sense of story. What exactly is it? how
do we get it?
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mary rosenblum
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I do steer many students to
nonfic if it's something they're interested in at all. Many are really
anxious to get published...
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mary rosenblum
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and I know they'll get
published quickly in NF, so I urge them to focus on that more strongly and
write the fiction as 'dessert'...
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mary rosenblum
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rather than be discouraged at
no sales just because their storytelling skills need more work than their
craft skills. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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I have worked with students
and novice writers for many years...we're talking in the thousands...
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mary rosenblum
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and of all those people, I can
remember only a very small handful...well under ten...
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mary rosenblum
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whom I felt had no ability
with story at all.
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mary rosenblum
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And I am not sure that can be
learned... BUT...
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mary rosenblum
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these were people who had read
little if any fiction.
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mary rosenblum
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I have NO idea why they wanted
to write stories...
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mary rosenblum
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If you love to read, it is
highly unlikely that you lack a sense of story.
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mary rosenblum
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A sense of story is knowing
what a story FEELS like...
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mary rosenblum
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you know what it is when you
read it and you can also make it happen...
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mary rosenblum
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even if you aren't sure what
you are doing or can analyze the craft techniques that make it good or
mediocre.
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mary rosenblum
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That's why so many novice
fiction writers are really discouraged when they get early rejections.
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mary rosenblum
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You KNOW you've written a
story.
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mary rosenblum
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You just don't realize at
first the vast difference between that perfected telepathy of strong craft
and 'broken telepathy' where your...
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mary rosenblum
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readers can't share what YOU
know in your own mind.
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mary rosenblum
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It takes that ability to SEE
the craft in order to know what is and is not coming across to the reader.
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mary rosenblum
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That you learn.
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mary rosenblum
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Workshops and writers
courses...good ones...can really really accelerate that progress.
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mary rosenblum
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I spent six weeks at the
Clarion West writers workshop, wrote 60,000 words and probably moved my
craft ahead about three years...
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mary rosenblum
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compared to what I would have
figured out on my own. I would have gotten there eventually, I'm sure, but
it accelerated the process.
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mephistopheles
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Mary is that like knowing the
slant of your audience as you write?
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mary rosenblum
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That plays a STRONG role in
nonfiction, mephis, and it does play a role in fiction, too.
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mary rosenblum
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And that's something you
learn.
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mary rosenblum
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I just read a marvelous
children's story from a new student, last night. But he had written it in
such a way...
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mary rosenblum
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that it was sort of a mix of
children's story and adult story.
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mary rosenblum
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Too childish for the adults,
too adult for the children readers...so I simply showed him how to...
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mary rosenblum
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fix it for one audience or the
other. THat's craft.
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jeannieml
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Do you sometimes have your
stories come as poetry first?
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mary rosenblum
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I don't, jean. I'm simply not
a poetry person. But everybody is different and some writers do begin with
poetry.
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mephistopheles
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there are days where ideas and
creativity just flow and other days they don't come for weeks at a time. I
understand writer's block, but to be blocked for weeks at a time makes me
worry that I don't have the creativity to write at times.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about creative ability. If you're new here, remember that you need
to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach me! You can also
type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach me.
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mary rosenblum
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This is one of the reasons I
decided this was a good topic, mephis.
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mary rosenblum
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That idea that 'creative
ability' is a tangible quantity, like a jug of water...
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mary rosenblum
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and it can run out.
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mary rosenblum
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Belive me, I have been on the
'gusher' and 'dry well' end of creative feeling...
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mary rosenblum
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but it really is not a finite
quantiity that you can exhaust.
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mary rosenblum
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It's always there. I have
known writers who quit, knew they were done, dried up, finished...
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mary rosenblum
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I have felt the same, but you
know what? It's still there.
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mary rosenblum
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One of the hard things to
realize is how much YOU get in the way of your own creativity.
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mary rosenblum
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Your fears, your expectations,
your doubts, your family relationships...they can all make you feel...
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mary rosenblum
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that the creativity is gone.
It isn't. You're just feeling bad.
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mary rosenblum
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I have learned to go ahead and
work on the project, even when every line feels like...well, something
unrepeatable...and just...
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mary rosenblum
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understand that eventually,
I'll get through the down time, look at it, and be amazed at how good it
actually is. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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BUt that is not easy to do!
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kungfumama
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What if you're weak in one facet
of writing - say you can write good prose and communicate well, but you're
a bit weak at developing plots? Is that something that can be learned?
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mary rosenblum
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Of course, kung!
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mary rosenblum
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Plotting is a learned thing.
Even if you know what a story feels like, it doesn't mean you can instantly
recreate a good plot. Ha!
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mary rosenblum
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When I started writing short
stories, like most novices, I either tried to cram a novel into the poor
thing, or I lacked sufficient plot.
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mary rosenblum
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I learned HOW to plot
consciously.
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janecj333
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when I stopped reading books for
pleasure and started analyzing scenes and chapters, I realized that just
being exposed to great writing wasn't enough.
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mary rosenblum
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It's a very important start,
jane.
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mary rosenblum
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You absorb WAY more than you
realize, reading good prose.
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mary rosenblum
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But, yeah, later on, you have
to learn how to build the structure.
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mary rosenblum
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I doubt any master archetect
ever designed a cathedral first time she sat down with pen and paper!
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jyinxy
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i have been feeling very
discouraged lately, i get a great start then just get blocked real bad. so
i have fifteen projects started with great beginnings and not one finished
product. any advice?
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mary rosenblum
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Yes, I do, jyinxy. And it's
advice that has been proven many times to work, not just by me, but by many
other writers at all levels whom I know personally.
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mary rosenblum
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Finish one of those projects.
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mary rosenblum
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Yes.
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mary rosenblum
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Tell yourself that you do not
have to make it good. You can throw it away as soon as you type 'the
end'...
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mary rosenblum
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but you WILL make it work
somehow...
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mary rosenblum
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If you have to do it one
sentence a day, do it.
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mary rosenblum
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I would suggest though that
you not throw it away, but simply put it away.
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mary rosenblum
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I suspect, when you look at it
later, you'll find that it's a lot better than you think.
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mary rosenblum
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But be stubborn. When you get
to a 'I can't figure out what happens next' moment...
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mary rosenblum
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Tell yourself, well, something
has to happen even if it's not great...and make something happen.
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mary rosenblum
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Doesn't matter what. Remember,
this isn't gonna be good, right?
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mary rosenblum
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If it's like taking medicine,
so be it. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about creative ability. If you're new here, remember that you need
to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach me! You can also
type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach me.
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lore alley
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I'm currently trudging through a
story interrupted by occasional bursts of effortless creativity. Is it
better to wait for the inspiration? Or should I continue to trudge and hope
to be inspired during revisions? :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Nah, trudge, lore.
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mary rosenblum
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Really, some of my
best-received stories were trudges from page three on! I swear I do better
with the trudges than the ones where I swoop through from beginning to end.
:-)
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mary rosenblum
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I actually have had only a few
stories that swooped all the way through and certainly no novels!
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mary rosenblum
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I go from swooping to trudging
to swooping again.
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mary rosenblum
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Enjoy the swoops and then keep
trudging.
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jeannieml
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Why do ideas pop up when the pen
or keyboard isn't around?
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mary rosenblum
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Probably because you're doing
something that allows your right brain...the creative side...to work
unimpeded, jean. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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I get my best ideas driving,
pitching manure, weeding the garden...manual tasks without a lot of
creative engagement.
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mary rosenblum
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Keep a tape recorder in your
pocket...one of those tiny ones.
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telcontar
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because they KNOW... like
animals learning the word "action" on movie sets....
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mary rosenblum
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It feels like it sometimes,
LOL. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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But do keep that notepad or
tape recorder around. I've lost LOTS of cool bits by telling myself...'I'll
remember this'. Ha.
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mephistopheles
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so what are some suggestions you
can offer to help us be more creative and less non productive
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mary rosenblum
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YOu can teach yourself to let
your creative side play, mephis....just as you can teach yourself to
remember your dreams.
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mary rosenblum
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STart by not making it so
SERIOUS.
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mary rosenblum
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You are not required to write
a Pulitzer winner every time you come up with a new idea.
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mary rosenblum
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You are not even required to
write that new idea.
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mary rosenblum
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An excellent exercise is to
give yourself an assignment...three story ideas every day. No, you're not
going to do them...
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mary rosenblum
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But if you listen to the news
or watch it on TV, read the paper, or just pay attention to the
conversations of people around you....
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mary rosenblum
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use these information sources
to come up with three rough ideas every day.
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lore alley
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only three??? I have so many I
get bogged down. can't even eat or do dishes without being interrupted by a
character banging on the door of my brain to get out. and then I don't
finish them. how can I?
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mary rosenblum
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Well, you can certainly expand
that goal, lore! LOL
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mary rosenblum
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But the thing is, write 'em
down and file 'em.
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mary rosenblum
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If you find yourself thinking
about one a lot, start expanding it...come up with a character...
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mary rosenblum
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start thinking about who that
person is, how come he/she is part of this story...
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mary rosenblum
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and before you know it, you'll
have a story waiting for you.
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mary rosenblum
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And meanwhile, you have a ton
of ideas.
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canyon
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When I get a story in my head my
mind moves faster..........
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mary rosenblum
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It does, doesn't it, canyon?
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mary rosenblum
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I can usually tell when a
story is ready to go...it starts buzzing like a fly. Annoying. :-)
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canyon
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than I can write. How can I
articulate these thoughts?
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mary rosenblum
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make shorthand notes, canyon.
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mary rosenblum
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I have that problem, too. As
I'm working on a scene or doing something, I'll get a rush of ideas about
that story.
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mary rosenblum
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I just scribble down bits that
would make NO sense to anyone else...but they serve...
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mary rosenblum
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as a jog to my memory so I can
recall what I was thinking about.
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mary rosenblum
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See if that works for you.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about creative ability. If you're new here, remember that you need
to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach me! You can also
type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach me.
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spider
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I sleep with a legal pad beside
to bed to write down dreams, or ideas that come to me while sleeping.
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mary rosenblum
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Me, too. But I rarely dream
usuable stuff....not when I'm writing. But I do wake up with ideas in the
wee hours.
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mary rosenblum
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Good thing my dogs don't mind
my turning on my light. LOL
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janecj333
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as for those creative
bits...I've written dozens of notes over weeks, and then plugged those
little bits into the story I'm mulling/writing. Other times I write the
notes, and by the time I have the story done, my subconscious has
incorporated what it needed of the bits without me even looking at them.
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mary rosenblum
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That can be a good method. I
do most of my 'writing' away from the computer. When I do sit down to the
keyboard, it's pretty much a nonstop flow of words. Soon as that flow
starts to slow down, I get up and do something else.
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mary rosenblum
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But do realize that between
you and your creative ability stands...yourself.
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mary rosenblum
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Just because it doesn't FEEL
creative does not mean it is not creative.
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mary rosenblum
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We are our own worst enemies
as writers.
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mary rosenblum
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That
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mary rosenblum
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That's why it's a good idea to
find good readers if you can...
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mary rosenblum
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friends who also write, a good
writers group...
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mary rosenblum
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so that you can compare the
reactions of someone who is NOT you to your own reactions. :-)
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jyinxy
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so how do we get over ourselves
and to our creative abilities?
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mary rosenblum
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Reader feedback will help you.
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mary rosenblum
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Sometimes the only thing that
will help the 'I can't do this' blues is to have someone say, 'wow, that's
really cool, so what happens next?'
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spider
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Can you recommend any good
sources to get reader feedback?
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mary rosenblum
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This website is an excellent
source, spider.
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mary rosenblum
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Network with some of the other
people here...lots of people swap work for critiques.
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mary rosenblum
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Sometimes you can find writers
groups locally...
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mary rosenblum
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they may meet at your local
library or post flyers in independent bookstores on bulletin boards...
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mary rosenblum
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or you may have writers
conferences in your area where you can meet other aspiring writers in your
area.
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mary rosenblum
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Swapping work with other
writers is an excellent way to help both your craft and your creative
ability.
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mary rosenblum
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Seeing what someone else is
doing may spark ideas or maybe another way to came at this story idea.
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mary rosenblum
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Being able to explain to
someone why something does or does not work means you have to understand
why it does or does not wark.
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mary rosenblum
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That will help you a lot with
your own craft.
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mary rosenblum
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Because at first, you'll know
it when you do it, but you won't know WHY it worked this time. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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I remember the first story I
wrote where I thought 'there...this is what I've been trying to do'.
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mary rosenblum
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But as to why THIS time it was
and LAST time it was not, I could not have told you.
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mary rosenblum
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I just knew it worked in a way
my previous stories had not. And a couple of them had already been
published. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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My own personal feeling is
that everyone is born with a certain amount of imagination, say on a scale
of 1 to 10.
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mary rosenblum
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Lots of things can get in the
way of your imagination. It might be discouraged in a strict or highly
religious family.
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mary rosenblum
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Life events might get in the
way.
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mary rosenblum
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But I don't think you can make
it go away.
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mary rosenblum
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And that is, I believe, the
only part of 'writing' that you are born with.
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mary rosenblum
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Yes, if you are low on the
imagination scale or you have learned not to use it...
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mary rosenblum
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you might have to work harder
than someone who overflows with ideas and has had a lifetime of
encouragement.
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mary rosenblum
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But that doesn't mean you
can't write a stor!
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mary rosenblum
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story!
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geezer
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My feeling is that all children
are born with imagination, but it gets squelched as they are
"educated".
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mary rosenblum
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Oh, I think that is certainly
true. :-) (And actually that's the underlying theme of the urban fantasy
novel I'm currently working on...)...
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mary rosenblum
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But that doesn't mean it goes
away, as I said.
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mary rosenblum
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It's the imagination that
allows you to create.
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mary rosenblum
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It is that ability to think
about something that does not exist at all.
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mary rosenblum
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One of the things that a
course like LR or a writers workshop can offer you is the opportunity to
create without striving for a grade.
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mary rosenblum
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So you can take risks, stretch
your wings.
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mary rosenblum
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But even if you're not taking
a course and only writing for eventual publication, you should write things
that you can't even imagine a market for.
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mary rosenblum
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I do that. :-) I have stories
that don't fit anywhere and never did...
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mary rosenblum
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but it stretches my craft,
trying to make things work in a different way.
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mary rosenblum
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Don't lock yourself into a
'production line' mentality.
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mary rosenblum
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I must write something for
this market!
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janecj333
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there's a concept my husband and
I debate...what is it, that we don't know about, that we can't even imagine
because there are no parallels? Who figured out radio, which needs not only
a receiver but a transmitter to realize? what else is out there that goes
undiscovered?
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mary rosenblum
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Ah and that is a marvelous
launching pad for some very cool SF stories, Jane.
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geezer
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Like homeschooling LR is like a
tutorial which in my opinion is the best way to educate.
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mary rosenblum
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It is. Unlike most schools
that measures your progress toward a specific goal...
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mary rosenblum
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a workshop or LR simply helps
you improve what needs improving.
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mary rosenblum
|
This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about creative ability. If you're new here, remember that you need
to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach me! You can also
type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach me.
|
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jyinxy
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i do actually have one story
that is almost done and ready to be sent out. but i cannot find a market
for it. what do you do when you have a good story that meets no ones
criteria?
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mary rosenblum
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Just save it! It is VERY nice
to have a few stories in inventory. I have a couple there now that I could
probably sell, but I'm waiting to see...
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mary rosenblum
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if a better market shows up.
:-) It's very easy to get focused on the near future...
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mary rosenblum
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it has to sell NOW or never.
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mary rosenblum
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But markets come and go and if
you keep writing, you have a lot of years ahead of you.
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mary rosenblum
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If you have it, you might hear
about a perfect new market six months or two years from now.
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mary rosenblum
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You might have a brilliant
insight one morning that allows you to turn this story into something even
stronger...
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mary rosenblum
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and totally suitable for a
current market.
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mary rosenblum
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You just never know.
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mary rosenblum
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They don't go stale or spoil,
you know. :-) Stories have a very loooooonnnnng shelf life.
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mary rosenblum
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It's hard to realize just how
enduring and long term that creative ability is, but it's part of YOU..
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janecj333
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can you touch on novelty as a
part of the creative process, in terms of what editors want?
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mary rosenblum
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What editors want most is a
good, strong story.
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mary rosenblum
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That is rarer than you think.
:-) Yes, if you come up with something marvelous and cool that nobody has
thought of...
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mary rosenblum
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it'll sell quickly....but only
if the writing is good and you present that idea as part of a strong story.
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mary rosenblum
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I have sighed heavily over a
number of stories I have seen done by novice writers...
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mary rosenblum
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where the story had the
potential to be a Hugo winner, but the author simply did not have the craft
ability to make it that strong, wonderful idea though it was.
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mary rosenblum
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Don't sweat novelty.
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mary rosenblum
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Work mostly on learning how to
create powerful characters and a strong story.
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mary rosenblum
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That is much more important.
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mary rosenblum
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What you will find, Jane, is
that if you focus on your characters...
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mary rosenblum
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they will create novelty
because they are so unique...
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mary rosenblum
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and they will pull your story
away form convention.
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mary rosenblum
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I don't think I've written a
story yet that didn't have a fairly conventional plot if you strip it right
down to it's bare bones...
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mary rosenblum
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but the characters have pulled
and warped that 'conventional' story into its own unique shape.
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mary rosenblum
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So I tend to get credit for
plotting which makes me laugh.
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mary rosenblum
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I'm really not a creative
plotter. I let my characters do that for me.
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mary rosenblum
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And some writers ARE creative
plotters...my good friend in New Mexico is.
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mary rosenblum
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Her plots are like faceted
diamonds.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about creative ability. If you're new here, remember that you need
to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach me! You can also
type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach me.
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mary rosenblum
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Work with your strengths.
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mary rosenblum
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You will discover what they
are as you write more and get more feedback from readers.
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mary rosenblum
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I have learned a LOT from what
my fans have said at booksignings. :-) I listen.
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mary rosenblum
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It's a good idea to work with
your own creative ability...
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mary rosenblum
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and the way to do that is to
write a lot of different things and see what works best for you.
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mary rosenblum
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You may be a real idea person,
you may be a strong character writers, you may do lovely, gemlike plots.
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mary rosenblum
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That
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mary rosenblum
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That's something you'll find
out as people TELL you what you're doing well. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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And finally let's address the
question I hear a lot: Do I have enough creative ability to be a writer?
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mary rosenblum
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Yeah, it's highly unlikely
that you don't have enough.
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mary rosenblum
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But that's not an important
question.
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mary rosenblum
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What you really need to be
asking is: Do I want to work hard enough to be a serious writer?
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mary rosenblum
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It is a lot of HARD work.
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mary rosenblum
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You write a lot of words that
never get published.
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mary rosenblum
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You write a lot of words that
do get published and you write them over and over until you get them right.
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mary rosenblum
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And THAT is what will
determine your 'writer' future...not if you have the ability (you almost
surely do or you wouldn't even be here) but do you have the desire.
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mary rosenblum
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To be honest, most people
don't.
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mary rosenblum
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It is much easier to quit than
to do it. Belive me!
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mary rosenblum
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And the hardest part is that
you can't really see your own growth until you look back.
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mary rosenblum
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When I was first writing, not
selling anything then not selling much, I felt I wasn't improving at all.
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mary rosenblum
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Wrong. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Couldn't see it with my nose
pressed to the window...had to be able to stand back a bit.
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janecj333
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tenacity
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mary rosenblum
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Yep.
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mary rosenblum
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And you have to send your work
out.
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mary rosenblum
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That is part of it. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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You need to give it to readers
(who are writers...they can tell you specifically what does and does not
work)..
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mary rosenblum
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and then to editors.
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mary rosenblum
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You don't improve very quickly
if you don't get feedback. Remember...it is the ability to create telepathy
that you strive for...
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mary rosenblum
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and you can't really do
telepathy without someone to receive it.
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dfitz
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I have a lot of trouble with
market research and deciding where to send anything that I write and I can
do it this to be worrying about that or I guess you have any suggestions
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mary rosenblum
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It's hard at first, dfitz. The
market guidelines all sound like and they're intimidating.
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mary rosenblum
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Browsing magazine racks and
buying sample copies will help you...
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mary rosenblum
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and as you network with other
writers, you'll hear about markets you might not find any other way.
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mary rosenblum
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And always check our new
market updates on the website in Writing Craft.
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mary rosenblum
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I always watch for off-list
markets that might work for students and website folk.
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mary rosenblum
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So to sum up, you HAVE
creative ability, it is part of you, it is not a finite quantity, and you
cannot make it go away...
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mary rosenblum
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but you can hide it from
yourself and you can feel that it is gone...
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mary rosenblum
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but that is the part of you
that stands between your innate creative ability and the page.
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mary rosenblum
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You just have to realize that
part exists and realize that the creative part still works...it just
doesn't feel good.
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mary rosenblum
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And it is something every
single writer on the planet deals with at some point or many points...
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mary rosenblum
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and I feel that I can safely
make this sweeping generalization. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Well, this has been an
interesting conversation. Thanks for the good topic idea, Jane.
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mary rosenblum
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Do feel free to email me with
forum topic requests, or catch me in the chat rooms and suggest 'em.
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mary rosenblum
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I'm always looking for
interesting new things to talk about.
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