October 4th
On Being a Writer
Oh, no; not that again, writers often find themselves groaning when they encounter one of these remarks for the fiftieth time. Many writers have short, standard answers to cope with them. When asked how to become a writer, Raymond Chandler used to say, "Type on one side of the page, double-spaced, and leave an inch margin." Harland Ellison explains he gets his ideas from Poughkeepsie: "There's a post office box there. You send them three bucks and they send you an idea."
The magical, mysterious, hidden Truth Of The Matter is very simple: a writer is one who writes. You become one by writing. There is no transitional stage.
-- from On Writing Science Fiction by George H. Scithers, Darrell Schweitzer, and John M. Ford
October 5th
Scenes
Stop the flow of time and take still photographs. Focus on individual moments. What places, moments, sounds, or moods come to mind in connection with the French Revolution? Not only from your reading, but also from your own experience. Assume that they will be important if they come to mind, especially if they stick in mind.
-- from Writing with Power by Peter Elbow
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