Welcome to the first Artistry With Words blog posting. I had a practice run a few days ago, but this is the real thing.
As always, this is a work in progress. I’ll clean up the site as I go, or whenever I can get Bev to help me with it. Just hang in there and I’ll have it looking better in time.
So, what do we do here? Well, we talk about writing. I’ll give some tips each posting, and steer you towards some sites that I think you might find helpful. This is a giving site. You will see no ads on this site. I’m not selling you anything. We will exchange ideas and suggestions and hopefully we will all become better writers through the process.
“Writing is an extreme privilege but it’s also a gift. It’s a gift to yourself and it’s a gift of giving a story to someone.”
Amy Tan
TIP OF THE DAY
“ My most important rule is one that sums up my 10 rules:
If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it”…..Elmore Leonard
I love that tip. What’s Mr. Leonard saying? This is just my interpretation, but I believe he is saying that writing is an art and as such should reflect real life. We each have a unique writing voice, and we must use that voice to make our writing come alive.
We have all read bad writing. It goes something like this: blah, blah, blah, blah. We have also all read great writing. It explodes off of the page and stirs our senses, and it sure doesn’t sound like writing.
“The wind grew stronger, whisked under stones, carried up straws and old leaves, and even little clods, marking its course as it sailed across the fields. The air and the sky darkened and through them the sun shone redly, and there was a raw sting in the air. During a night the wind raced faster over the land, dug cunningly among the rootlets of the corn, and the corn fought the wind with its weakened leaves until the roots were freed by the prying wind and then each stalk settled wearily sideways toward the earth and pointed the direction of the wind.” The Grapes of Wrath
Read that paragraph by Steinbeck. There is no way that sounds like writing. What it does sound like is the stark face of reality, and I believe that is what Leonard was getting at with his tip of the day.
SITE OF THE DAY
Short Story Contest Deadlines can be found at http://fictionwriting.about.com/od/thebusinessofwriting/a/contesthub.htm
There are contests happening every month of the year for all different genres. Make sure you read the submission rules carefully so you don’t waste time and effort.
THANKS FOR DROPPING BY TODAY
I had fun…how about you? Leave comments…sign up with your email and get notified of each new blog posting. I hope you find this helpful. If you have suggestions please feel free to leave them in the comment section. I want this site to be of help to you, so tell me what you want and I’ll do what I can to deliver.
You can find me on HubPages at http://billybuc.hubpages.com/ and you are free to email me at holland1145@yahoo.com if you have questions related to writing.
Now, get out there and write!
Bill Holland
Billybuc
Artistry With Words 
What a great idea! This is gonna be fun. I always like your writing advice articles. They get the gears going.
Thanks Lizzy! It came through loud and clear. 🙂
Awesome Bill!
Thanks buddy! I can always count on you, Mark!
Looks great Bill!
Well, Crystal, I think you are being too kind, but thank you. I have some work to do on the layout, but the material I’m presenting should help some writers, so overall I’m happy with it.
You definitely know how to create “real writing” – your recent baseball hub is a perfect example!! 🙂
Thank you Steph. I appreciate you stopping by my friend. I hope everyone in your house is healthy again. 🙂 Now if we can only convince spring to come.
Bill,
I like the new theme of this blog. Your hubs were so informative with regards to that.
Your new follower 🙂
Thank you Ruchira. I hope this blog is helpful to you.
Well done Bill! This is brilliant. This site screams you, and I love everything about it. Looking forward to my daily inspiration. I’ve signed up, have a super day! 🙂
Thank you Mel. I am not surprised at all that you are following this; you are a very loyal follower and I greatly appreciate you.
Good luck with this beautiful new blog. I love the title. Will keep checking it out.
Thank you Carol! I love the title too. 🙂 See you in the next installment.
This is exciting! I enjoyed your other blog, but this is bound to be very helpful to many people, and I look forward to hanging onto every word. Thank you so much, Bill, I think you will be a part of helping me to maintain my focus in writing this year.
Kathryn, good to see you here and thank you. I would be very happy if some of my suggestions helped every writer who stops by here. The world needs writers my friend, and you are a good one. 🙂
This is such a fantastic idea!
Thank you Lisa! I’m excited that you stopped by. A new one coming later this morning. 🙂
Love the new site, Bill! As you should know by now, I’m a huge fan of your writing tips.
Thank you Deb! I really appreciate you stopping by and yes, I know you are a very loyal fan of my writing tips.
I can already feel that this is going to be a fun place to be among writers who love to write. Thank you, Bill. You are filling a much needed niche here.
My pleasure, Marlene! Thank you so much for stopping by. I’ll try not to disappoint.
I love the Grapes of Wrath excerpt. When I see excellent creative writing like that, it has a quality of “Art”—like a painting in a museum—and I do not approach it critically because it immediately draws me in. It feels “done”, in need of nothing more than an audience. That is the elusive quality I am always seeking in my own writing: the feeling that it is fully matured for its own self (however small). That is why re-reading and re-writing are so important…we should not stop until it feels “done”.
Wonderful comment, Lurana! It is an elusive quality and one I, too, am always chasing. I have experienced it but not very often.
Hi Bill – I finally found time to come check out your WordPress sit. Very professional and it looks good and reads well. I don;t know how you find the time – you are clearly a high energy and focused man. Your mission is clearly defined and you pursue it systematically. 🙂 The quote and Grapes of Wrath excerpt are great. Your site has a nice feel to it. I will try to look up from grading papers occasionally and visit. 🙂
I appreciate you taking the time to visit, Theresa…I really do. I know how busy you are and it means a lot to me for you to stop by. Good luck with those papers and thank you for the kind words.
blessings always
bill