I was thumbing through a 1956 issue of the Saturday Evening Post the other day, and talk about an eye-opener. Practically the entire magazine was comprised of short stories written by writers just like us, and I felt an instant kinship with those writers of old.
In many ways it was a far simpler time to be a writer. There were no distractions by technology. You either had what it takes to get published or you didn’t. No ebooks, no online writing sites…I wondered what percentage of writes actually got published then as opposed to now. Probably tens of thousands of would-be writers were bent over their typewriters, pounding out word after word, hoping against hope that they would be the next Hemingway.
It is obviously much easier today to get “published,” but the dedication that is necessary to succeed really hasn’t changed.
The other thing I thought about was how technology has become somewhat of a distraction with regards to writing. Those of you who write for HubPages understand this. Not only do you write your article, but you then pick out photographs and videos for the article, as well as make polls and seek out the perfect ads for the article. All of that is well and good if you are the management of HubPages, but how does it help you as a writer? It may increase your views, although I am not convinced of that, but does it all make you a better writer?
Just something to think about as you begin this 13th day of June, 2013. Welcome to Artistry With Words!
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.”
Jesse Owens
I couldn’t decide between this quote and one by Vince Lombardi. They both basically say the same thing, that achieving your goals in writing requires determination and one heck of a work ethic.
But maybe that isn’t true. There are some out there who are quite happy to just pour out their thoughts for posterity, not really caring if they are ever published….kind of like an online diary if you will. There are so many different types of writers with so many different goals. Maybe it is an exercise in futility to try and blanket them all with one concept like determination and work ethic. Again, just something to think about.
TIP OF THE DAY
I am working more and more on including metaphors in my writing. I think they are a highly effective way of getting a point across. If you haven’t tried them you might give it some thought.
SITE OF THE DAY
I found this cool article on how to write metaphors….you can find it here. Check it out because there are some great suggestions there.
BOOK OF THE DAY
What a clever book this is….”I Never Metaphor I Didn’t Like”….you can find it at Barnes & Noble here.
PROMPT OF THE DAY
Here you go, your visual inspiration for the day. I hope it kicks something loose in your brain and starts you on the road to a great article.
MORE, OF COURSE, TOMORROW
Yes, tomorrow…blessed Friday. I will be switching gears a bit after this week and just posting this blog three days a week, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I’m sure many of you are cheering right now. J Seriously, I need to cut back a bit and start concentrating on magazine submissions. So there will be a blog tomorrow and then starting next week there will be one every other weekday.
Thank you as always for stopping by. I hope you found something of interest.
Bill
“Helping writers to spread their wings and fly.”
Billybuc
Artistry With Words 