Embarking On A Journey

For some the act of writing can be a magical jumbly-mumble gooey black ball that splats itself onto an epic blank page. To others, it's sheer torture to force one's own hand to scribble down just one tangible word. For me it's a little of both.

So why embark on this journey?

Fame?

Fortune?

Fun?

Or, to be tortured by an editorially wicked third-person conscious.

I’m not the kind of person to search for accolades, nor do I think it’s wise to chase down a culturally popular genre. Then hoping that a day will come that it would bring ultimate riches. That is surely a path destined for failure. So, that gives us the remaining two paragraphs; fun and the editorially maniacal third-person conscious.

In the beginning stages it’s “fun” to create worlds, form characters, and devise plots that have a few spectacular twists. All of this is orchestrated for one soul purpose, a completed manuscript. Sound the medieval trumpets! Huzzah!

But then there comes a point in time where dark clouds loom over the worlds you've created. Your characters are inserted into their places and start interacting with the plots that have been put into motion. Now queue the angelic doom and gloom music.

At that precise moment it immediately comes upon you!

The actual work of writing has to take place.

Words bubble and spatter onto pages as worlds collide, characters fight, and plots thicken. Fun, right? But wait.

Lighting crackles across the fictional sky as thunder booms. Fear sinks into your mortal bones. The editorial third-person monster, like a dragon, rears it's ugly head. It’s desires are to devour any forward momentum, snuff out any creative thought, and to finally kill with a crisp the very manuscript that you hold so dear.

Right now this is what I struggle with. I start a project with grand expectations and make highly intricate plans. However good or bad they may be, they fail. Why you might ask? It mostly comes down to the nitty-gritty of crafting a narrative that is not only structurally sound, but is concise and clear with having some sort of meaning. Hard? You think? This is why most authors fall short from the get go.

So, again I ask. Why am I or anyone else for that matter wanting to take on this crazy journey to become an author? It would be absurd for me to try and answer this question for others. This is what I know is true for me. I like puzzles. Not the kind where a picture has been blown up to mega proportions, then cut into thousand of pieces for someone to put back together. Writing has an unlimited exponential amount of components that can be configured and reconfigured. Instead of having a completed picture when I’m done to stick on a wall, I would have a stack of papers that could be called a manuscript. I also like the creative process. Fabricating new worlds, getting to know new characters, and devising scrupulous plots to be played out in my own personal sandbox. Metaphorically speaking, sand wedgies would chafe too much.

My battle now is the maniacal third-person conscience (a.k.a.), the Dragon. Each day is a struggle. But for now I will leave the next battle to another day.

The Trinity To Authorship

It has been some time since I last posted. As for most writers, life gets in the way: work, school, friends, lame excuses, obligations, tv, eating, taking a shower, are just a few on a never ending list of legitimate reasons for not writing. I would like to add one more to the list that might sound counterintuitive, but it still keeps you away from real writing. Over posting, yep, over posting can take on many forms that can outgrow a blog. It has the capability to ever so slightly spread into multiple social networks. I can’t point fingers without also pointing one at myself for doing the same. Guilty I am, as Yoda might say. This takes energy and time away from real writing that should be put to use in a novel or screenplay.

To become an author you must “read” and “write”. Every well known novelist has preached these two rules since humanity has picked up a stick to convey a story. However simple the two step golden rules are, they lack one key ingredient, “focus”. Without focus you won’t have the organizational skills or perseverance to complete the task.

The main reason I created “Bad Grammar. . . Good Stories” is to show my struggles. I've never felt confident in the skill sets that an author needs to have. This blog is an out let. I can outwardly show my blunders without caution and could possibly have a good heartfelt laugh or two. Okay, probably more than two. Narrative should be the sole drive not the editorial mechanics of preciseness. Only with time and practice will I become an acceptable author. These are my intentions.

With the newly crafted trinity to authorship in place: “ thou shalt read volumes”, “thou shalt write and rewrite”, and “thou shalt stay focused” I’m off to crafting some new blundering stories.

I will keep you posted. Wait that's a really bad pun on myself, oh well.