FEW ARE BEAUTIFUL

One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach; one can collect only a few, and they are more beautiful if they are few. (Anne Morrow Lindbergh)

I read this quote from one of my favorite memorists and women; it reminded me of not only the beautiful pieces she wrote but of other essays and poetry I have read written by strong women. Some of these women writers left few examples for us to read . . . they are more beautiful if they are few is so true of them.

We may not all be famous for the things we write. In our lifetime, we may never see our name on the covers of books or as a byline in a national magazine. But we should never stop writing nor seeking markets for our work. The smallest, least known publication may be the one that is read by the most important people--strong people like us--and our words may live in their hearts long after that bestseller is forgotten.

Our writing may be the beautiful shells that someone collects--beautiful, even if few.

WRITE WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW

You know me well. Full steam ahead. Nose to the grind stone (well, sometimes anyway). Curiosity killed the cat (remember, satisfaction brought her back). Screw the rules. What? Well, yes. Isn't that what I often say--forget the rules?

Now, I didn't say don't follow grammar rules, or not to spell correctly, nor set up manuscripts in improper format. I would never tell you to disregard guidelines--well, even there I break the rules now and then. But, if I hear one more pious creative writing lecturer say, "Write what you know," I think I shall scream--and crash this computer.

Writers should never be urged to only write what they already know. Where is the enthusiasm in that? Creativity and imagination go right out the window when you pull out boring details plucked from your feeble memory.

All writers should write about what they care for passionately. They don't have to know it all. The color of the piece is seen through the writer's eyes as they research, travel, or ask the experts. How exciting to experience the joy of gathering knowledge firsthand in order to pass it on to an imaginative reader.

I don't write with the accent/verbage of a New Englander. But I can listen to friends who were raised there, or read books set in that location and glean a few words or phrases that will help me create an authentic character. I haven't committed murder (although I have considered the demise of an editor or two), but I can write a mystery. It's been years since my youthful figure climbed into the saddle of a horse and rode across a bit of Texas plain, but I can still feel the movement and hear the creak of leather. I never drove cattle or rode in a buckboard but I can research the roundups and modes of travel; there are also hundreds of historical books to read to soak up the times.

Any writer's research and imagination can get him/her beyond the lack of "knowing" if they care enough about the nature of good writing.

You can count your lucky stars if you are passionate about your work. I'd give a penny for your thoughts about the fact that throughout this essay I have also broken the cliche rule many times throughout this essay--did it stop you from reading on?