Learning to write

I have voiced my desire of completing either a course or a degree in creative writing to a number of people who have told me, with a dismissive wave of the hand, that I don't need to be taught and I should just write. Whereas I could take this as flattering I am actually a little frustrated as it implies writing is easy and all the writers out there do not work hard at their craft. For a craft it is.

Simply because we all use words in our everyday communications whether verbally or on screen/paper does not mean we are furnished with the skills to write a page-turning novel. Just as the majority of us live and work in buildings does not make us architects at the drop of a hard hat. The misconception that anyone can and should be published is arrogant, deluded nonsense. It takes great skill, a knowledge of the markets, your chosen genre, rules (publishers only like established authors to break these) and a hell of a lot of toil at the desk. This goes for non-fiction too. A seed of talent helps, but this can remain latent if not nurtured in a nourishing environment.

Yes, it is a craft. As with any other, you need to master the techniques. No one scoffs at art school, engineering, dance or woodwork students. You can't approach a pile of wood without knowing what you're doing and start sawing and hammering to build a wardrobe. It's the same with a blank page and the words in your head. Yes, novelists make it seem easy. Their words flow seamlessly from paragraph to paragraph, you barely notice the structure, the narrative devices they employ to keep you turning that page. They have worked extremely hard, often for years, to reach that Holy Grail of a readable book. It was not dashed off after a rather inspiring episode of Deal or No Deal.

For example, Andrea Levy did not begin writing until her mid-thirties and in order to write well, she did creative writing courses. There is no shame in this. She studied her way to publication. Levy's work is astonishing in its depth, elegance and truth.

I want to master my craft. I want to be an accomplished writer. I want people to choose to read my work rather than the million other pressing things they have to do, the million other books available.  I am going to respect my readers' time and put the hours in myself to create a book worthy of it. To achieve this I am going to pour all my effort and energy into studying all I can about this art. I need feedback, criticism, practise and knowledge. I hope to achieve a standard in my work I can be proud of.

To write is to take readers on a journey. You need to be an experienced guide. You are navigating a path some may have never trod and you need to know how to keep them following you through to the end.

Questions for a fledgling writer who loves all forms and can't find where to seat herself and just write!

(This was a stream of consciousness piece from my Morning Pages)

Am I a novelist or a poet? Short fiction or non-fiction? Where do my skills lie? I'll never know until I try. Try a week concentrating on one, or a month. It's more than all you've ever done. Nothing to lose but something to gain so choose. Run with one for a while, don it as an outfit. Search the pockets, pull the threads. Make alterations. Dye it purple if it's red. Raise the hem. Change the buttons. See how each fits you truly, how smoothly your hand glides as you fill each sleeve. Try it in all weathers, not just your favourite or the most appropriate. Spill your lunch, your life, on it. Make it fit, and if it doesn't, try it on again at a later date when you've shed some pounds, those useless stories. It won't always be comfortable but it will always be yours.

What is your writer's outfit?

Is it made from maps, flowers, human hearts or history books? Is darkness woven in? Is it rough and modern or romantic and frivolous? Is it stitched with sci-fi or fantasy, a touch of Gothic horror at the collar? Do memory and madness shape the cut, the cuffs a touch philosophical, the lapels straight out of an Edwardian wardrobe? Are the pockets full of herbs or alien eyes or graveyard dirt or dragon teeth? Does the lining shimmer with fear, lust or mystery? Is the pattern drawn from heartache, humour or beauty? Is it elegant? Will it linger in the mind?

Design and craft your writer's outfit from the materials you obsess and yearn for, the memories you cherish or abhor, the fantasies that ribbon your consciousness. Cut it from a cloth of truth, well-worn. Wear it with conviction.

Wear it every day.