Chapter One:
I got this book today. It’s called “Write For Your Lives” by Jospeh Sestito. Assignment 1.1:Getting At the Root. What is the origin of the book, what is it trying to tell me?
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At the moment I can’t give a complete answer. I can say that it’s wanting me to explore different religions (possibly) or at least myself in a way that I can find inner happiness.
Chapter Two:
Wisdom is the opposite of ignorance, and when you have it you understand that nothing exist permanently all by itself, independent of everything.
As far as I can tell, the Buddhist avoid negative emotion and focus on the positive. However, I don’t understand it thoroughly because I recently grabbed this book but it seems that you throw away those emotions completely. The book mentions that one should schedule writing for two hours at the maximum each day they decide on writing.
On a degree of someone who hasn’t started their writing journey I believe this is understandable. Although, if I were to maximise my writing time to two hours a day I’d be limiting myself. It says to write for two hours in the same setting around the same time. That could probably be around six in the morning to eight in the morning in my room or in the kitchen. But either way… I don’t believe (with as much as I write) that I can force myself to not express myself
Who knows. I can try writing for only two hours a day but then I’d have to time myself. Before,I used to write from ten at night till twelve so that I could go to sleep but then it turned into from ten at night till two in the morning. Within time, I’d start to write at ten and wouldn’t quit until four or five in the morning. Sometimes I’d write till six.
After a few ‘nights’ of this I began to write the moment I got home from work which would be around eight to nine in the afternoon. Then, I started to get tired by twelve again. However, it slowly bleed its way to two in the morning and the four. So, I try not to write my way into sleep but it somewhat helps get the ideas out.
I think I’ll try writing for two hours at the max for a week. I’ll see how that goes…Sestito uses a lot of references. I’m guessing he’s probably amazing at essay writing. I suck at essays.He mentions the All-or-Nothing approach in writing. “Sartre proposes that you are either heroic or weak.”
Without bringing in Sestito’s response to this I can already give one of my characters the complexity of both. Sinoak is the strongest character in Eyes of the Deceived when I first wrote it and is the weakest emotionally because she’s pushed forward past the second thought of doubt prior to the world around her. She’s emotinally weak yet physically strong. She’s heroic when she needs to set into her game but alone she is weak.
Now going back to the book. The statement that wins against the either or thought process is “you are also constantly changing.” Because of this, there’s no set side of one’s self being heroic or weak. For the most part, I set off the heroic side of me but in cases of right now (with my father and uncle in law on the verge of death as they say) I am weak. However, I am heroic for letting everyone tell me of the feel about the situation and not allow them to see that the moment they’re not in my presence I’m on the verge of tears.
As I finish reading this section I realize that this was meant for people who thought in that manner. I don’t know how my writing style is. In the call of all-or-nothing you’re writing is either good or bad. One would think that their writing was amazing regardless of what people say and not focus on the reader. What the book recommends is to focus more on the reader and how one can help the reader. By doing this, there isn’t as much of a focus on how well the writing is but rather how it’ll help others and how it influences.
Personally, if someone doesn’t get enlightened by my writing every time they write it, I don’t care. Mainly because sometimes I don’t write it for that purpose, but another reason is because I am writing for myself so that I can improve and if someone doesn’t understand a writing I had in the past but can benefit from a current work then I’ve proved myself helpful by learning from my mistakes and showing the progression over the years.
Overgeneralization:
Here, you may tell yourself, “I never get a lot accomplished during my scheduled writing sessions,” or “Since my proposal was not accepted by the publisher, I’ll never get a book published!
I don’t have a scheduled writing session. I never have. There are only few times that I ‘can’t’ write. And yes, it’s frustrating. But. I write so much that unless my fingers and twitching and I absolutely need to writing something I shouldn’t be writing.
Getting published was one of my top priorities. Now, it’s a matter of satisfaction. There are many ways to self publish. But. I’m not planning on going that route. Because. I hate seeing typos in a book. There are so many now and I can’t stand it. I don’t want my book to be out there with a typo. I’d hate myself for the rest of my life since I didn’t take the time to get it edited.
It later goes on to say that the first statement is false because there’s not set amount to get accomplished. It is unlikely that you never get a lot accomplished some of the time, and something accomplished a lot of the time.
Basically…? Believe in yourself and don’t overgeneralize. Thankfully, I’ve already gone through these stages and I love to prove people wrong. Especially, myself.
Mental Filter:
When obsessing over a single negative detail about your writing process of something you have written.
This book is for beginners. I’m glad I got it though. I’m sure there’s something I’ll learn but this would make a good gift to someone who doesn’t have much faith in themselves. I have high hopes and I understand that I’m crazy. I’m not a writer who cries when they have writers block because… Well… I hardly have writers block. If anything, I’ll set the work to the side and then get back to it later. Or, I’ll wait for inspiration to hit. My mind is constantly thinking of ways to fix or continue a story and that’s why I can write so much is because I think about it subconsciously.
The only time I can think of this happen was when I originally wrote the first book of Countered Reputations. I couldn’t wait to get it published. However, there was a part where I had one character in two places at once. In one chapter it said he was imprisoned for a week yet in the next chapter he was there to witness something in action. And because of this predicament I had to toss the original Countered Reputations. But. Also because of that, I was able to learn from my mistakes and find a meth organization. Even though this story is going on it’s fourth year of existing I’m glad that I pushed through because that only means that the book will be that much better when I am finished. And. It’ll feel thousands of times more relieving.
When you have one negative detail, don’t stress, you have a whole story that has potential. Because you are obsessing over one negative detail--You are going to experience a lack of inspiration, simply because your dwelling on a negative detail.
It goes on to explain that one should not be cocky about their writing and how good they are. On a personal scale people tell me that I’m good at writing. I know I’m a good writer but I don’t ever stop improving. I always try to do something different or at least do something new to help my writing style.
Summary: Move towards their wisdom. Don’t focus on the title that may seem to not express the content from every angle. Focus on the content and how it is effective.
When making up titles I write the work first and then I go back to the title. That way, I’m not basing the work off the title but rather basing the title off the work. It’s a pretty simple concept.
Discounting the Positive:
Before we even begin I want to say. Why would someone do that? Honestly! Good job. You did something right for a change or for a chance. Do it again. Or keep moving.
Suppose, for instance, you experience a lot of joy while writing a manuscript, but the manuscript doesn’t publish right away.
I’ve had entertained myself for hours on writing Mythic Enlightenment: The Revelation of Dragons and I’m not even selling it! I have fun writing my works because my focus is never on how much money I make off of it. I’ve learned that if I enjoy writing it, enjoyed reading over it, and am satisfied with the results of it then the people I’m trying to reach out to will find it with or without money.
Purpose: Joy does matter.
Jumping to Conclusions:
Why jump? I like skipping.
If you’re a “mind-reader” you may tell yourself, “No one is going to think that what I am writing is any good or very important.”
If the general category of the work is popular. Someone’s going to read it. (By the way it has been two hours) People don’t know how to advertise is all. I wrote a story about dragons and mythology. I didn’t know it was getting any attention until I came back after two months and saw that I had five hundred views. Although, it’s about dragons! With a dragon blog running, all I had to do was attach the link to the bottom and bam. People thought it was amazing and my views doubled. As long as it’s presented to the people of interest it’ll get out there.
If you have an idea that people aren’t going to like your writing, go ahead and simply disregard this idea and focus on helping your readers instead.
Self-preoccupied thinking won’t you very for except into a creative funk, quit dissatisfied with your life and your writing.
From what I’m getting, Buddhist don’t care about themselves so much. Rather, they’re selfless people who have inner peace…? Is that right? I have nothing against Buddhism. But. My whole inspiration when I was writing was to write for myself. Enjoy writing it. Enjoy reading over it. Take in what people said. And if it didn’t make sense ask them to explain themselves. Otherwise, ignore what the said because their opinion doesn’t matter. Imean.. I’m a selfless person in general but when I write it’s all about me and if people can learn on the way, that’s cool. Otherwise. Oh well.
Summary: Don’t assume. In this case, it saves you a load of ass.
Catastrophizing:
If you’ve had a writing session in which your work does not seem to be high quality, or you produced less than you had wanted, you may conclude, “How terrible!” Then you may feel depressed about your writing, and even about yourself.
Was I the wrong person in the crowd to pick up this book or what? I love reading this guy’s thoughts and all but this isn’t helping my writing. If anything, it’s giving me something to talk about. Yay. Subjects.
Self-preoccupation: excessive interest in one’s self.
Yea. I have to say that’s why I write… Not for anyone else but me. All I do is hope that I can help others along the way. But that’s also how I live. If someone isn’t along my path of life conveniently (deep relationship wise) then I’ll drive past them.
If I do bad on one work and I see it? I don’t delete it. I learn from it and I hope that I can do better from there. I write for the sole purpose of improving. Not sulking that I did a bad job. It’s laughing that I made the mistake and fixing it for later.
You may work hard on a manuscript for a year and then send your proposal off to a publisher or agent. A few weeks later you get an email from the publisher who writes that they may indeed consider offering you a contract to publish your manuscript after a number of suggested changes are made. But you conclude “This is awful!” “Why don’t they accept it the way it is?” After all the work I put into it, it’s still not good enough for them.” This is the opportunity you’ve been working for, but because your catastrophizing and low frustration tolerance, you sink into a depression and never bother to make the requested changes.
It would seriously depend on the changes. If it were grammer issues I’d want them to explain and then I’d change them. If it were a story element. Now, that might affect the meaning. But overall if I had a chance to publish? I wouldn’t hand it out until I know for sure that I want to. Otherwise, I’d run into that situation. And he’s right. Why? It’s not logical.
And then he goes on to explain “for the sake of others” again. Whoa. I’m so selfish. XD! Or. It’s not that I don’t care for others. It’s that I don’t write for others. This is where we’re butting heads.
You had better get a lot more training in writing before you ever waste her time with you “so-called” writin.
If someone were to tell me that my writing’s not good enough for them to publish it I’d ask them hy. What makes it not sellable? Then, if they give me reasoning worth understanding than I’ll do something about it. Otherwise, I’ll tell them that I have a whole list of people who are willing to buy the book because I do have hundreds waiting for me to get published.
My arms hurting so I’m putting the book down for now but he explained everything I did in my last paragraph right before I read his standpoint.