|
...We perused your MS.
with boundless delight. And
we hurry to swear by our ancestors
we have never read any other
that equals its mastery.
Were we to publish your work,
we could never presume again on
our public and name
to print books of a standard
not up to yours.
For we cannot imagine
that the next ten thousand years
will offer its ectype.
We must therefore refuse
your work that shines as it were in the sky
and beg you a thousand times
to pardon our fault
which impairs but our own offices.
(Rejection letter from a Chinese publisher, from Louis Zukofsky's "A")
If you read any book on writing this year, read The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman. It's the most understandable and entertaining "how to" manual I've ever seen, about writing or any other subject. Lukeman delivers instruction with masterful grace, weaving tips and explanations into a literary dessert that is as delicious as it is profitable. Even his post-chapter writing exercises are inspiring - no dull "write-about-a-famous-character-in-a-first-person-narrative-that-is-500-words-long" here! Instead, we're given tasty assignments like the eavesdropping exercise - "Begin to pay attention to how dialogue is used in everyday life by different types of people. Eavesdrop on people - in the subway, in a diner, walking on the street, in a store... I've known some authors who've gone so far as to record conversations or take immediate notes." What could be more fun than that?
Parents beware - two of Lukeman's illustrations are innapropriate for children and even young adults. However, the rest of his book is so wonderful that it's worth a trip to the book store, an $11.00 purchase, and some quick editing with a black Sharpie!
I love the way Lukeman ends his book, with descriptions of famous authors who struggled for years to perfect their craft. I couldn't agree more with his final paragraph - "The ultimate message of this book, though, is not that you should strive for publication, but that you should become devoted to the craft of writing, for its own sake. Ask yourself what you would do if you knew you would never be published. Would you still write? If you are truly writing for the art of it, the answer will be yes. And then, every word is a victory."
I echo that statement with one addition - if we are writing for the art of it, writing for the glory of God, and writing to make a difference in the lives of people around us, then every word is a victory. | 