Truth

“All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.”   Ernest Hemingway

 Even in fiction there is truth.  The truth of your characters, the truth of you message, the truth of yourself.  Truth is really the hardest part of writing.  And the difference between something really good that appeals to the audience and something that really isn't good.  And really isn't good only appeals to those that love you and don't have the heart to tell you it really isn't good.  In my opinion, and apparently that of Hemingway as well, truth is imperative to writing.  If your characters can't believe it, if you can't believe it then how do can the reader believe it?

Truth.  Writing is hard work.  At least that is what I tell myself all the time.  It's hard to find the time to write.  Sometimes it's hard to convince the words to form on the screen.  Sometimes it's hard to really pin down your characters and keep them on track of what I think their story is.  I've had two different stories where the characters refused to even give me their names until partway into the story.  Sometimes the characters have a different story to tell than what I think it is and that's hard!  But the truth really is that when the words are there and the character is in the right frame of mind then writing is easy.  Because the words just appear.  Then the hardest part is not making a typo~  So perhaps that's not the truest sentence I can write.

Truth.  Writing something really good is hard.  It's hard to find my character's voice and separate it from my own.  Perhaps the second sentence is truer than the first.  It's hard to develop a relationship with my character to the extent that I know their story inside and out.  It's hard to separate myself from their story and not bleed together our stories into one.  It's vital though as my story cannot be their story, unless it's an autobiography anyway.  My story cannot overshadow their story but they also cannot be separate.  I cannot tell a story that I cannot believe as the character's truth.  I have to believe it to write it.  And sometimes believing in my character and trusting them to tell me the truth is hard.  I think that sentence is a little more true but it needs some work.

The truth is that there is more than one truth and each and every one can be disputed by someone else.  I could write something that feels true over and over and then find the loopholes for why it's not the truest sentence.  The thing is, whether you are writing a journal or blog or novel, it all comes down to one thing.  The truth in that moment.  Whether that be your truth or your characters truth.  It has to be true in that moment.  That truth can change.  There's no growth without change. There's no climax, no development, no growth without it.  So be true in the moment.  And be prepared to change that truth.  You can't go back so don't delete that truth (unless editing is necessary for continunity sake of course).  Work with the truth then, now and the future.  Truth is like life, it changes with experiences, knowledge, and growth.  Now that is probably the truest sentence in this whole thing.

Your turn...what is the truest sentence that you know?  And I promise not to pick it apart :S

Just Write

“Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.”
― Louis L'Amour

What a concept really.  Just start.  How easy is it, really, to talk about writing?  Talking about writing isn't writing.  Talking about baseball is not playing baseball.  Talking is just that. . .talk.  It's taking an idea, a concept, and diminishing it's potential.   Talking about writing, without the actual writing, is like taking a shower and never turning on the faucet.  It's not  a shower until the water is turned on.  It's not writing until the words appear on the page. 

This quote made me go back to the idea of excuses.  The excuses, procrastinations, diversions we use not to write.  There's been a meme floating around Facebook here lately that really reflects back to this.  At first I was amused by it.  Even related to it and identified with some of the ideas.  Then I even started mentally adding my own rationale to it. 

 

I started even thinking I could teach my own variation of this class.  The problem is, it's still not writing.  It's not taking the ideas from my mind and translating them to a format that I can share with others.   Talking about writing does not further my writing potential.  Finding reasons not to write does not further my writing potential.  Down playing my writing does not further my writing potential.  

As human beings the worst thing we can do to ourselves, in any area of life, is compare ourselves to others.  There will always be someone better, just as there will always be someone not yet where we are.  Instead, we must learn to compare ourselves to ourselves.  Am I a better person now than I was last week, last year, ten years ago?  If the answer is no then I really need to look at why.  I don't need to look at what Joe Neighbor is doing in the same area because Joe isn't me.  Joe doesn't have my strengths and weaknesses.  If I'm not moving forward I need to figure out why.  Perhaps it's something I no longer have an aptitude or interest in and I need to let it go.  Perhaps it's simple lack of will, OK fine laziness, that can be overcome.  Perhaps I just never turned on the faucet.  

If I really look at myself based on where I am now versus then with writing there are a few hard truths that I have to acknowledge.  I have gotten lazy.  I am not the same writer I was 10 years ago.  Even 3 years ago.  I know that somewhere inside I have an aptitude to be a decent writer.  Perhaps not a novelist of the great American variety but that's not a goal I have.  When I was young, yes but that is not currently on my radar.  I am motivated to talk about the idea of writing.  Heck, was motivated enough four months ago to start a writing blog.  It was a great idea that had great merit to it.  However, I neglected to make the time to write.  I found other things to do, excuses, procrastinations.  I could write a serial of how HGTV is bad for my blogging career.  But then I'd need to stop watching Love It or List It long enough to actually write the blog.  

Just Write. Turn on the faucet so the water can run.  Make the time to put words on the screen.  Whether it be in the blog composition screen or the sticky note app.  Words beget words.  They don't have to be good words.  The words just need to count.