On Writing

We’ve moved beyond the notion that ‘everyone is a salesman’ (still true) to ‘everyone is a writer’, whether we are classified as such or not. Since there are very few not tapped into some form of social media, the posting, the tweeting, the texting, these ‘etchings’ still distinguish us. Even though they are just forms of communication, how we do it gives clues to our character.

A real writer gives body, depth, context, and acquaintance with their topic. This is why a little Yelp review isn’t a full-fledge food critic, but a song writer can be a storyteller.

I follow a number of writing blogs, and there is really ONE theme ALL professional (paid) writers (dead and alive) admit to: discipline. Just sitting down and doing it and making that behavior consistent. I’ve tried this with music writing, but that’s just not how melodies come to me. I’m ok with this now. It’s the editing which requires discipline.

This is both a good blog and a good post. Tools For Capturing Your Ideas in Writing Admittedly, I’m a post-it note whore.

If you follow me on twitter, you know I’m kind of a history buff. The first pencil factory was opened in 1832. This is an excerpt from the 100 Essential Things You Didn’t Know You Didn’t Know

“The modern pencil was invented in 1795 by Nicholas-Jacques Conte, a scientist serving in the army of Napoleon Bonaparte. The magic material that was so appropriate for the purpose was the form of pure carbon that we call graphite. It was first discovered in Europe, in Bavaria at the start of the fifteenth century; although the Aztecs had used it as a marker several hundred years earlier. Initially it was believed to be a form of lead and was called ‘plumbago’ or black lead (hence the ‘plumbers’ who mend our lead water-carrying pipes), a misnomer that still echoes in our talk of pencil ‘leads’. It was called graphite only in 1789, using the Greek word ‘graphein’ meaning ‘to write’. Pencil is an older word, derived from the Latin ‘pencillus’, meaning ‘little tail’, to describe the small ink brushes used for writing in the Middle Ages.

And this is just too freakin cool. A Carved Book Sculpture Garden

I still need to do last month’s book(s) review post. Soon.

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