How to become a writer
By Karyn Bowman
Over the years I have been asked by people how to become a writer. They talk of a great need to write and all the stories they have inside of them wanting to get out. Others enjoy the process and want to go further with it, develop their skills and learn how to make something in their head take on a life of its own.
My first words of wisdom are always this: find or create a writing support group. Find people who write and want to share their works to get feedback and reassurance. Elizabeth Berg and Jennifer Chiaverini are two current authors who do just that.
I also encourage people to read as much as possible, see what others do in your field and figure it out. Implement what works and throw out what does not.
Writing is not easy. It can be messy and irritating when you know a favorite sentence has to go out the door in order to make a more perfect piece of work. It is all a part of the deal. An author of a recent book I read stated it took her almost 12 drafts of the novel to get it right. It meant ripping apart who was the love interest, the heroine, the ending, and the entire format of the book. In the end, all of the drafts and hard work made for a perfect book.
Recently, I have had more time on my hands and decided to get back in touch with a writer’s group I had joined before. They welcomed me and my poetic efforts (the first in years). What was also interesting was hearing contributions from the others, how they worked with the actual rhyme pattern of a Robert Frost poem or didn’t. People had fun with the topic or took a serious note.
For me, it was refreshing and invigorating while we had lunch at Russ-n-Rosie’s in Chebanse. Below was my poetic offering. If upon reading it, you feel so inspired, send it in the comments section and we can have a poet’s corner in this blog.
Mastodon Fruit
We pulled into the field that held soy bean just a few days ago.Hedge apple
The popping sound of the stems comes from under the tires.
Looking over, my daughter sees the prize we are searching for
Bright neon green orbs, hedge apples.
I tell her to pick up a few, that we want seven all together.
“Why seven?” the bright eight year old asks
“It is a good number to get,” I say.
Already I imagine how they will look in a glass bowl on my table.
Later my son sees them and says “Mastodon fruit.”
Not that this area has seen a Mastodon in thousands of years
He tells me the seeds need the digestive system of the Mastodon
In order to make germination possible.
Yet, I look around and see hedge apple trees along the fence rows
I see them along ditches in the country and in forest preserves.
But the place I love to see them best, the place that makes me happiest,
Is in a glass bowl in the middle of my dining room table.
Karyn Bowman is also known as Mom Goes to the Movies and wrote for The Daily Journal as their movie reviewer for over seven years. She lives in Kankakee County with her outdoor writer husband and four children.
