Call it Style

Blue bookitis. That’s what they called it in college, a disease characterized by the belief that you could take every class offered in that enticing blue book of options. Archeology, Art History, Chaos Theory, Japanese Film Studies – you are a Renaissance Woman! You can do it all!

And then reality comes crashing down and you realize that, no, in fact, you will never be a ninja archeologist battling the forces of chaos while seeking a lost Da Vinci. Although, hey, that would make a great book…

And so you become a writer.

Surprise, surprise, I personally suffered a massive case of blue bookitis. I did, in fact, take things as diverse as ancient Japanese poetry, computer programming, and the sociology of modern media. And I discovered something very interesting and humbling and important:

I am not good at everything.

And you know what? That is sooooo freeing. I’m not equally good at everything I do, and in some areas I’m barely competent. It’s as true of cooking (and trust me, it’s VERY true of my cooking) as it is writing.

This is fantastic news. If I know what I do well, I can concentrate on doing more of that. If I know what I don’t do well, I can either decide to get better or I can figure out a way to do as little of it as possible. And call it style.

So here’s the $20,000 question: What do you do well?

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Comment by Tyra Brumfield on March 13, 2012 at 10:26am: Loved your comment, Patricia. Those little blue books had the same effect on me.

Comment by Lynn A. Davidson on March 13, 2012 at 10:15am: Procrastinating. *sigh* Thinking - I think a lot. Collecting ideas, life experiences, books ... :) ... but I am writing when I can, when not taking care of someone. Maybe that last point is part of collecting ideas through continued life experiences. Yep! Still thinking.

Comment by Patricia Woodside on March 13, 2012 at 10:08am: Funny. When I was in college, "blue book itis" wasn't about course selection, but about those annoying little blue paper-covered booklets that were provided for exams, the ones with the lines too far apart to be considered even wide-ruled and too few pages to write much more than a Haiku. If you had classes that were heavy on essay writing, then it was likely, particularly after midterms or finals, that you might come down with a case of "blue bookitis". The sight of one of those little booklets could send you running for the nearest restroom.

Comment by Carole Howard on March 13, 2012 at 10:08am: Like a lot of women, I think, I'm much better at specifying what I'm NOT good at. But, since you asked: In terms of writing fiction, I think my strong suit is dialogue. As Wendy said, I put two characters together and hear what they say to each other. In my personal life, I'm a good friend. Whew, I did it!

Comment by Clene` S. Elder on March 13, 2012 at 9:59am: What a great $20,000 question... I'd love to answer it...

I think I do well with the creative process. I am a very organized thinker, and when I start the process of creating - it all just falls into place. Please don't get me wrong I also battle with the occasional writer's block. When this happens, I just step away and revisit it when my head has cleared a bit.

Stay creative, everyone!

Clene`

Comment by Joy Amber on March 13, 2012 at 9:58am: Wendy, that was great to read:) I don't feel so alone reading your thoughts on writing. I love the "talkier" scenes you describe because now I have a name for it, and I find it not as easy as I thought I would seeing as how I could talk a telemarketer into a coma.

Comment by Joy Amber on March 13, 2012 at 9:54am: This makes me smile with sad remembrance. Long time ago, when I was a wee one of 18 and thought I knew everything-my eyebrow is waaaaaay up, by the way. I ventured to college and spent 2 and half years doing everything but accomplishing a bunch of nothing. O.k. that is not true; I learned a lot about disappointment and compromise, compassion for people I did not know existed, and how not to use a credit card.

Did I learn what I do well? To be honest I am still working on that one. I can only say something simple like I am a good friend, and I think I do that part well because it does not take a lot of effort.

What I want to learn to do well? Write, create and Write more of what I create.

Comment by Wendy Roberts on March 13, 2012 at 9:39am: One of my favorite things to do is just put two characters in a scene together and see what happens. Sometimes my first draft of a "talkier" scene is all dialogue. I seem to be best a the "small" things: character development, descriptions, creating in-scene tension. And I'm also *too* good at the melodramatic, affected writing sometimes :) It's the big-picture strategic things that I need to force myself to work on. How does a scene fit in with the overarching story? How best to build towards a fulfilling climax and conclusion? I bore myself easily, and outlining is the surest way to kill my enthusiasm for a story.

Comment by Kara Lennox on March 13, 2012 at 9:38am: Wow, sounds familiar! Without a doubt, my strongest suit is plotting. I love plot. My downfall is probably description. My first draft is a lot of talking heads, and I have to go back and put in descriptions (which I agonize over).

Comment by Laura Brennan on March 13, 2012 at 9:37am: @Marcia: Oh my goodness, you know what you have there? A logline for yourself! "I'm one of those rare birds: an extroverted writer. My real gift - outside of writing - is bringing people together. I love connecting people, and I know everyone. The shy, bookish writer stereotype? I blow that out of the water."

You are a marketer's dream. I can't wait for your book tour! What a splash that will be.

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