Re: Story

[Bob La Londe <none@none.com99>]

Snipped all that...

I honestly believe that good writing only requires a moderate
intelligence, and some creativity.  The ability to see relationships.
Not just boy girl, but between places things sights smells people
feelings mores society culture... and you don't have to have a complete
picture.  You can create your own.

I think basic writing is a skill that can be learned.  Having a frame
work (the skill) helps with everything else.  At first you stick to the
rules.  Like in music where you practice your scales and learn to keep
time, but changes in time and weird gangs of notes can show artistry.
ie.  Learning when to break the rules.  I believe few musicians who show
some artistry don't know the basic frame work of music.  Some have
learned it by rote and some studied music, but they have the basic
framework.  They know how to follow a beat, and that CDG is Rock & Roll.
  Even if they don't know those notes are call CD&G.

This applies to many things.  I had the opportunity to see the Picasso
exhibit (in Las Vegas I think) some years ago.  It was interesting to me
that he did realism or stylized realism in much of his early work.  He
learned the skills and then went nuts with it.  Even if art is not your
thing you should see the exhibit if you have the opportunity.

Thank you for the compliment, and I do believe that I could become a
commercial writer.  In the end I fear that if I tried to monetize my
ability to write (such as it is) that it might take all the enjoyment
out of it for me.  I already experienced that once to a limited degree
in my experience with that nameless and now bankrupt outdoor magazine.
I had to FORCE myself to write for a long time after that.

I could certainly do formula work.  Anybody with basic writing skills
could follow the formula and write a romance novel.  With only
marginally more talent they could write an installment or two of a soap
opera.  Perry Rhodan was a never ending science fiction soap opera.  I
would hate it, although I admit I used some soap opera tricks in the
story.  I would hate it.  Not the story.  I might enjoy it.  Mindless
drivel is often entertaining.  I would hate writing it.

In the end the desire and the drive may be more important than the
skills or the talent. Ambition will get you the skills, and talent isn't
all talent.  Some of it is drive and some of it is skill.  There is an
old cliche along these lines,  "Success is 1 percent inspiration and 99%
perspiration."  That is a hackneyed old saw, but its more true than many
people believe.  You have to put in the work.

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