Siggy's Blurbs: Siggy's Edge of Country …

You can’t follow trends concerning the subject matter you write about.  You can’t possibly remain genuine.  You have to write about what is deepest in your soul, that which is begging to get out.

There was a popular book out a while ago, “Do What You Love The Money Will Follow.”  Maybe someone should write a book titled, “Write About What You Love Money Will Follow.”  There are no guarantees you will become rich but someone out there will want to read it and buy your book.

I like the famous quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson in his essay of Self-Reliance:  ‘There is a time in every man’s education when he arrives at the conviction: that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better for worse as his portion;…’  You have to mine the field that is only given to you.  We are all wired differently and have different concerns.  That is all you can explore as a writer.  The better you do it and the more genuine, the more people will want to read it.  No one said you will necessarily become rich in the process but at least some people will care about what you write for it was you, you expressed.

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When I worked on a poem, it was the most important thing in the whole world.  Until recently, practically all my poems were generated from my journals.  When I wanted to convert an entry to a poem, the time I spent working on it was the most important thing in the whole world.  I would lose myself in the poem.

Time would disappear.  I would first want to get it (the particular experience I wanted to capture) all down.  That was the function of my journal.

I was not afraid initially of being redundant.  I knew I could go back and eliminate the repetition.  Then I would go back, condense it, shape it, get it to the point I could not do any more with it.

Then I would read it to my wife and listen to her reaction and any suggestions she may have.  And go back to it.  This may happen the next day or whenever I had time although I did not want to lose interest in the poem.

I would again look at, refine it and polish it, see what I could eliminate, what got in the way, see if any phrase needed rearranging, if the timing was wrong.  I did not want to tamper too much with the original.  I would work with the poem until I could not do any more with it again.  I would have my wife hear it again.

I was very attuned to how it sounded out loud.  Did it need emphasizing here or there, did I like the way a word or phrase or line sounded to my ear.  At some point I considered the poem finished.  A lot of this was done by instinct.  Some poems I am never happy with.  And others I simply discard or look at some other time in the future.

Down the road I may venture to read it in public.  That takes a lot of courage.  Many do not make it that far.  Few get to the keyboard.  I have to feel the entry has possibilities.  That is somewhat the process of my poems.

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Editing your own work is always painful.  Having one or two persons who can give you helpful feedback is invaluable.  My wife is such a person and I don’t take her for granted.  I like what Stephen King said in a book he wrote about writing, ‘take out what is not the story.’  It is not easy to do.  And an outsider is in a much better position to tell you that.  I have one test:  if you take something out of your story (poem or whatever) and you do not miss it, it did not belong there.  The beauty of a well written piece is what is left out–like a beautiful piece of music where every note counts.  You do not want to discourage the reader with clutter.  You want every word to count.  Having said that, it is not easy to do.  A good editor is worth their weight in gold.

Tags: beautiful piece of music, clutter in writing, don't take for granted, editing your writing, every note counts, every word counts, good editor worth their weight in gold, helpful feedback, my wife, poem, poetry, reader, Stephen King, take out what is not the story, well written, writers, writing
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I believe the art that matters is just a question of being as genuine as you can.  The decision whether your art matters is really not yours but the reader.  All you can do is be as honest as possible and if you were someone out there will relate to your piece.  I like the definition of art that Tolstoi gave:  ‘art is infection.’  There should be no doubt about what is being relayed in your written piece, whatever the feelings and it should be immediate.  I came across this quote in a wonderful book on writing by Brenda Ueland, “If You Want To Write.”  There is no doubt the world is full of pseudo-art.  Always be as honest as you can.  That is all you can do.  No one likes a phony.

Tags: art, art is infection, art matters, be genuine, be honest, book on writing, Brenda Ueland, don't be phony, God, if you want to write, pseudo-art, reader, Tolstoi, writers, writing
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The reason I am still writing is simple:  it matters.  Even after forty years plus I am still at it.  In the beginning, it was letters, then journals now my blog.

There has always been someone else out there who I was writing for even if that person never read the piece–at least one person.

An audience is important; but nevertheless I write for me.  Sometimes I solve problems, others times I focus my concerns.  I am aware that writing is one big way by which I express myself.

Through out the years there always has been an invisible audience.  Sometimes there was only one but that was enough.

I am always reaching out to that audience and I can not always tell you who they are but I do.  The only important thing I need to know:  it still matters so I continue to write.

Tags: blog, continue to write, express yourself, God, invisible audience, journal, reaching out, why I write, write, write about concerns, write letters, write to solve problems, writers, writing for 40 years, writing for myself, writing for someone else, writing matters
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I usually carry two pens on me and every corner of the house has jars of pens nearby particularity the living room.  I actually get anxious when I am too far from a pen.  I only buy Bic pens:  they are cheap and usually work.  When one starts to falter, I simply throw it away.  I do not use expensive pens.  I simply would lose them.

Two wives have made fun of me for I never want to be too far from a pen.  I have actually had fights with one about going out and buying another package of Bic pens when I had to look a little too long for a pen–maybe ten seconds instead of five.

The other is a little more tolerant about that and kind of laughs at me.  Maybe, that is why we are still married.  I get nervous when I am out and I only have one pen on me.  What if it runs out of ink or stops working?  Obviously I write.

Tags: Bic pens, buying pens, expensive pens, I get anxious, I write, jars of pens, laughs at me, look for a pen, lose pens, my wife, pen runs out of ink, pens, still married, tolerant, writers, writing
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There is always something to write about.  It is a question of picking up a “thread” in your life and following it on paper if you are so inclined.

There is no such thing as writer’s block unless you have picked yourself clean and not allowed yourself any empty spaces or “down time” to put it another way.

Every day you have concerns and different thoughts are going through your head.  You just have start somewhere and follow it where ever it goes.

None of that happens if you do not allow yourself quiet moments.  Your brain really never stops.  You just have to physically stop and record and follow at least one line of thought.

Although it is always up to you whether you want to write and follow your thoughts on paper (or the keyboard).  It is always up to you.  Writing is only one form of communication.  You live to write, not write to live.

Tags: author, communication, computer keyboard, empty spaces, follow your thoughts, live to write not write to live, paper, quiet moments, record your thoughts, something to write about, start somewhere to write, want to write, writer's block, writers, writing, your brain never stops
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It was in the late sixties I started keeping a journal.  It was a pivotal point in my life.  Forty years ago I knew my emotions were frozen.  I could not cry.  I did not know how I felt at any moment.  I was deeply depressed.

My journal was a start.  It gave me somewhere to go safely.  It was my only outlet (outside of sports) at the time.  My writings back then were not that good.  I poured out my depressed feelings.

Eventually some of my entries became poems and even got published.  That was the furthest thing from my mind when I started.

At some point years later I made an important shift:  instead of accenting the negative I started writing more and more about the positive in my life.

I never would have got there if I had not written first about all the things that were bothering me.

At some point I started recording the humorous things that happened around me.  It became another way to diffuse the “craziness” I saw.

I found out decades later I liked making people laugh at open mikes.  And I wrote more and more funny poems.

None of this would have not (???) happened if I did not start journalling in the late sixties.  Now my blogs have almost replaced my journal.  Though entries in my journal still trickle in.

Tags: accent the negative, blogging, blogs, could not cry, depressed, emotions frozen, feelings, funny poems, journal entries, journalling, keeping a journal, late 1960's, make people laugh, my journal, open mike, pivotal point in life, poems, poetry, publishing poetry, somewhere safe, sports, write about humorous things, write about the positive, write about what is bothering you, writers, writing
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Never be afraid of contradicting yourself:  words are always one-sided.  There is always another side–another point of view.  Your words can only state one point of view.  That may seem obvious but it is true.

Someone who reads what you have written may say, “What about this or that.  That is not true all the time?!”

Don’t get upset.  Just be aware there is always another side.  Just try to state your point of view as honestly and as accurately as possible.  That all you can do.  And do not be dismayed when someone challenges you.

Tags: accurate, always another side, another point of view, contradict yourself, honest, one-sided, writers, writing, your words
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WELCOME! I hope you will enjoy reading my blurbs.

In addition to the Blogs, I hope to encourage and inform poets and writers at Siggy’s Cafe For Writers & Poets, www.siggyscafe.com.  Here you will find many pages of articles, poems, suggested reading, and more, plus a special section devoted to my love of music.  Siggy

Tags: articles, encourage others, God, love of music, poems, reading, Siggy's Blurbs, Siggy's Cafe for Writers & Poets, suggested reading, tiny voice, welcome, writers, writing
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Writing is primarily psychological.  First you have to have something to say.  You need to be driven to reach out to an invisible audience, to solve a problem.  You may even know your end point but may not know how you are going to get there or what you are going to expound in the body of your text.

I never overly concerned about grammar (sic! the “fine editor” decided to leave this one as written!).  I know I can or my fine editor, my lovely and talented wife, can go back easily and tell me this or that needs correcting.  To be driven by passion, conflict is far more important.  If the feelings expressed are genuine they will always come through no matter how badly written the piece is.  Expressing yourself honestly and openly is what the reader responds to–not facile-ness.  It can be well written and say nothing.

Having something to say consistently always means providing quiet time for yourself and being able to listen to what the tiny voice inside of you saying:  “this is truly what is important and I want to express that openly to someone.”  Proverbs in the Bible says:  “Be still and know I am God.”

I am not going to discuss the existence of God in this piece but there is no doubt that one must have periods of reflection to continue to write.  Otherwise that person’s ideas will peter out eventually.  One must let his/her mind roam.  And that process is always psychological.  And that process is always a precursor to writing.

Tags: be genuine, Be still and know I am God, Bible, editor, express yourself honestly, feelings, God, have something to say, invisible audience, knowledge, learning, let your mind roam, listen to your tiny voice inside of you, periods of reflection, Proverbs, psychological, quiet time, quiet time for yourself, reflection, siggyscafe.com, the reader, writers, writing
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