By Michael Devaney
I’m a visual writer. By that, I mean while I’m
writing I see the events running through my mind’s eye as though they were
happening on a movie screen. Once the show starts, all I have to do is put pen
to paper and before long, I have the start of a manuscript. I call it writing
on the fly. The only issue is coaxing my fingers into keeping pace with the
action. For this reason, I seldom do much editing during a writing session.
I reserve that function for an editing session sometime later.
Sounds simple I know, but it goes against human
nature not to correct errors as we find them. It’s so hard in fact, that many
writers, a number of them well known, find themselves repeatedly drawn back
into the trap unable to move on from one page to the next until everything’s
perfect. Problem is, when stopping to make corrections; it’s easy to lose your
train of thought and stop creative flow. And that, for writers, is the kiss of
death.
Writing in this “on the fly” fashion is similar
to speed-reading and it’s just as productive. Instead of continually stopping
to re-read the previous lines and paragraphs or focusing on every diminutive
grammar rule, it’s about getting the main ideas down on paper before they
escape. The syntax can always be doctored later. But, don’t get me wrong
either. I’m not suggesting that you form the bad practice of plowing through
your writing with total disregard for linguistic principles; only that you
shouldn’t be weighed down by them in lieu of being creative.
I think that’s why I
like writing so much because it’s a process. It begins with a simple idea and
grows inside your imagination until you create something original. Then, after
the dust settles, you go back in and sharpen what you’ve written until it’s
honed to perfection. That’s where good writing becomes a work of art. It’s
there that you play with the words and wrestle with the structure until you
breathe life into the characters and story. When you’re finished, if you’ve
done it right, your readers will be captivated and won’t be able to put it
down.
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Michael Devaney is the author of The Inheritance and Tragedy’s Gift. Born in Atlanta, Georgia
in 1967 he was educated at Mercer University where he earned a Bachelor’s
degree in Business Administration. Later studies at Kennesaw State University
garnered him a Creative Writing certificate. An outdoor sports enthusiast, his
articles have been published in North American Whitetail magazine
and Great Deer Tales. Michael also enjoys reading, movies, football
and leisure travel with family and friends. He and wife, Beverly, have two
children; son, Owen, here on earth and daughter, Emaleigh, up in heaven. Please
help cure childhood cancer.You can follow him at https://www.facebook.com/MichaelDevaneyAuthor
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