tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6771775388110854391.post7797926971490539996..comments2024-01-29T06:21:11.353+00:00Comments on Sarah Duncan's Blog: C is for CraftSarah Duncanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12530089356370140344noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6771775388110854391.post-83971494373141924042011-12-01T14:29:57.838+00:002011-12-01T14:29:57.838+00:00There are too many writers out there—poets especia...There are too many writers out there—poets especially—who just think they can write using instinct or something like that. Some of us are luckier than others, we have natural talent, but talent, like an IQ, is only the start. An IQ only indicates a person’s potential. If he does nothing but sit on his arse day in and day out how clever is he really? I’ve just written a post about geniuses. Just because someone is a literary genius doesn’t mean that everything they produce is a work of genius; it is simply a work <i>by</i> a genius and there is a difference. I truly despair when I find writers—but especially poets—who think that craft, form and technique are dirty words. Picasso was an artistic genius who went his own way and made up his own rules but have you seen what his work was like as a kid? The kid could draw but that didn’t mean his dad didn’t make him practice and practice until he was better than his old man.<br /><br>Jim Murdochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6771775388110854391.post-109062046095051592011-11-30T23:29:31.731+00:002011-11-30T23:29:31.731+00:00Me too Sally. I think it's great.
Phil, you&...Me too Sally. I think it's great.<br /><br />Phil, you've found me out. I think How Not to Write a Novel is a very funny book, and the examples are brilliant, but I think it's one that you almost need to know the do's and don't before reading it. <br /><br />Patsy, being nosy is an essential part of being a writer. (And it's such a good excuse too.)Sarah Duncanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12530089356370140344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6771775388110854391.post-55051743950482737602011-11-30T19:55:32.242+00:002011-11-30T19:55:32.242+00:00I'm no genius!. I do read, listen and communic...I'm no genius!. I do read, listen and communicate as much as possible (and am incredibly nosy) I agree these things do help with my writing.Patsyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12263765378083045973noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6771775388110854391.post-48771616182748459642011-11-30T14:12:13.768+00:002011-11-30T14:12:13.768+00:00I was right. You're a serial alphabetist!
Tha...I was right. You're a serial alphabetist!<br /><br />Thanks for the tip on the book; must look out for it after I've finished the two I'm reading at the moment.<br /><br />One of those books I find most suitable for keeping in the loo, and not for that reason but because it can be dipped into in small, er, digestable chunks while one is waiting is <br /><br /><i>How Not To Write A Novel</i><br /><br />by Mittelmark and Newman, which gives the Don'ts rather than the Do's (illustrated by, thankfully, specially crafted examples, not direct quotes).Philip C Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14506199502085466202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6771775388110854391.post-58603684443876393412011-11-30T09:21:41.482+00:002011-11-30T09:21:41.482+00:00That book is my very favourite one, too. I recomme...That book is my very favourite one, too. I recommend it to everyone.Sally Zigmondhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07520579251842006765noreply@blogger.com