Hey guys, so my mom just informed me that the workshop I will be attending is in 2 weeks! So excited with my book's slow, but steady progress! Taking my time, reading through very carefully and prepared for the rejection it might/will receive. The workshop is on how to turn your memories into stories, how to develop characters, etc. This is great as I believe - for the privacy of those involved in the book - that I'm going to have to write it "inspired by" my childhood. Either way, I hope that this workshop will contribute to the final project being even better than I'd first thought it would be, ya know?
0 Comments
Creation
White wall White as ocean foam Staring back at me, sighing Lusting after the jars beside it Dried crusted color on their sides And pooling in bright harmony on the wood Vibrating bristles, shivering with elation Comb over the wall, clothing it in splatters and streaks And the wall once too white, too free Bleeds rainbows that drip to the floor And all at once An explosion of light Of creation - of life - shines through And nothing seems old to me anymore While the wall beams brightly at the Empty jars of glass beside it And breathes a thank you before drying © 2012 by Sarah Hamlin, Scholastics Art & Writing Awards Silver Key Award Poetry My creative writing teacher puts his rejection letters around the room to remind his students that 'with rejection, comes growth'. Editors and all them have a job to do, and sometimes it feels like my work is being mutilated and watered down too much. I hate seeing pen marks on my work, but I always have to bring myself back to the idea that with rejection, comes growth.
With rejection, it's a lot like feeding a picky eater. You put things out there, and some things won't get touched. On others, you'll get a nibble, and some, you'll find devoured! The world is full of people with different personalities, interests and dislikes. The more rejection we receive on a particular literary work doesn't always have to mean that it's just not good enough. If you talked to James Patterson, you'd realize that one of the most famous thriller writers in America was rejected countless times, and it took tens of re-workings and resendings to finally get some of his most famous titles published! Same with Audrey Niffenegger, the author of The Time Traveler's Wife. She continued to be rejected until novelist, Scott Turow put it on television. Now it's an international bestseller and has been made into a movie with two of the biggest names in Hollywood! Once, when I was 11-years-old, I wrote a story with a plot that I thought was horrible. Even though most that read it, loved it, I destroyed it. Two years later, I found Liam Neeson as the lead role of the hit blockbuster, Taken. This movie had almost been identical to the plot that had been in my story. Neeson himself said that when he read the script, he thought the movie didn't stand a chance of making it to the big screen... and nearly three years after it's big screen appearance, it's sequel was created... becoming one of the most anticipated films of 2013. Don't underestimate your power! Don't tear things up after one, two, three, or even fifty rejections. Keep pushing it through. Welcome it back, do some changes, send it in... over and over and over. You might be the next Patterson or find your book in the movies. My mother always says, 'just write'. In doing this, you don't worry about the audience, because in that moment, the only audience is you. - Sarah Hamlin It's one of the hardest things to deal with as a writer... rejection. But when it comes to writing, even if someone does get published, not everyone in the world is going to like your work, while there might be a few that are forever changed by it. I've been thinking a lot lately about how there's so much comformity in today's society. Everyone is out to please someone else all the time, other than themselves. In writing, when we send manuscripts or poetry in, we often feel the pressure to please the publisher. And that's good, don't get me wrong, but someone's best work is more-often-than-not from their heart. When things come from the heart, it's genuine. I have found in the past 11 years that I've been writing, that the work that pleases my family, friends and exibit readers the most is that which has a piece of who I am in it.
When I was sitting down with my writing instructor on the subject of my memoir, he said very boldly that what made my story so different was the fact that I was a writer. Throughout my first draft, I was very careful about how I worded things and about what language I used to protray emotion. He said that he knew which parts of the book I had tossed and turned over, and because of that, he found those parts very difficult to get through. He said couldn't hear my voice after the first chapter. Voice is big. ALWAYS keep your voice in there. An example from my disscusion with my instructor is when I would use a swear word to send home a certain feeling or thought. I had censored those words because I was concerned about my parents' reaction to them. But my teacher reminded me that if I got my arm cut off, chances are I'd be saying a lot more than, "oh, ow, that hurts." He said not to over do this type of language, but the more of ME that I put into my characters, the more enjoyable. So I found out a week ago that my poetry made it to the National level for the third consecutive year, however, it was not what the national judges were looking for... again. I get so close and then, bam! I can't figure out what they want! My mom thinks they want work that you have to read twice or three times before really getting to the heart of the piece... She also says that Robert Frost would probably not get passed the national judges because of his writing style. That made me feel better. My poetry did receive a Silver Key Award, though.
|
Featured Events
|