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Robots Don't Have Heart

Reading your words, what you wrote, how you were lonely sometimes and afraid, but always brave; the way you saw the world, its colors and textures and sounds, I felt--I felt the way you thought, hoped, felt, dreamt. I felt I was dreaming and thinking and feeling with you. I dreamed what you dreamed, wanted what you wanted--and then I realized that truly I just wanted you.” ― Cassandra Clare
     I have a strange achy feeling that makes me want to write.  I want to curl up in obscurity and type away on my keyboard, letting story after story roll forth.
     Writing is a strange mix of "working" at something without "forcing" it.  The ideal of sitting down and reaming off perfect stories without pause...well, it hasn't happened in my world.  It's something I have to study, to work at, to rewrite, to scrap and start over, to try new techniques, and so on.  There is work involved in making a good story.
     But, at the same time, you can't force a good story.  There has to be an element of relaxing and just letting it pour from your heart.  After all, it is "heart" that really grabs a reader.  I don't mean mushy inspirationals; I mean the passion that is in you speaking to the passion that is in them.
     This is why robots don't write stories.  Why couldn't we just enter the formula for a good story into a computer program and have it type out all the next best sellers?  Because robots don't have heart.  They don't have passion.
     And this is why you should not "work" so hard at a story that you start "forcing" it.  Because writing is art, and art reveals the thoughts of the artist.  If you are frustrated, trying to force a story, then your work will sound frustrated and forced.
     So it's a balance.

1. Pour all the preparation, practice, study, and determination into making your story the best it can be.

2. But, when you write, relax into the network of preparation that you have made for yourself, and write with a passion.

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  1. AnonymousFebruary 4, 2015 at 5:57 PM

    This is so true. Without passion, writing isn't enjoyable because there is no genuine emotion and character personality. A lot of preparation goes into harnessing that passion the right way, but when done right, passion can really enhance a story.

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  2. Esther Brooksmith (wisdomcreates)February 25, 2015 at 12:49 PM

    Absolutely, Ana!

    ReplyDelete
  3. HeatherFebruary 26, 2015 at 11:37 AM

    This is something I think is becoming more and more relevant as we become reliant on technology. Yes, robots can do a lot of things... but they don't dream of electric sheep!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Aidyl EwohFebruary 26, 2015 at 5:03 PM

    Hey! Visiting from the GTW Link-up. I totally agree about writing with passion. And, while I don't think that I should force my story, I do think I sometimes need to force myself to write, even when I don't feel like it. I just don't need to use those words later on. Of course that's just the way MY writing brain works. :)

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    Replies
    1. Esther Brooksmith (wisdomcreates)February 26, 2015 at 5:26 PM

      Greetings, Aidyl! And welcome to my blog!

      Yes, I totally agree that we sometimes have to force ourselves to write, even when we don't feel like it. That's called committment, and we make that committment when we decide to be writers.

      But I do find that my own personal attitude shows up in what I write. As a reader (if you read my draft before I edited it), you could probably tell which scenes I enjoyed, which scenes I dragged my feet through, and which scenes are stilted because I tried to write them according to a list of cookie-cutter rules.
      Don't get me wrong about rules either. I like rules, and the lists that I have help me to be a better writer. I just have to read them BEFORE I write so that they are a part of me instead of WHILE I write.
      My attitude, while I write, ends up playing like background music in the story I'm weaving. And if I had an attitude that didn't match with the scene I was hoping to create, then I have to edit it out later.

      And that passion and heart cry, when harnessed correctly, is why people read books written by humans instead of produced by a logarithm. :)

      Thanks again for commenting! I love the way you clarified the importance of "writing regardless of your attitude." That committment is vital. If we waited around for ideal circumstances...well...we probably would never finish a book.

      Delete
  5. AnonymousMarch 1, 2015 at 4:12 PM

    Nice post.

    And cute pic... reminds me of me when I am really into what I am writing:) I sit in all these awkward positions, like, "I'm-uncomfortable-and-should-rearrange-myself-but-I-am-way-too-into-what-I have-to-get-down-on-paper-like-now-I'll-move-in-a-minute..."

    *An hour passes:)*

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    Replies
    1. Esther Brooksmith (wisdomcreates)March 1, 2015 at 8:22 PM

      Me, too! I think I try to fold myself into my story subconsciously!
      So when I found this pic on Pinterest, I thought it was perfect. :)

      Delete

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