Some thoughts about writing that are found to be more true with each passing day.
I am new at this business of writing, so everything that I do is on speculation. Here is what writing on spec is about.
Writing spec work is like a one night stand. When it begins you don't know what the end result will be, and at times you don't really care, you are merely driven to it because writing, like sex, is something you must do. When it's over, you sit back and wonder whether you should have gone home earlier. It's only when you're in the knock-down-drag-out passion of it that you realize there is nowhere else you could, or would rather be.
mv calderwood
I had someone tell me, a while back, that they thought I had talent. Here's what talent is about.
Talent is a gift, a stallion: all muscle, unsaddled, unbroken, and it speaks to the spirt of the one who posses it. But, this creature, talent, will take you about as far an the unbroken horse - until it too is broken. This is why there are more successful writers with little or no talent than there are successful talented writers. Those with talent are like drunks, all hooched-up, unable to break their talent by the relentless pounding of daily work. Talented people don't necessarily like work, but it is the only way to break the beast, the only way to ride the creature into the world of the writer.
mv calderwood
Some minor thought on production.
No matter what the task - all is proven by production. What we produce in our lives is the tale of how we have lived and in some cases whether or not we have been alive at all. It is the giving back process. We give to our world by production, and it is two-fold: it is quantity and it is quality. Some produce little but excel in the quality of what is they leave behind. Some produce massive amounts but with poor quality. I hope to ride the line between these two.
mv calderwood
An apology.
An apology to those of you who were expecting more. An apology to those who were expecting better. The management has been made aware of these two issues and is encouraging the writer to step-it-up.