On Writing

I'm often asked what I use for a reference library when I write. My favorite answer is...my mind. However, this isn't usually the case. I only own a half dozen books on writing techniques and style. But frequently utilize just one, The Elements of Style, by Strunk and White. The only other reference I pick up is Roget's International Thesaurus. Pretty much everything else comes free off the internet; Dictionary.com gets most of my business.

I unvaryingly sense I'm misguiding novice writers when I tell them this simple truth. I know writers who have these incredible libraries on the various subjects of writing. I'm not sure what to think...I guess I'm not them. I don't care to read to someone's opinion on character development or dramatic plot twists unless his name is Mark Twain, Jane Austen or William Shakespeare. I like to consider myself open-minded and respect another's opinions on writing, but my voice is mine. That voice is not malleable. Your opinion probably can't change it. Nor should it.

I do have a voracious reading appetite which helps with style, vocabulary and insight. Sometimes I see something new or unique to me and give it a shot. Maybe it's how an author uses a metaphor or a bit of irony. Sometimes the experiment works, sometimes not. Over time, my writing just matures, good or bad. Anyway, that's my answer (for what it's worth).

**Disclaimer***(I just reread what I wrote and decided I needed this post note)

This is intended as a general answer to a general question. But if someone reads something of mine and says there is a character development flaw in my story. I listen.

Al, the Travel Valet

Pick of the Day(35-8-1)...Boston