Tuesday's Inspiration - On Becoming A Novelist by John Gardner

Before I begin writing about what inspired me years ago and what inspires me today, I'll list the free books today.

A Double Opposition is free from October 1 to October 5 A Double Opposition

Havens, Affinities Book 2 is free from October 1 to October 4  http://amzn.com/B00BEZKO38

Now to the real part of the blog. The first thing a novelist may need or not is called verbal sensitivity. Now this was and is something I've struggled with. That's choosing the right word for a story and for a character. There are people whose prose flows with similies and metaphors. I've always stood in awe of them. When I began writing I realized this wasn't my forte. For me it's choosing the right verb, the right adjective and being specific. I also realized that I needed to increase my ability in this area. For some people lush writing is natural but this can also be over done. All those lovely figures of speech flow endlessly until the gist of the story is lost under the flow of words. Other writers are so sparse in this area that the writing becomes boring. Mr. Gardner says there are writers with a tin ear and others who are verbal musicians.

For me, I try to fit in the middle. I don't always succeed. But I have trained myself to have a sharp ear and eye for language. As a minimalist this means being specific. Sure I err here sometimes but so do my friends who are maximalists. Losing a reader in the almost poetic flow of words can lose writers but so can choosing just the facts. So becoming a published author comes with learning and continuing to hone verbal sensitivity.