Weekly Recap: the Fundamentals

After reviewing the news in YA lit this week and my own musings, I'm coming around to the idea that writing (like everything else that is worthwhile in life) requires getting the fundamentals right.



You can't get good at tennis without practicing routinely, and also seeking help from a pro.  My meals only improve whenever I slow down and follow the instructions, and make the same dish over and over again - each time slightly altering the recipe until I've finally nailed the right amount seasoning and the proper cooking time.

And writing requires the same amount of attention and devotion.  In cooking, you may learn to coddle an egg (delicious) and coddling a poem, an essay, or a novel is the same principle.  Slowly simmer until the words and sentences and paragraphs form a congealed dish for the eyes.  That process is long, involved, torturous and fraught with distractions.  It's not always fun, or easy, to work on style.

I'm reminded of a friend in college.  He chose to study English, not because he was good at it, but because he wasn't.  I don't feel particularly adept at writing, but I know that with practice I can become passable.