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I remember a time when I seriously talked to my mother about what I should do when I grew up. She knew I wanted to fly airplanes for a living; she also knew I had a proclivity for writing. I don’t believe she liked the idea of my flying around in far reaches of the atmosphere. After all, if you are screaming about the air with your hair on fire, there is a chance you could get hurt. I think my mother could see my life as a writer being so much safer than my life as a pilot.
Being a practical woman, however, when I asked her more pointed questions about writing, she told me I was not ready. “What do you mean?” I asked, somewhat indignant.
“You have not lived enough,” she replied.
“Huh?” I answered in the time honored traditional teenaged response.
“You don’t know enough right now,” she said. Then she went on to explain that in order to write about life, you must have lived a life. She said all great writers were older and not only have they lived their lives, they observed how others lived. They understood what was important in life and what was not. “In order to acquire that kind of understanding, you have to be older,” mom said. I was still puzzled. I had not yet read Catch-22.
She tried to explain to me the classic question posed in Joseph Heller’s novel. In Catch-22, Heller illustrated the concept that to go to war was insane, and to get out of it, the authorities had to declare you insane. This idea birthed so many variants of this phrase. “In order to get a job, you have to have experience. To get experience, you have to have a job.”
The same holds true of writing. In order to write about life, you must have lived a life. At the time, I could not fully understand what my mother was trying to tell me. Today, after having lived a good portion of my life, I now understand. Perceptions of the young are refreshing, but the reality of age and experience provides not only the subject of a painting, but also the canvas on which the artist brushed the painting.
To acquire perceptions and a canvas on which to paint, a writer has to live and experience a great deal. Sitting in a library reading books and journals is an experience, but not necessarily the proper experience. You can become an expert in any field through reading, but if that is the extent of your knowledge, you are going to play second fiddle to those who went out and actually did it.
Today, after a lifetime as a pilot, I am able to write about aviation from an expert point of view. I may have also surprised my mother – I am still here, enjoying both my writing and my flying.
jC
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Roundtoits
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Through the middle of Saint Augustine is a street only two tenths of a mile long. The name of the road is Hypolita Street and on the northwest corner where Saint George Street crosses Hypolita stands the Columbia Restaurant. Somewhere along the two tenths of a mile, was the private home of Jack D. Hunter.
Jack D. Hunter – it seems an ordinary name, but Mr. Hunter was so much more than an ordinary man. He was born in 1921 and was one of the countless quiet and extraordinary who would always claim he was only an ordinary participant in World War II. He passed away early Monday morning on April 13, 2009.
From news reports and articles written about and by Mr. Hunter, he saw more tragedy and misery during his time as an officer in the United States Army than should be allowed. And as with all writers, which he later went on to become, all of his experiences served him well in penning some truly great novels.
Hunter’s most famous novel, The Blue Max, is a story of a World War I German aviator which was picked up by Hollywood and made into the movie of the same name staring George Peppard and Ursula Andress. Hunter went on to write more than a dozen other novels and served as a writing tutor for local journalists in the Northeast Florida area. He was, without a doubt, a writer’s writer.
And he was one of my heroes. Imagine my surprise when last year I found out he lived in the same area. I told my wife I would like to meet Mr. Hunter in the near future.
Over the course of the past year, I have been meaning to try to meet with him. But, as one of my aviation friends once told me, I had a lot of “roundtoits” in my tool box.
“What’s a ‘roundtoit’?” I asked. I thought it must be another of the wonderful tools contained in his toolbox.
“You know, one of those things I need to do, but I have to get around to it,” Jeff said.
Finding Jack Hunter was one of my roundtoits; unfortunately, this roundtoit didn’t wait long enough for me to get up and around to it. The same thing happened with my Uncle Buddy. Some roundtoits just won’t keep.
The lesson a simple – do now what you have to do while you can. This includes your own writing.
My wife and I enjoy dining at the Columbia every now and then. I often wonder now how many times we may have shared the restaurant with Jack D. Hunter.
jC
Through the middle of Saint Augustine is a street only two tenths of a mile long. The name of the road is Hypolita Street and on the northwest corner where Saint George Street crosses Hypolita stands the Columbia Restaurant. Somewhere along the two tenths of a mile, was the private home of Jack D. Hunter.
Jack D. Hunter – it seems an ordinary name, but Mr. Hunter was so much more than an ordinary man. He was born in 1921 and was one of the countless quiet and extraordinary who would always claim he was only an ordinary participant in World War II. He passed away early Monday morning on April 13, 2009.
From news reports and articles written about and by Mr. Hunter, he saw more tragedy and misery during his time as an officer in the United States Army than should be allowed. And as with all writers, which he later went on to become, all of his experiences served him well in penning some truly great novels.
Hunter’s most famous novel, The Blue Max, is a story of a World War I German aviator which was picked up by Hollywood and made into the movie of the same name staring George Peppard and Ursula Andress. Hunter went on to write more than a dozen other novels and served as a writing tutor for local journalists in the Northeast Florida area. He was, without a doubt, a writer’s writer.
And he was one of my heroes. Imagine my surprise when last year I found out he lived in the same area. I told my wife I would like to meet Mr. Hunter in the near future.
Over the course of the past year, I have been meaning to try to meet with him. But, as one of my aviation friends once told me, I had a lot of “roundtoits” in my tool box.
“What’s a ‘roundtoit’?” I asked. I thought it must be another of the wonderful tools contained in his toolbox.
“You know, one of those things I need to do, but I have to get around to it,” Jeff said.
Finding Jack Hunter was one of my roundtoits; unfortunately, this roundtoit didn’t wait long enough for me to get up and around to it. The same thing happened with my Uncle Buddy. Some roundtoits just won’t keep.
The lesson a simple – do now what you have to do while you can. This includes your own writing.
My wife and I enjoy dining at the Columbia every now and then. I often wonder now how many times we may have shared the restaurant with Jack D. Hunter.
jC
Sunday, April 5, 2009
So you want to write
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OK, so how many new writers are out there? More importantly, what are your perceptions on being a writer? And for the most essential question – can you write?
Many believe all you have to do is sit down and write. Then someone will miraculously pay to read what you have written. In a perfect world…, yes, maybe. In the real world, this scenario is about as far from the truth as you can get.
Let’s investigate the question in the first paragraph. Can you write?
I have talked with high school students and graduates, college graduates, and graduate students all of whom thought they could write. Additionally, I read what they were writing and, well, some can, some can’t.
How do you learn to write? Did you pay attention in your English courses? Do you understand the basics of sentence construction? Do you know how to use adverbs and adjectives? Can you answer the question, what is a verb? How is your spelling? Can you place punctuation properly? Do know what alliteration is and how to use it well? What is personification?
Yes, these are some of the very basic questions about writing, but being able to construct a sentence is of little consequence if you are unable to think analytically and logically. This is the crux of the writing business – getting your ideas across to others in a way they can understand exactly what you are trying to convey.
There is also another important aspect of writing: being able to tell the story. I remember when I thought of becoming a writer. I was in the second grade, still learning how to read.
I was reading a children’s book actually illustrated by my uncle, James Caraway. I can remember holding the book in the hallway of our house and talking to my mother about writing.
“Mom, do the people who write these books make money?”
My mother looked at me and with all her wisdom said, “No, not really.” Later, after I developed researching skills, I would discover there was a lot of truth to what she said. I would also think, Mom didn’t tell me the whole truth…
Actually, my mother did not know the truth and the truth lies somewhere between not making any money and pulling in $37 million dollars a year. It all boils down to how well you write, how well you promote, and how well the public accepts your ideas and writings.
One important thing to bear in mind about working as a writer is this: it is some of the hardest work one can engage in. It is lonely, it is laborious, it seems to never end.
Oh, yes, and did I also say it is rewarding? It is – beyond anything you can imagine.
jC
OK, so how many new writers are out there? More importantly, what are your perceptions on being a writer? And for the most essential question – can you write?
Many believe all you have to do is sit down and write. Then someone will miraculously pay to read what you have written. In a perfect world…, yes, maybe. In the real world, this scenario is about as far from the truth as you can get.
Let’s investigate the question in the first paragraph. Can you write?
I have talked with high school students and graduates, college graduates, and graduate students all of whom thought they could write. Additionally, I read what they were writing and, well, some can, some can’t.
How do you learn to write? Did you pay attention in your English courses? Do you understand the basics of sentence construction? Do you know how to use adverbs and adjectives? Can you answer the question, what is a verb? How is your spelling? Can you place punctuation properly? Do know what alliteration is and how to use it well? What is personification?
Yes, these are some of the very basic questions about writing, but being able to construct a sentence is of little consequence if you are unable to think analytically and logically. This is the crux of the writing business – getting your ideas across to others in a way they can understand exactly what you are trying to convey.
There is also another important aspect of writing: being able to tell the story. I remember when I thought of becoming a writer. I was in the second grade, still learning how to read.
I was reading a children’s book actually illustrated by my uncle, James Caraway. I can remember holding the book in the hallway of our house and talking to my mother about writing.
“Mom, do the people who write these books make money?”
My mother looked at me and with all her wisdom said, “No, not really.” Later, after I developed researching skills, I would discover there was a lot of truth to what she said. I would also think, Mom didn’t tell me the whole truth…
Actually, my mother did not know the truth and the truth lies somewhere between not making any money and pulling in $37 million dollars a year. It all boils down to how well you write, how well you promote, and how well the public accepts your ideas and writings.
One important thing to bear in mind about working as a writer is this: it is some of the hardest work one can engage in. It is lonely, it is laborious, it seems to never end.
Oh, yes, and did I also say it is rewarding? It is – beyond anything you can imagine.
jC
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Please stand by...
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We are in the process of starting this new blog. This blog will be open to all writers and our intent is to give away as much information about the writing business as we can. Why would we do this? To help writers and increase the quality of writing across the board.
We will give out information on everything in the writing business to help writers "do their thing." We will have helpful hints regarding writing articles, stories, and query letters, to issues concerning all aspects of the writing life.
I will tell you this - I have worked some pretty hard jobs in my life and one of the hardest is working as a professional writer. I am still trying to decide which was harder in some of my past work history - landing attack jets in the dark of night on the pitching decks of aircraft carriers in bad weather, or dealing with writer's block and irate editors and authors... Humhhh...
J&A
We are in the process of starting this new blog. This blog will be open to all writers and our intent is to give away as much information about the writing business as we can. Why would we do this? To help writers and increase the quality of writing across the board.
We will give out information on everything in the writing business to help writers "do their thing." We will have helpful hints regarding writing articles, stories, and query letters, to issues concerning all aspects of the writing life.
I will tell you this - I have worked some pretty hard jobs in my life and one of the hardest is working as a professional writer. I am still trying to decide which was harder in some of my past work history - landing attack jets in the dark of night on the pitching decks of aircraft carriers in bad weather, or dealing with writer's block and irate editors and authors... Humhhh...
J&A
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