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[theliterateredneck]

When the Writer Grows Up.

When does the writer dip the toe into the Other? Who gives the writer permission to have the audacity to write a character that is not just as they are? Why do we even ask ourselves these questions?

    Writers tip toe closer away from themselves every day, if they are evolving. Think about it. Did Tolkien have to be a talking tree before creating such a creature? Did Flannery O’Connor have to live as a sociopathic killer before introducing the world to The Misfit?

    Shhh. Don’t speak. Let’s move on.

    In a post I since took down on Instagram, I attempted to address the delicate subject of the Other. It’s too big of a topic to gloss over in a few hash tagged sentences. The topic of writing about the Other appears to have vanished into a black hole of literary creativity. (I was hard pressed to find much on the subject, so I welcome anyone to tag this post with links on this topic!) Writers on social are barraged with “grammar queen” memes and often shared quotes that remind us to edit, research, avoid writer’s block, and how good a cup of coffee looks placed just so next to our laptops. I am guilty of all of these, so dodge your own guilt where you may. Where do we go to find how to write the Other? I offer my own experience.

    At no point in my creative writing life did some booming voice shout down from the Heavens “NOW. Now you can pretend you are an older man who knows how to fish and gets marooned on an island. NOW. Now you can play dress up and write about a black woman who may or may not get away with a murder.”

    What did happen is this-I grew up. I went outside of myself. When I was a young writer, I placed myself as the adventurer. The main characters of my stories tended to be precocious, tomboyish protagonists who were merely reflections of my not-so subtle wish fulfilment goals. My characters, ranging in age from ten to eighteen years old, were an extension of my ego.

     Ego, you might say. Why, the literate redneck, of course writers have an ego! Let’s address that misguided opinion. Don’t we all have acquaitances and loved ones who talk excitedly about their career, perhaps a promotion, perhaps they landed an interview or got a bonus? Is that ego? Are they allowed to be happy? Of course they are. And so are we. Writers have an ego. We have to. Otherwise our debilitating insecurity would keep us from ever sharing our work with the world.

   For many writers, there is just not one big moment when they decide to step outside of their comfort zone and imagine a world without someone just like themselves. It’s a transition that can be subtle or it can be something the writer plots out- a goal to further expand their talent and authenticity. As I grew into a more experienced  writer, I found the challenge of writing the Other to be  a welcome one. I researched, yes. Yet I also got better at watching people. One doesn’t need to be in front of a screen to find out how a retired florist, at least two decades older than the writer, might behave or speak. One also doesn’t need to go to a florist shop and stalk subjects. No. Just write as if you had more in common with them than you might imagine. They make dinner. They think bad thoughts about annoying neighbors. They walk their dog, too. Just like you. Then - give them a problem. Did their plastic pink flamingos disappear in the middle of the night? What are they going to do about it? What would you do? Now, go back to what they would do. See?

Not that hard at all.  

 (Please check out another post about writing the Other at www.matociquala.livejournal.com!) It’s a subject that needs to be discussed more often. 

   #writer #creativewriting #writersadvice j���L��

[theliterateredneck]

~Thoughts are with the lovely people of Louisiana and Mississippi today after another flash flood deluge.~ Bicycle Skull Man is an inspirational sight in beautiful New Orleans, the city of many hearts♥ #oddsouth #neworleans #south #crescentcity #nola #nolaart #neworleansart #latergram #lookup #art #louisiana

[theliterateredneck]

~We Used to "Live" Here~ This is Spyglass, a spot where many times, us kids in Bay County would meet up on the weekends. Cars and trucks with subwoofers would line the streets, until the "5-0" showed up, then we'd move to Alligator Point or Summerhouse. On the empty lot once stood a house on stilts. Many things happened at Spyglass and it's too early for those stories. Hurricane Opal took out a concrete wall we used to sit on and watch surfers by day and act a bit wild at night. Panama City Beach was not a bad place to create memories. And Spyglass is still there♥ #nostalgia

[theliterateredneck]

~ We need some Yeats~ "...with beauty like a tightened bow, a kind that is not natural in an age like this, being high and solitary and most stern? Why, what could she have done, being what she is? Was there another Troy for her to burn?" from "No Second Troy," one of my favorite poems from the late blooming W.B.Yeats. I am grateful to still have a book of his poetry from my sister, Andrea @andrea.tradesofhope. (She is an amazing woman.) The poetry of Yeats is a must-do event in one's lifetime. The Romantic Poets were not frivolous, but tapped into a much needed desire of a generation looking for progress, hope, inspiration from the Classics and nature. #poetry #irishpoets #yeats #romantics #poets #yeats #nosecondtroy #mysticism

[theliterateredneck]

Writing Music! Dirt Road Music! New album Ouroboros from Ray Lamontagne is much needed → fresh air rock, road trip music←. Produced by Lamontagne and Jim James, it is an epic, sweeping concept style album with a very vinyl-esque sound. It is meant to be enjoyed as a whole, with only 8 songs, each one is a sweet piece of music candy if you cant enjoy the entire album at once. I've missed Lamontagne!!★ It's good to hear this★ #jimjames #raylamontagne #ouroboros #greatmusic #music #rock #blues #ethereal #symphonic #spacemusic

[theliterateredneck]

~Sharing!~ New beautiful glass art from Phillip Roosen Glass on etsy (and FB) & @twistedjacklines here on Instagram ( the best platform for art, imho). Modern, fresh color scheme. Something for Mothers Day ? ^^ ♥♥ #art #glassblowing #glassblower #twistedjacklines #makers #furnacehotties #furnacegeek #furnacejunkies #addictedtoglasscane

[theliterateredneck]

~Blaze~ Burn it down, start over. You have 6 days left;-) #gulfislandsnationalseashore #navalliveoaks #nwfl #the850 #escambiacounty #writerslife #writinggoals #nature #inspiration #palm #cabbagepalm #gulfofmexico

[theliterateredneck]

~Let's Talk Technology~ As a writer who takes on different characters' points of view, I grapple with when & where to use technology in my stories. Sometimes, a character using a smart phone anchors a story too much in one place in time. Just like when we watch a film like tonight, The Hunted with Tommy Lee Jones and Benecio delToro, I look for how phones and internet can either help or hurt a film or story. What is your advice, writers?? Everyone finds their own way. Or, if you're a #scififiction writer... Make Something Up That's Even Better:-D #writerslife #writingadvice #amwriting #fiction #fictionwriter #technologyinfiction #south #nwfl #the850 #nikon #snapseed www.jenniferlynnmccarthy.com

[theliterateredneck]

~Thank God it's Monday~ This month is all about writing deadlines and preparation for a big trip. Monday gets a bad rap. I see it as a new set of seven days to get →It Done.← ★photo at what we call "The Last Beach."★ (entrance to Ft Pickens & a wonderful spot with pavilions and grills) #writingdeadlines #writerslife #goals #monday #inspiration #beachlife

[theliterateredneck]

~Good~ #sundayinthesouth #peace #florida #weekend #outside #sun #northwestflorida #beachlife www.jenniferlynnmccarthy.com

[theliterateredneck]

★it is a Beastie Boys kind of Sunday★ #beastieboys #beachday #frisbee #alittleabnormal #greatfriends

[theliterateredneck]

What great escorts tonight to seat the patrons! I was floored by the Fred Astair Studio Dancers and the dinner from Chef Dan Dunn. It is nice to feel ~not helpless~ in a world of many problems, but any bit of time and effort helps problem solving. I am not a fan of complaints, a big fan of seeing things Get Done♥ #blindservices #hiltonpensacolabeach #theeyeball #heartfelt #visionimpaired #volunteer

[theliterateredneck]

RIP Pat Conroy. The Water is Wide is my favorite Conroy book and the film did it nice justice. The themes in his books were never easy going fun "Southern" fare, I admire this so much. He left very intimate private moments on paper, laying bare family tensions, relationships between parents and children. He also had great advice for writers, much of it emphasizing using fiction to "work through the demons" AMEN. #patconroy #thegreatsantini #thelordsofdiscipline #thewateriswide #theprinceoftides #greatwriters #americanfiction

[theliterateredneck]

~"My ambition was to live like music."~ Mary Gaitskill. Her work has been featured in The O. Henry Short Stories, Esquire, The New Yorker, Harpers and more. I have been enjoying Gaitskill's deft storytelling skills since first reading her work while I was in high school. She is a master. All genres in this house, most days;-) #marygaitskill #americanwriters #literature #bestamericanshortstories #goodwriters #americannovelist #thenewyorker #harpers (original photo)

[theliterateredneck]

~Edit the Closet, Edit Your Life~ Today I made another donation bag full of clothes. Some things are being reused like this size 4 dress from 1978 (^^). Clothes with memories. Buhbye. Now I have space. The point is not fill up those closets, cupboards, and garages. →Breathing Room← at home or on a page Is A Good Thing:-D #editing #wordsmith #breathingspace #declutter #writerslife #attachmenttothings #letitgo #edit #whitespace #blankspace #breathe

[theliterateredneck]

→Writing to Todd Snider← whose bio is well worth the read & whose music is a gift. if you listen closely, you can hear some pretty humorous lyrics going on^^ #writingmusic #lyricalmuses #goodmusic #toddsnider #americana #folk #popfolk #singersongwriters #getodd #getgoodmusic #notv #writingto #writerslife #ruralamerica

[theliterateredneck]

Official Author Page. Because all the cool kids aren't doing them any longer;-) Find it, friend it, Fan it. ★New book NEWS on it soon★ www.jenniferlynnmccarthy.com