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...oops! That should be "ever" offered...I have yet to learn to type!

datsunlvr:
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I had to learn to let the words flow from my mind to the story naturally, without stopping to worry about such things as spelling, grammer and punctuation.
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Exactly. Spelling, grammar, punctuation and even meaning all come later, during the editorial process.

I call the first part: "generating the raw material." The second part is deciding how to use and manipulate raw material I've created and put away, often o'er the course of many years.

In my own work I look for what is called "verisimilitude," which by the dictionary is "the quality of appearing true or real."

At one time on the Continent there was a verisimilitude requirement for all dramatic works, consisting of a unity of three things: time, place and action.

This meant that a play had to be written as if it occurred in real time in a single place with continuous (unbroken) action. There was a point -- 17th or 18th century, not sure -- when if your play did not follow the three requirements of classic verisimilitude, you could not be accepted into the French Academy.

Quel Horreur!

My own criteria for verisimilitude is different. It basically boils down to one question: can I recite this aloud with ease and without a single shred of embarrassment? In other words, does this particular word, phrase, sentence or paragraph flow trippingly over my tongue, with no hesitation or pause?

Because I am a dramatist who morphed into a performing poet [Grotowski called me "a bard"],
my own measure of literature is precisely how writing sounds when spoken aloud.

Poetry began with
one man, standing
on a rock, talking
to other people.
The printing press
did not invent poetry.
Poetry works better
on videotape
than in a book.

When working as an editor with my own raw material, I do not care what a sentence means, because an artist cannot know the true meaning of her work when she makes it. Meaning comes later: sometimes after the poet is deceased. The only thing I care about is how it comes out of my mouth. The good stuff walks in beauty; the stuff I file away does not.

Here's the phrase which, by my own judgment, is the best I've ever written (which is to say my favorite):

"Lupine remorse for no persons."

I wrote this in my 20's -- 40 years ago -- and still don't know in the strictest sense what it actually means. It defines a certain feeling I had and still have today: lupine remorse for no persons.

I love the way this proceeds from my mouth: the two "p's" and the "s's" give it a rhythmical beauty as I speak. The sentiment touches just close enough to a base animal instinct that keeps us all alive. It means: "Whatever happens 'til I die, I'll go on."

Here's another favorite from those days:

"Vinyl, modern man's marble."

Vinyl *is* modern man's marble, and, again, I just enjoy saying this aloud.

So far as I am concerned, the primary goal of any serious writer is to find and develop her or his unique voice. Using the techniques I've described, I certainly found mine.

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My biggest problem at first was finding voice. If I read Lawrence, I'd end up writing like Lawrence(just not so good) If it was Hemmingway, all my stuff took on his attributes.(just not as good) It took me a while to realize that I was much too much in love with my own words. I learned to let a piece sit a while before foistering it on someone else. The struggle with me was to try to remain objective about a work I felt completely subjective about. So now, I got a bit of personal voice, am a bit better at editing, but now I'm scared. This whole writing bit is a little harder than I first thought. (But so darned satisfying) Oh, and thanks to word, I still don't know how to spell.

I think what Skeeter said goes along with this program called Nanowriter. They too claim that what you must do is write whatever comes out of your head without worrying about punctuations. I tried it last year and found that at first I was scared to even begin. Duh!! what was I going to write and then carry it on for 50,000 words?? --and to top this all in one month?? But I just threw myself into the boiling pot and before I knew it I was writing and writing and made it to the finish. Since I consider myself a new writer( wrote all my life but only events of my life) I never thought myself as a writer until I joined these writers groups. They have really helped me formulate what I really want to do and that is to keep on writing. I have so much to learn because I know that sometimes I talk backwards in my writing; and I feel this happens maybe to people who speak more than one language which is my case. But I'm learning. Sometimes I feel punctuation also is my problem--and typing on this laptop that I own. I just keep trying 'cause I can't seem to stop! Zochitl

That's good. Gauguin was compelled to paint. He didn't do so bad did he? There are worse things than writing to be compelled to do.

LOL You're so right misterreal. So it's onward and outward to conquer the unknown!!LOL

And don't you give up either,OK??

Very interesting thread. Full of thought fodder. The automatic writing sounds interesting and freeing. I have just been writing for the fun of it for about eighteen months. I have improved from where I began but have so much more to learn. I just enjoy spinning a tale, making up a world, places, events, people out of an idea that just floated through my mind. I find reading other aspiring writers a wonderful learning tool.

I must say, for me, "automatic writing" would be wasting precious time. If that's what I have to stoop to to write something, then I need to pursue some other endeavor. I'll go clean some car parts or such - cleaning this office would be much more fruitful, now that I think about it.

If I sit down to this keyboard, it's to write something - not just anything. I'm sorry, but my head isn't full of just random blather. The "concept" provokes me to have this vision of taking a bucket of Scrabble letter blocks and throwing them across the carpet to see if anything readable happens to spill out. Then leaving them there so's I can come back later and arrange them into something that makes sense. For me, about as practical and promising as investing with Bernie Madoff.

I'd have to PURPOSELY write blather to produce anything approaching the automatic writing concept. And if I'm gonna purposely do that, why not just write something worth the effort???

Of course, this is only my opinion. Results may vary.

You know, I just hate to agree with Arcade, but I do. (He always wants me to tinker with my stories)
But sometimes the guy is just right, and this is one of those times. Maybe if you got writer's block, then O.K. Maybe if you're a bunch of monkey's pressing keys you'll finally come out with Hamlet.
But maybe not. If you got paper and ink and time to waste then go ahead. Tap 'til your fingerprints wear off. Whatever floats your boat. So it turns out it's not only his opinion, it's mine too.