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Raised By a Community of Writers
By Dawn Goldsmith
Some of us are born with a fondness of stringing beads,
others, for stringing words together. But whether beads or
words, to get really expert, two things must happen. We must
practice, practice, and practice some more. And we must find
a band of people who generously help us learn our profession.
Beads and I never got along, but give me words and I’m happy
for hours. Along the way my interest turned into a profession
nudged along by editors and generous fellow writers. It helps
when the managing editor of a mid-sized daily newspaper saw
something that even this writer didn’t, and gave me an
opportunity to work with his best. Karen Jantzi, lifestyles
editor, is top of my list and deserves to share any success I
experience. She took this wide-eyed new employee under her
wing, encouraged me and taught me the inverted pyramid style,
which allowed her, as editor, to trim the story from the bottom
without losing important details.
She also taught me to write the intro last. Upon completion of
the article, essay or even a business report, the topic, form,
style and theme crystallize. When I bring elements of a story
together, the introduction begs to be written. Karen also
pointed out that the best introductory paragraph is usually
hidden in the third paragraph. If you can’t find it there, she
suggested, check the ending. Often the last words work best as
the first.
Jean Marie Ward, a.k.a. Spiderwoman, editor of Crescent Blues
E’magazine, taught me to write tight and energized book reviews,
interviews, and articles. She insisted that was/is and passive
verbs belonged in the dumpster, not in any writing on her
website. She challenged her writers to find the right verb for
every sentence. Once we accomplished that, the tightened sentences
hummed with new energy.
Another editor, Sandra Hatch, with Quilters World Magazine
recommended a working title for every article. This simple tool
helped me focus and prevented wandering off on tangents. Sandra
also loved sub-heads. They, like the article’s title, kept me on
task, helping me focus that subset on one topic before adding the
next bead topic to the string.
My dear friend Peggy Vincent, author of Baby Catcher: Chronicles
of a Modern Midwife, introduced me to the personal essay. On the
Internet Writing Workshop’s nonfiction list, we met and fell into
a reciprocal arrangement of critiquing each others’ submissions.
Hers became a successful memoir (see above title). Mine became a
growing list of personal essays sold to a variety of anthologies,
magazines and newspapers.
She taught me to write until I unearthed the essay’s heart --
a universal truth. She never let me stop until I found that nugget.
Often we set aside projects for several days or weeks then read
them with fresh eyes. Peggy swears by reading everything out
loud. Wherever she stumbles, she rewrites. I’ve been blessed
with a community of writers at the Internet Writing Workshop who
offer me great advice and critiques on the various writing lists
long before any editors see my work.
One of my favorites, a most remarkable and simple lesson, came
from Rose Jacobius, editor of The Washington Post’s Style section.
She taught me to rearrange paragraphs. Often the writing fits
together better in a different order, revealing a stronger theme,
or something this author hadn’t considered.
Perhaps great writers are born. But with a community of mentors
on whose shoulders we can stand, all of us can gain heights we’d
never imagined. Along the way, we also grow friendships and if
fortunate, eventually give back at least a little of what has
been given to us.
BIO
Dawn Goldsmith
Blogs:
http://www.wordsogold.blogspot.com/
http://www.subversivestitch.blogspot.com/
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