December's Top 3 Contest Winners
Alyssa Ast
Here is our 1st place, 2nd, place, and 3rd place winner's.
1st- Leon Sterling
2nd- David Suresh Marumundi
3rd- Kristie Navarette
How to keep your writing moving forward.
By Leon Sterling
The best writing advice I ever received was from E. L. Doctorow. No,
I didn’t meet him (even though I lived in New Rochelle, New York at
the same time that he did). I received this advice while listening to
him discussing the process of writing during an interview with Charlie
Rose. He was astounding.
E. L. Doctorow has actually said a great many helpful things about
writing (I believe some have appeared on WM), but this one anecdote
about the writing process stuck with me and has helped me beyond words
(no pun intended) throughout the years. This is a close approximation
of what he said:
“Writing is just like driving a car at night – you can only see as
far as your headlights illuminate, but as soon as you’ve covered that
distance, you can see what’s next, and so on and so on.”
How has this helped me? I used to drive myself nuts with “Where is
this going? How will it end? What will happen to these characters?”
Somehow, E. L. Doctorow’s advice allowed me to relax, to trust in the
process and just keep moving forward, one word at a time. And that
approach has remained with me.
Doctorow also provided an example of what he meant on the Charlie Rose
show. When he sat down to write what would become “Ragtime,” he was
in his house in New Rochelle staring at the wallpaper. Nothing was
coming. So he simply began describing the wallpaper he was staring at
(there’s a prompt). Then he began writing about what might be behind
the wallpaper, and then about who might have lived in that house
around the time it was built in the early 1900s. The story evolved
and became a tremendous novel. How could one not pay attention?
A corollary to this was something that a friend said: don’t try to
perfect each chapter, just keep moving forward then go back and edit.
Tied with E. L. Doctorow’s advice, the combined advice allows me to
trust in the process, to keep the story moving, through the dark,
through the fog, without knowing exactly where I’ll end up.
The second best writing advice I received (is that allowed?) was
during some classes at Sarah Lawrence College. I returned to school
in my 40s and one of the teachers there was an advocate of allowing
one’s characters to take part in their own development. That was an
eye-opener and has helped me to step into the characters’ shoes and
see things from their point of view. Very illuminating, particularly
when it’s the opposite sex. Not easy to do, but far better than not
listening at all.
The best writing advice I have ever received and why
By David Suresh Marumundi
I was eleven when I received my first and the best writing advice
ever. It traveled with me in time, remembered even today—after 33
years. I must admit that, if not for the advice of his, I would not be
writing here today. Venerable I consider it now. I call him as ‘him’
as I do not remember his name or his face today. But I can exactly
recall the incident in the same fashion as it occurred that day.
I was at a bus-stop to catch a bus home from school one day. Waiting
for the bus, I saw a paper rolled like a ball, lying at my feet and
picked it up. I noticed a man besides shifting closer, as I was trying
to unfurl the piece of paper. When I finally straightened it out, I
saw nothing in it to sustain my interest and impulsively, I crumpled
it and threw it back to the ground.
All through, I noticed that the man beside me was getting restless,
and, when I threw the piece of paper he immediately rushed for it.
Impulsively I put a safe distance between us, as he started to unfold
the ball of paper, smoothening the crumples and creases, as if tending
something very precious.
And then he did something that I never expected him to do! He moved
in, grabbed me by elbow and made me sit on the bus-stop seat, all at
one go. There was no time for me to react. And then he asked me to
read the piece of paper.
I said I already knew what it contained—an extract from an English
grammar note book. Then he asked me why I threw the paper away while I
could have read it or retained it. I said I knew grammar well. Then he
insisted that I be put to a simple test and I conceded to that. He
wrote something on the rear of the same paper he was holding and asked
me to answer. I read it, laughed aloud and scribbled my answer to one
of the easiest questions of my time.
The question: What is your name?
And my answer: My name is David. I am studying in …class, section…’
and it went on to end with a few of my best friends’ names, including
my teacher’s and my parents’ of course.
The man then taught me there, at the bus stop, the finer nuances of
writing and grammar including the best writing advice I ever received:
Cut it short. Epitomize. Now, after lapse of so many years whenever I
write, I always write simple, clear and concise content.
Above that, he also told shared something that remained stamped in my
mind even today. While reasoning why he picked the crumpled piece of
paper, he recalled his younger days when printed material was a
scarcity. If ever a piece of paper was found loose, he said people
would fight over it. He said that he always used to dream—of reading
his favourite books lying amongst a treasure of books and he also
confessed that it was his favorite fantasy too. It therefore inspires
me even today to read everything in print—either soft or hard copy.
By profession today, if I am thriving as a Technical Writer, I
sincerely acknowledge it in favor and honor of the man from whom I
learnt my first and the best ever writing advice.
"What is the best writing advice you have ever received and why?"
By Kristie Navarette
All of my life, I have been told “you’re funny” or “you always look on
the bright side”. While I know this to be true, I also know that when
I am in my deepest, worrisome thoughts, what better place to hide all
of these deep thoughts than in my writings.
I had a diary when I was a young teen. In it, I would write who is
prettier than me, what guy looked (or didn’t look!) at me, or what
dreams I had. Little did I know that those thoughts I wrote might
become a theme paper one day in college.
Once I entered my freshman year, my English teacher asked us to write
a one-page theme paper about a marital or dating issue. Since I was
married, a young bride of 22 years old, I wrote about How to Fight
Fair in Love and Marriage. I read a self-help book about this,
because I wanted to work hard on my new marriage, and fighting was a
new and strange aspect in my life.
My paper consisted of a time when my husband and I went hiking up in
the mountains; just the two of us, long before cell phones were
invented. I wrote about bringing up the subject of the in-laws coming
to town soon for the holidays, and couldn’t we just have them stay 3
days instead of 2 weeks? I knew this would be the wrong time and
perhaps the wrong place to bring up the sensitive subject, but I also
felt what better time and place to where we can’t storm out of the
room, slam the door, fall asleep mad…you get the picture.
Instead, we sat on a rock and discussed it calmly, in a different
setting, catching our breath, and we reached a consensus. A five day
visit, we decided, and the reason would be because we want to get away
to hike, just the two of us. The in-laws had to understand that. It
had to work!
My English teacher learned something, too. He said he was also a
newlywed with step-children, and he was going to learn from my paper
and experience, and see if it works for him. He also said that he
enjoyed reading my paper, and how I was able to mix positive and
negative real-life experiences in a short theme paper with a moral to
the story. I received an A+.
Since then, I have been working on a book that merges positive,
negative and humor. The encouragement my English teacher gave me
helped me to proceed with my writings and experiences, and put pen to
paper. Or nowadays, fingers to keyboard.
chandru
i am web researcher , i dont know much English ........ if there is
any grammar mistake, i am really sorry
David is a g8 content writer, one of the best of best writer
David
I thank you Alyssa (I have mailed you personally though) and your team
for having placed me 2nd in the contest. I am sorry for my belated
thanking. But I was overwhelmed all these days and forgot to thank you
all.
Once again I am extremely obliged for giving me so precious gift to
cherish for the coming years.
Wish you Alyssa and all the team at WM not to forget all the readers a
wonderful, properous and cheerfull New Year.
Regards,
David Suresh Marumudi
On Dec 22, 8:03 pm, Alyssa Ast <alyssa....@gmail.com> wrote: