2020: October Update

Many things are on my mind, thankfully all of the positive. In this update:

• On finishing a piece of writing
• Flash! Edition 01
• Should I start a YouTube channel?

On Finishing

Bear with me as I organize my thoughts. This week, I finished a manuscript, counting 65.000 words. It is coherent, and reading it was the best pay-off for all the hours I spent writing it. I feel elated, proud and humbled. It is a first, and I can say, with confidence that five years of deliberate practice has markedly improved both crafts any aspiring author must master: storytelling and writing.

The next phase for this manuscript is to be read by a small group of alpha readers, as well as my writing coach. We will then continue my education in writing, and, perhaps improve this manuscript to a standard suitable for a wider audience. Perhaps it is one more stepping stone on the way to publication of another story. Such is the way of things, and I accept that. I have improved, through effort, and that is reward enough.

Flash! Edition 01

A new section, 500 word Flash Fiction. Experiments, shared for your entertainment. You can find the first edition here.

Should I start a YouTube channel?

Writing with T.G. Ellis, that’s what I’d like to call it. A channel where I talk about how I tell stories, and my journey as a writer. So What exactly would I, unpublished writer, talk about? That is a good question. One which I, in all honesty, have asked myself many times.

And I think I finally have an answer: Proces. Story. Craft.

Process

I have fought many battles, with myself and my environment, to create a process that works for me. These were intense conflicts of the heart and mind, where elements of equal value to me were at odds with each other. It is a struggle that started at age eleven, and that I feel I have finally emerged from victories, some twenty five years later.

Surely, I have something to share with those still searching and struggling to find their process.

Story

It feels like most of the how-to-write channels step around this topic, because it does not allow itself to be captured in the all to populare how-to format and five easy steps. For any aspiring writer, understanding what a good story is, and then, how to construct one, is a must, arguably even before the craft of writing itself.

I will defend the following position gladly:

Better to have poorly written, compelling story, which grabs attention, captures imagination and ravages the heart, than a piece of writing that is grammatically sound, yet leaves the reader cold and unmoved.

Writing is merely a manner of storytelling, and the writer must devote her or himself to mastering that craft, which is distinct from the craft of writing.

Writing

Language is fluent, and before the end of my life, it will have morphed many times. Words, grammar, punctuation, are tools all writers must master. From word to paragraph to sentence, it is the ability to write clearly, concisely, enticingly that sets apart the professional.

Merely vomiting words onto paper, as many do (I do not exclude myself from this fault) is fine for fleeting IG posts, tweets and blogs that capture the moment. In fact, their appeal lies in their roughness.

When it comes to the craft of writing, to tell stories that inspire the heart and mind to aspire to anything better, writing craft is essential, second only to the craft of storytelling.

Subscribe, and I will make it so.

My YouTube Channel would address these three aspects of writing, passionately, and to the best of my abilities, and I would learn together with all those who followed.

If you’re interested, let me know by subscribing here.