…blasphemy?… heresy?… ravings of a mad writer?… signs of an author finally succumbing to the madness that years of tilting at imaginary characters bring?… that this ol’ Scots Jurassic scribbler should posit that the purpose of creative writing is NOT to achieve perfection?… p’raps, Mabel, but just hold on a minute with that frantic phone call to the lunatic asylum to come and cart me away… in a lifetime of reading, my choices of literature have been as broad as can be… Steinbeck, O’Hara, Ruark, Christie, Dickens, Eco, Fitzgerald, Child, Austen, Churchill, Burns, Chaucer… an endless list of library index heroes… every name there acknowledged as classic in his or her own metier, regardless of genre… sparkling storytellers all… but equally, I have noted in many instances, flaws, sum’times, in their narratives… incomplete closure on certain endings… use of language occasionally misplaced… part of that may be attributed to less than splendid editing, but the result in these instances is … LESS THAN PERFECTION… and did it impinge negatively on my pleasure in reading them?… not one jot!… y’see, the skill in expression, the art of spinning the tale, of enticing me into their stories, of hypnotizing me into page after page is the real essence of the writer’s grail…
…of course, as a novelist myself, I try assiduously to keep my writing as free as possible from glaring grammatical or tautological error… but the primary objective is to have the reader step into the imaginary world I create… and the world itself is not prefect… over the past ten years, I have reviewed certain books by other authors… initially I would pick up on small and sum’times not so small issues in the writing… but after a while, I dismissed these and carried on with ‘getting absorbed in’ the tale… and how much better has become my enjoyment of their wee masterpieces… I read sum’where else a while ago that ‘Life is not a Game of Prefect’… my writing is a major part of my life… ergo, My Writing is not a Game of Perfect either… thoughts, good people?… see yeez later… LUV YEEZ!
ALL MY BLOG POSTS ARE FREE TO SHARE – BE MY GUEST!
Yes indeed; Charles Dickens wrote chapters to be enjoyed around household fires read aloud to the family, not to be analysed to death by generations of bored teenagers at school!
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…the whole point, precisely! 🙂
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Real is so much better than perfect.
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…LUVZYA! 🙂
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Seumas, if we write real stuff, it’s not perfect to begin with. So, a a lost transition here or there would prove it! I think of all the dialogue I write that sounds so imperfect, but the way that character would talk in that situation. 🤔🙄💛 Christine
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…quite so, m’Lady, Christine 🙂
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Reblogged this on Musings on Life & Experience and commented:
Wise words on writing from author Seumas Gallacher.
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mwaaah 🙂
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Tautology is such a cool word.
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…:) 🙂 🙂
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Wise words as always. Good timing for me as I’m about to embark on a tidy up edit.
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…you’ll be grand, that man… hope the hand is recuperating well… 🙂
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Unfortunately it’s not. I can type a bit with it using a special splint and high arm on my chair. I might need an operation to fix it. I’ll find out next week.
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…good luck, anyway, 🙂
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Cheers
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Reblogged this on Author Don Massenzio and commented:
Check out this post from Seumas Gallacher’s blog that makes the assertion…no, Authors… writing PERFECTION is NOT your objective…
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…cheers, that man, Don 🙂
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You’re welcome.
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Thank you, Seumas. However, I feel perfection, like beauty, is a value judgment, and it’s also unachievable. A writer’s goal should be the relentless pursuit of ‘excellence’. And it holds for all disciplines.
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100% in agreement, that man 🙂
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I agree here with you, perfection is pedalled much more these days in writing and the story, the love of writing should be first.
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…yup… telling the story, first, second and always!
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Reblogged this on Have We Had Help? and commented:
More from that man Seumas…
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🙂 🙂 🙂
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I have many writer-friends who have written wonderful stories – books for young adults, children, and adults – that they’ve been working on for YEARS, not willing to see their work off to print because “it’s not good enough yet.” We can only edit/proof/ and improve for so long. Then we need to get it out there for our readers to enjoy! Great (brave) post, my friend.
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…yes, I’ve some writer friends who do the same… 🙂
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Reblogged this on Viv Drewa – The Owl Lady.
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mwaah 🙂
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hugz @v@ ❤
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Reblogged this on Writer's Treasure Chest and commented:
Check out what Master Seumas Gallacher has to say about writing perfection and how it’s not our objective. Thank you very much, Seumas!
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…thank you, m’Lady, Aurora 🙂
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You’re VERY welcome, Master Seumas. :-*
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I read a book called Story Trumps Structure by James Steve, that says more or less the same thing. It’s worth a read.
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…betcha! 🙂
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Words of wisdom oh Jedi Master. Thanks for the reassurance that some of us need so desperately on those days we feel like our work is pointless. Sharing on my blog about writing.
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,,,mwaaaah 🙂
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Reblogged this on Musings Of Two Creative Minds and commented:
Words of wisdom from a very wise man and great writer Seumas Gallacher.
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