The Art of Writing
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Whenever I draw (which is rarely, for reasons that will immediately become apparent) I do so meticulously. I reshape every line, redraw every curve, fuss and fiddle over and over and over because I just. can't. get. it. quite. right, until the page is obliterated by pencil marks and any hope of subtlety or movement has been lost in the pursuit of perfect imitation.
These illustrations by Francesca Waddell are about as far removed from my scratchings as you can get. A few strokes of ink, a splash of watercolour, and the page comes alive. The curve of a neck. The swish of a skirt. A piercing gaze. How does she DO that?
I write in much the same way as I draw. You'd be amazed how long I spend crafting even the shortest post. Finding the perfect pairing of image and word, coming up with a title, getting the alignment just so; a perfect blog post is part engineering, part alchemy. Very rarely does it flow from my fingers with ease, the way I imagine Waddell's subjects spring to life at the flick of her brush.
The difference with writing, though, is that the longer I work on something, the simpler it becomes. Sentences are excavated from the rubble of adverbs and adjectives. Words are chipped away, until only the bare meaning remains.
With writing - unlike my half-arsed attempts at art - the more I reshape the lines, the better they get.
Two years ago, in a characteristic flurry of motivation, I wrote a life list. I then abandoned it so comprehensively that I took it off the blog entirely as part of the redesign process. I've crossed off a couple of things since writing it, but nothing that felt like a huge personal achievement: being a bridesmaid (amazing but outside my control); going whale watching (I booked some tickets then turned up and went on a boat! Go me!); reaching a (fairly low, let's be honest) comment milestone on this blog. So far, so meh.
Last week, I crossed off a big one. A whopper.
I got paid for something I wrote. Paid in actual money. For something I wrote with my own hands.
I'm not a big magazine girl, but I have a lot of time for Emerald Street and its big sister, Stylist. It's hard not to love a respected publication that tweets things like "LEAVE OUR MUFFS ALONE" and sparks a run on name necklaces spelling out "Feminist." Even Vagenda approves. Plus, it's free. BONUS.
And the icing on the cake? Emerald Street's signature illustrations are produced by none other than the lovely Francesca Waddell. So it's smart AND pretty. The magic combination.
I'm still finding my feet, so those of you who subscribe to Emerald Street (if you don't, and would like to, you can do so here), I would love your feedback as the weeks go on. If you think my recommendations aren't diverse enough, or I have too much of an Edinburgh bias, or I just sound weird and/or crazy then please, please let me know.
As for those readers who have the misfortune to live outside the glorious central belt of Scotland, fear not. I won't be spamming you with Emerald Street stuff, although I may occasionally tweet recommendations that don't make the final cut. The upside for you is that more writing, for me, usually means better writing all round.
Things are about to get interesting.
All images by Francesca Waddell
21 boats moored
Kirsty, this is BRILLIANT!!! Go you!!! (although I now have that bloody Like a boss youtube song in my head, having only just got rid of it after James was singing it ALL. LAST. WEEK.)
ReplyDeleteThanks Amy! Um, I didn't even know there was a song. *Googles immediately*
DeleteNo, don't do it, save yourself!!!
DeleteHow exciting!! I didn't even realise it was you doing the weekend round up last week. Oops! I shall most definitely be making sure you don't forget us with events over on this side ;)
ReplyDeleteWell done Kirsty! Best life list tick ever! :D
xx
Thanks Bex! They actually forgot to change Zoe's name at the bottom of the email last week, so I was writing under a nom de plume. Hopefully should be fixed this week - my name in (digital) print! Yay!
DeleteCongratulations! And how lucky for them, nabbing you.
ReplyDelete<3
DeleteThis makes me smile big time! So proud of you lady :D
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! I am so happy for you . Like people in Mexico would say: "eres un estuche de monerías" , something like "you are a set of nice things".
ReplyDeleteHa ha love this!
DeleteAwesome! Congratulations, you're going to rock it!
ReplyDeleteCongrats Kirsty, that is great news. You will be fab at it. I get the emerald st emails so look forward to spotting your posts. xx
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the new gig! You're going to be ace. It's such a lovely feeling to see something you wrote in print, and to be paid for it is even better.
ReplyDeleteThis is TREMENDOUSLY exciting! Can't wait to read your stuff.
ReplyDeleteI deliberately put concerts and things on my list so I could cross some stuff off it! It's like's Toby's conversation with the poet played by Laura Dern on WW. She says she likes lists, she likes crossing stuff off them, and ash asks Toby if he likes that and he says if he gets around to crossing stuff off, he'll let her know. Bahahahahaha! One of the many reasons I don't really write lists.
Congratulations! This is brilliant news, I love Emerald Street and can't wait to read your first post.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I actually wrote last week's one - I'm so glad nobody noticed the change from Zoe's guides, I must be doing something right ;)
DeleteWow! HUGE CONGRATS! What fantastic news.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Kirsty! That's great news. Look forward to seeing your writing!
ReplyDeletex Elena @ Randomly Happy
That's brilliant news, how exciting! Congratulations x
ReplyDeleteThanks so much everyone! x
ReplyDeleteI'm learning to enjoy the art of editing and simplifying when it comes to writing! I've always been a rather verbose writer, but writing my PhD thesis really drove home the importance (and beauty!) of being succinct. I would often write something that I thought was reasonably polished and neat and then one of my PhD supervisors would swoop in, do some seriously heavy editing, and leave behind this amazing block of prose that was half the size but conveyed everything just as clearly (if not more so). I guess that's part of what I like about blogging - it's another writing format that challenges me to put my thoughts across clearly, and if I'm too verbose then people will probably tune out, so I'm motivated to be nice and concise.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your first paid writing job! I will be keeping an eye on your Emerald Street updates so I know more about where to go when I inevitably end up back in Scotland on holiday. :)