Why Write?

Do you write to tell stories? Is that what it's about, telling stories? Or is it something utterly different, something more than presenting ideas? Do you write, instead, to find answers to questions you've never before asked? Perhaps it's not that at all, though; maybe writing is simply a way to sort out the jumbled thoughts that fill your head, a means to bring order to chaos.

Every writer's reasons for writing are valid and every writer's reasons for writing change from day to day and hour to hour. Our writing is symptomatic of who we are at any given moment; it does tell stories, but not necessarily stories in the traditional sense.

That's what's on my mind this Monday morning. I wish someone else would read this and respond with thoughts my words might trigger.

Writers Versus People Who Write

Writers are, by nature, curious. They want to know more by day's end than they knew upon waking. They devour trivia the way sponges absorb water; yet they tend to turn trivia into treasures, thanks to their imaginations.

So, what of those people who write, but who do not have sufficient curiosity to explore new things? What about writers who think they are too old to learn new ideas, new technologies, new ways of thinking?

They are people who write, not writers. There's a difference. People who write can, with enough practice, produce tolerable work; at least they can produce work that does not instantly offend all readers. Writers, though, produce wonderful and horrible work, pieces of literature that serve as sandpaper or salve; they tend to offend everyone in some small way.

I'd rather be a writer than a person who writes. I wonder how many writers live in the Village; the number is far, far smaller than the number of people who write.

Eight Things: Advice from Kurt Vonnegut

Pay close attention to Kurt Vonnegut, my friends.  Consider what he said, heed what he said, and others will be more likely to read what you say.  Click on the link. You will learn things you might already know; but you will understand them a bit more deeply.

VWC Winners at 20th Anniversary White County Creative Writers' Conference

VWC members Marlene Kloack and Millie Lancaster each were double winners at the White County Creative Writers' Conference, held September 5, 2015 in Searcy, Arkansas.

Marlene won 2nd Place (out of 21 entries) in Contest 11 for her essay about a humorous childhood memory, "White Sailboats on Blue Background."

She also won 2nd Place (out of 28 entries) in Contest 14 for her 6-word story in the tradition of Hemingway, "Safari Accident."

Millie won 2nd Place (out of 19 entries) in Contest 1 for her children's story for ages 6 to 12, "Opera Mouse."

She also earned a 1st Honorable Mention (out of 24 entries) in Contest 24, for her short story based on a true account or fact, disguised or transformed into fiction, "Old Dog."

While neither Marlene nor Millie were able to attend the Conference, their awards were picked up for them by Madelyn Young. Other VWC members in attendance at the Conference were John Achor, Jerry Davis, Mary Lou Moran, Myra Rustin, and John Swinburn.

The winners of the contest we sponsored at the White County Creative Writers' Conference, the Village Writers' Club Award (we asked for a humorous short story, 1500 word maximum, open only to Arkansas Writers), were:
1st Place-- Ellen Withers, "Elevator Dreams"
2nd Place-- Peggy Sanders, "What Comes Around, Goes Around"
3rd Place--Geneva Emerson, "Short and Sweet"
1st honorable mention-- Jason Glass, "Tax Dollars at Work"
2nd honorable mention-- Rita Dortch, "Speech Class"

The three VWC contest winners present at the Conference, Ellen Withers, Peggy Sanders, and Jason Glass, are pictured below:

Ellen Winters, Jason Glass, and Peggy Sanders