A world view is a conceptual framework that helps tie everything together; it allows you to understand the world and your place in it.
Creating a writing world view can help you make decisions that may shape your writing future.
It could even help you slay your foes.
Rather than focusing on small sections of your writing reality, creating an overall world view could provide you with a more complete picture – of your writing life as a whole. Where it’s been, where it’s going, what you want it to be.
In particular, it could help you understand and cope with challenges and change.
Do you know what yours would read like?
Reader Challenge
In honour of last week being Words Matter Week in the US, let’s have a challenge.
Using the simple, surprisingly addictive six-word writing device, pen (and pixel) your writing world view.
How?
First, some background for those who are not familiar with the six word format.
As the story goes, Ernest Hemingway was asked to write a six-word story. He famously wrote “For Sale: baby shoes, never worn.”
What he did with this simple statement was prove that an entire story can be written in just six words.
Since then, SMITH Magazine took up their own slant on the six-word challenge. In 2006 they asked their readers to submit their own six-word memoirs. Thousands of submissions, much bickering over counting hyphenated words, dinner party challenges and several compilation books later, the six-word memoir is still very much alive and kicking.
To get your mind going, here are some fave six-word memoirs from the first SMITH compilation book, “Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs” (non-affiliate link):
Cursed with cancer.
Blessed with friends.
– Hannah Davies
Aging late bloomer
Yearns for do-over.
– Sydney Zvara
No Wife.
No Kids.
No Problems.
– Rip Riley
Coulda, shoulda, woulda:
A regretful life.
– Joe Maida
My writing world view
What started out as a bit of fun, quickly developed into an obsession (like I need any more) and a more serious exercise.
So here are my attempts – tongue-in-cheek ones as well as more business-y (for WORD SWORDS) – for you:
Thinking is easy. Writing is hard.
Words are my drug of choice
Red-haired word-warrior on war path
BRAVE. BOLD. BELIEVE. It’s about courage.
WRITER for hire. THINKER for free.
Straw at hand spun into gold
Wildly hire-able writer and storytelling fiend
Handforged, persuasive writing is sticky communication
Uses smarts over strength, with lion-heart
Word warrior slays fears and foes
Wilful red-haired teen, determined red-haired writer
Wordplay is better than foreplay
Obscure and famous in own lunchtime
And for fun (nothing to do with writing)…
A good bra solves life’s woes.
Now it’s your turn
What would your six-word writing world view read (and look) like?
