Jackie Baker

Essay 1                       

         My Advice to Writers:  Be like a Sticky Fly Strip

No man is an island. No man is exempt from being influenced by those around him. Even a man, who retires into the wildlife to be excluded from society, will leave with influences already infused into his character. Similarly in fiction, no man creates a literary work without being influenced by other writers. In chapter 13 Minot says that almost all creative writing is, “a blend of what we know well and what we invent” (155). A new writer must be willing to put ones ego aside and place special emphasis on the conventions that successful writers follow. By this statement, I don’t mean that a new writer has to follow other author’s writing conventions to the T; rather, they should allow successful authors to influence their work.

As I was writing my fictional piece, my mind was stimulated by scenes from the novel, “One hundred years of Solitude” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Marquez, my favorite Latin American author, uses the concept of magical realism to sprinkle whimsy into his novels. He is able to effectively merge magical elements into a realistic setting to create elements of surprise for his readers. If I had tried to write a story that contained magical realism without having read a successful example of it, my story would have been a flop. Even though I was influenced by Marquez’s writing style, I had to be careful not to make my story cliché. In chapter 13 Minot warns the new writer that they must be careful when using other writer’s conventions because, “time spent on shopworn material is time wasted” (159). It is important that a writer draws only what they need from other authors to create their own imaginative work. In 13 Minot says that as writers we should be able to, “select what we need and invent the rest” (145). After being influenced by Marquez’s use of magical realism in his writing, I incorporated magical realism in my own writing. In my own story, I incorporated a magic fish, an exotic bird named Mana, and a rainbow colored whirlpool. Sometimes we must remember that even though something is good, we must not overload the senses of the reader. Naomi, one of my peers, mentioned that I should consider removing the bird Mana from my story. She felt that the bird detracted from the attention of the “magical fish”. I chose to keep the bird because I felt that the bird further emphasized the use of magical realism in my story.

Look to your past to discover you present. This is a mantra that I am using after having completed the fiction workshop. This mantra can be applied to life, but it can also to be applied in the literary world. In chapter 13 Minot points out that fiction writers, “often draw on experiences and on details from the world around them; but they reshape them” (145). If you are having a severe case of writer’s block, look at your personal background. You must be careful not to make your fictional piece read like a diary entry. Don’t air out all your dirty laundry for readers; rather, pick out certain elements to embellish your story with authenticity.

After I presented my fictional piece to the class, Jeff, one of my peers, asked if I had invented the names of my characters or if I had seen the names before. I told Jeff that I had picked out all the names from my personal background. One of my main goals when writing the story was that I incorporate some of my personal background into the storyline. Instead of using an entire event from my past, I chose to use names that I had encountered in the past. For example, I need the town in my fictional story, La Laja. La Laja is the actual name of the town my parents grew up in Mexico. I have only visited the town, twice before, but I was greatly influenced by the physical characteristics of the land. The names Milagros, Hortencia, and Prudencio are actually the names of grandparents and distant relatives. In chapter 13 Minot mentions that when looking for subjects to write on, “the insights about friends and family sometimes creep up on you” (149). Sometimes without wanting to, personal background bombards our brains. When this happens, a writer must be able to decipher what information to use and what information to discard for future references.

As a new writer, I had to learn that no man is an island. Writers must allow themselves to be influenced by the writing styles of accomplished writers. Writers should stick to one another like peanut butter sticks to jelly. If a writer has a strong community of literary writers to depend on for support, he/she is building a strong foundation for future literary accomplishments. Writers must remember that when the well runs dry, drink the water from the past. Rely on your past experiences to infuse authenticity into your story. Be like a sticky fly strip; capture conventions, experiences, and personal background to great your own literary masterpiece.