ADVICE FROM A PRO

ALERT: This post is not about writers and writing, so if you're coming from a different direction, fear not . . . the path is open to everyone.

Do you recall a TV show called "Welcome Back, Kotter?" Circa 1975.

One of the writers for that show was Dennis Palumbo. Sometime after his tenure with the show, he went back to school himself, became a licensed psychotherapist, and currently practices in Los Angeles; his practice is primarily aimed at the acting profession, but he also sees writers and other creative folks.

Dennis Palumbo is the "pro" in the title above. He wrote a book for writers called Writing from the Inside Out. It's an easy read--short chapters, conversational tone, brass tacks advice aimed at any writer (whatever genre).

Here are the three things I learned from Dennis Palumbo:

• YOU ARE ENOUGH - I don't need to get permission, or write in a group, or seek approval for what I choose to write. I don't have to do a lot of exciting things--I just need to mine the life I've lived. (Naturally, what I write may not be any good at all, but I can say it's mine--came from my life, my experiences, my thoughts, so on.)

• WRITING BEGETS WRITING - Another way of saying, "Practice, practice, practice." The more I practice, the easier the activity becomes. 

• WORK WITH WHAT YOU'RE GIVEN - You'll notice this is not the same as "write what you know," which is a common bit of advice to beginners. No, work with what you're given. You can't know everything. But you can observe what's around you. That's your "given." And yours is unique to you, just as mine is to me.

-----

Okay, so you're not a writer. You don't long to have a NYT bestseller, or have something you're written picked up for a movie starring your favorite actor. You don't make an effort to write poetry in your birthday cards.

Let's look at those three bits of advice again. Any one of them--or all of them--can be used for ANY creative effort. Think about it:

• woodworking
• fiber arts
• cooking
  
• landscaping
• fine art
• music
• photography

to name a few.

What Palumbo is talking about is not the end product--he's talking about process.

So we have to create a masterpiece first time? Lotsa luck with that one.

All the artists I follow, all the writers I admire, say the same thing: "Experiment. Play. Try new things. Think outside the box." These ideas work for every type of creative activity. You may not like the result. So what? It's only playing, trying something. But it always advances you and your creativity. Really.

And if you don't like these approaches, find some of your own. I think Dennis would approve.

Blessings,

Thursday's Child