Creative Writing

With my recent goal of actually writing something worth publication, I started doing some simple creative writing projects.  Well, actually, just one project for right now.

My first goal is to simply start writing things.  So I am taking simple, everyday events (or some that are unique) and putting them to written word.  At first I thought this would be an easy task.  After all, I am one of the wordiest people around when it comes to rambling on and on and on and on.  I even believe I have a pretty good grasp of the English language and grammar.  So, again, I thought going into this exercise I would find it easy.

As it turns out, I was wrong.  Here is the hang up I have discovered.  First, allow me to deviate just a little and give a little background note.  I work in an environment that generates a lot of paperwork.  And a lot of said paperwork is generated by me and my co-workers as a direct result of the actions of those who are in our charge.  To put it in layman's terms, we write a whole slew of reports in this place.

The basic tenet of a report written here is what we all learned in grade school when it comes to writing any sort of composition.  Who, what, where, when, why, and how.  And how, indeed.  These are the most basic of principles when it comes to written composition.

In my field of employment, we write so many reports it becomes complete commonplace to write a narrative to be as concise as can be.  Bigger incidents require longer narratives, obviously.  But the end result is the same: you write it with as many details as possible but in a clear and concise manner.

For example:  If John Doe (forgive the law enforcement standard issue anonymous name) were to go to the store and purchase a gallon of milk, it would read something like this....

At about 0700 hours John Doe left his home and went to the Safeway grocery store near his home.  There, in the dairy section, he purchased a gallon of 2% milk.  The milk cost $2.89, which he paid for in cash.After making his purchase, he returned home without incident.  The milk was then stored ion his refrigerator. 

In my profession, this would be an accurate and sufficient report.  In any other realm there are a lot of questions one might have.  What route did he take?  How was the weather?  Was the school he passes on the way to work crowded because of the time of day?  I could go on and on with a question of details.  In a report I would write at work, most of those details would be incidental, and completely useless in the written report.

But my goal isn't to write a report.  Its to write a story.  And this is where I am having some amount of difficulty. I had a small incident at home the other night, which after the initial shock was really quite funny.  So I have decided to make this small incident into my first attempt at a little creative writing.  Obviously, its no fictional piece.  It is, though, something I am trying to make understandable to the reader.  An event they could see in their minds and understand exactly what I was thinking at the time. 

I'll be working on this through the week.  Right now I intend to have something worth showing off to someone at least once a week.  I think, even if the it isn't a finished product I will be posting something on Saturdays.

Stay tuned for for more on this subject.