Literary Artist

Before You Read A Little Bit More

Literary, as in written words, and artist, as in expressing one’s self, might not be the Funk and Wagnalls’ version of a literary artist, but it’s my version. It describes who I am. A person who utilizes the imaginative brain cell department to the fullest in order to express in words some morsel of something, anything, I choose to write about.

It’s the ‘what if’ factor taking me down not one, but several roads as I explore what the possible conclusion of a story could be. It tells me I don’t have to have one ending, I have choices.

A Little Bit More

When I read the prompt that encouraged me to write the Literary Artist flash fiction, and then re-read the blog that accompanied it to make sure I was on the same page, I realized it didn’t matter if I was or not. Everyone’s interpretation of what a literary artist is and what it means to be one, will and should, be different. 

From the point of view of a published writer (me), my knee-jerk perception of a literary artist most likely borders on a person being a professional. I see myself as a professional with an underlying codicil — I am a human with one heck of an imagination. An imagination that spreads across several genres. An imagination that kicks into gear easily. An imagination that can be serious, humorous, and have romantic undertones. An imagination that can depict scenes that come from somewhere deep within — a gravel-travel moment, a memory, or maybe a shenanigan or two from another era. An imagination that gives voices to animals and can tell a story from the perspective of the unexpected.

The original piece of A Little Bit More I compiled in my journal is quite a different style from what you are reading here. As I started the process of moving the handwritten pages to a typed version, I realized it was more along the lines of what I was expected to say and not how I feel. I’m happy to say I feel a lot better knowing I decided to switch things out and wing it, because that is who I am. 

I am not a plotter or planner when it comes to my writing. Nor do I schedule when I sit down to write. The words need to come to me from my primary resource, my mind. Oh, I admit as I move forward in my fiction writing career I need to pay attention to the details from my prior work. This is imperative when writing a series, or stand-alone stories that may include the same characters or locations. Because of this, I found myself compiling a comprehensive reference book for the series.

I don’t know if creating a reference book for a series slips me into the writing world as a plotter and planner — that thought makes me shudder. I chalk it up to a necessity to placate an older mind. It’s okay if you are laughing, because I am.

The books I write are not planned by chapter, or scene, or on sticky notes around the room. I write when the urge takes me. It might be a continued thought from a previous time of putting pencil to paper; but, most likely, it is a thought that involves characters doing something that could happen elsewhere in a story I am working on. There is even the chance it will be included in a future book. What it boils down to is I have yet to decide when and how things are going to happen. When I like my characters, I let them talk me through what I think needs to be a part of them telling their story.

Those of you who follow me regularly or know me personally, know that I write first long-hand and then move those words to a typed format. This allows me to take full advantage of impulsive thoughts flowing through my brain cell department. Sometimes it is a full story, sometimes it’s two or three words or sentences, sometimes it’s just me rambling, and always, it is writing without any urge to edit the words escaping onto the paper. 

By now you know I do not plan my books; and, you are probably asking what has any of this got to do with writing a flash fiction prompt about a Literary Artist? Absolutely everything! Those two words gave me full credence to write what I chose to and to be the person I am. A Panster, a.k.a. a writer who creates by the seat of her pants letting the brain go unchecked, writing to the fullest anytime, anywhere.