If you want to write meaningful fiction,
You’ll need a setting that forces your characters to grow.
Shall it be modern, Edwardian, or antebellum?
Which conflict will nurture the plot elements you sow?
You need a hero to carry your readers’ hopes,
Trusted friends on whom he or she can rely,
And a villain or rival to bar the path of ease,
Leaving a trial by fire your protag can’t deny.
And don’t neglect to add a twist at the end,
An improbable fruit of an earlier seed,
Or perhaps an unlooked-for result,
A reflection of your character’s most deep-seated need.
Stir that melody of elements together inside you,
Water it with tears, give it all that you are–
Write and rewrite until only the story remains,
And publish with the hope that your tale will go far.
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Avid writer and reader of Faerie tales and noblebright fantasy.
Cathleen Townsend 
Love it! Sharing… 🙂
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Thanks, Bette. This is how I try to write. 🙂
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[…] So You Want to Write by Cathleen Townsend […]
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Exquisite poetic expression of the urge to write. Nice sitting with you, Cathleen, to share the pangs around creativity’s bonfire…
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It feels better, doesn’t it–sharing with like-minded people. I don’t know anybody else in my day-to-day life who writes, so it’s easy to feel like an odd duck.
*passes Rajagopal a marshmallow to toast over the fire*
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Motivation in the morning. Thanks.
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My pleasure. 🙂
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I do love this, Cathleen. Warms my heart to read as it explains what writing is all about in a simple-to-understand ‘recipe’. ❤ ❤ 🙂
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Awesome post!
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Excellent advice for all fiction writers, whether they are just beginning their writing career or have been writing for many years. Thank you!
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Thanks so much, Tess, Ann, and Shane. Sometimes when I’m feeling overwhelmed it helps me to simplify. Figured it might resonate with someone else. 🙂
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Brilliant! Very reminiscent of Kipling’s “If”, which is one of my absolute favouritest poems of all time. I hope you don’t mind if I reblog this.
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Reblogged this on Observations of The Urban Spaceman and commented:
Ever wondered how to write captivating prose? Cathleen Townsend explains it beautifully in poetry!
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Thanks for the reblog–it’s quite compliment. And I don’t think I deserve the comparison to Kipling, but I’ll still feel good about it. Thanks, TUS. 🙂
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We are our own harshest critics!
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Oh wow! Perfect description of the process and the mindset of a writer. Just perfect!
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Thanks–I’m so glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
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“Stir that melody of elements inside you”
–I love the last four stanzas!
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Thanks, Elise–those are my favorite, too. 🙂
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What a beautiful way to write about writing! The melody of elements – lovely.
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Well, thank you–even though I know very well that you’re a better poet than me. But once in a while the urge comes over me to write in verse. 🙂
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That was fun, Cathleen. The writing process captured in poetry 🙂
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