Shameless!

Chiefbiscuit, of As It Happens, has awarded me a Shameless Lions roar. I'm (I would say flattered by this, but I notice that in my thesaurus this is followed by flatulence, and flaunt) genuinely delighted! I'm to list 3 things I think are essential to good writing, and pass this award on to 5 others I believe demonstrate these qualities. They, in turn, are to pass the Lion's roar on to 5 others.

So. My first thing I would say is necessary for good writing is relevance. Our primary concern ought to be with experience--with real life. Whether it is beautiful or painful, noble or ignoble, strange or common, good writing should offer us life. Second would be imagination. The images that give words their incandescence. And, last, focus, which my little red thesaurus defines as core, heart, nucleus, sharpness.

I am passing this Lion's roar, in no particular order, to:

pam, at Mind Trips
wendy, at Quiet About A Lot Of Things
Rethabile, at poeafrika
pris, at Songs To A Midnight Sky
Melissa, at Poet With a Day Job

...with all my respect and admiration!

(To find out more about the Shameless Lion's Writing Circle, visit Chiefbiscuits blog for a link.)

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