Simplicity

I'll take a guess that the year was 1972 when my sister, Jane, shared an essay she had just read as part of a High School English class at Chelmsford High. It was by George Orwell. This essay on simplicity was, aptly, short. My eleven year old brain immediately felt a bolt of energy. I remember, to this day, where I was when I read it. I was in my bedroom, sitting at the desk which was tucked into the closet whose door was removed to make way for our "study center" in the room I shared with my twin brother, Paul.

Mr. Orwell's advice made a lot of sense to my visual-thinking brain. I didn't memorize his words or make a pledge to follow his "rules," but it did encourage me and validate my hunch that I was going in the right direction.

Less can be more.

Pictures can do a lot of heavy-lifting.

Words used in just the right measure can help simply get the point across. If you have no point to make, go into the garden and plant Morning Glory. An idea worth sharing may come.

This Orwellian-inspired thinking has traveled with me all my life and has helped my own story-crafting journey.

Simply put: Thanks, Mr. O.

Here's a nice, even simpler (ironically) recap of the essay from Pickthebrain.com. George Orwell’s 5 Rules for Effective Writing

My Journal on My Creative Output

I've started jotting a few notes before I drift off to sleep to get me reviewing how much progress I made on my creative projects. I have several book contracts currently - yet another Judy Moody book, a book about a goat named Huck, my collaboration with Jess Brallier called "Tess's Tree." But I also have loads of stories in progress... and loads of ideas that have come to me as I go through my days. I have roughly estimated that I have 300 stories in my "vault." I realized that if I don't start speeding up the process that I'll never finish before I go to that Great Creativity Camp in the Sky.