There are two kinds of writers:  Forest People and Tree People.  Forest People see the shape, the blended colors, the general well being of the forest.  Forest People do not look at trees.

Tree People see the shape color and texture of each tree.  They see individual leaves.  They smell the sap rising in the spring.  Tree people do not look at forests. 

When Forest People write, they instinctively focus on the action and shape of a story.  Forest people create tales that drive the reader through with a sense of purpose.  But Forest People struggle to convey place in their work because they don’t automatically understand the importance of the details. 

For Tree People, setting is as important, or more important than character and plot.  Tree people create living landscapes that breathe.  But Tree People tend to meander, lost in the lovely details.

I am a Forest Person.  I want action.  I want to know what happens next.  I don’t want to stop and give the feel and texture of bark, the scent of moist soil and sap.  That doesn’t excuse me from providing those things to readers.  As I work on draft two of Mutant, I am going back and putting in the detail and texture and scents that I missed on my first draft.  Action gives a story purpose, but it is the details that allow the reader to experience the action. 

I enjoy this aspect of writing, where I have to slow down and take note of the setting and the textures that bring characters to life; it deepens the impact of the story, but it is tree work and I don’t find it easy. 

Whether written by a Tree Person, or Forest Person, a good story contains a mixture of forest and trees.  So what are you?  A Forest Person, or a Tree Person?  Which is another way of saying what are your strengths and weaknesses?  Do you see the trees?  Or do you see the forest?

Never having blogged before, I turned to anumber of reference books, but was unable to find the one called “Blogging for Highly Intellegent, But Clueless People.” Or the one for, “Mildly Intellegent, but Clueless People.”  Or “Writing a Blog In The Midst of Chaos Without Making too many Grammer and Spelling Errors.” I really wanted the last one, but alas, I am forced to write at the sideline of a raging balloon fight for ten year olds without the assistance of any of the above named manuals. 

I like ten year olds and am particularly fond of my own. Still, as much as I enjoy their company, I am directly blaming all spelling errors on them!(convenient, eh?”) Are spelling errors allowed in blogs? Do the blog police come after you, pull you from your home and toss you in blogger’s jail when you mess up on grammer? Never having blogged before, these are, I believe, legitimate questions. It’s always good to know what to expect ahead of time.

Is there a Blogger’s Police?  An official or unofficial group of people who rate, rank, critique or otherwise frown in disapproval at a blogger’s spelling and grammar errors?  If there is, I am destined for Blogger’s Prison; that official place where they toss people like me who are…how do I say it?  A tad hopeless? 

Two days ago I wrote a letter to a friend who suffered a sad loss.  It was a good, heartfelt letter, written on a lovely card.  By hand.  In ink.  Without the benefit of spell-check.  I read it through, expecting to be amazed by my fluency and outpouring of concern.  What I got was a letter that made partial sense, was missing parts of words and had an appalling lack of fluency.  Did I re-write this card?  No, I did not.  I scratched in missing thoughts, scratched out and filled in the rest.  It wasn’t pretty, but it said what I meant to say and I think my friend will understand the sentiment.

 That is how I write.  I can’t help it.  And while I promise to double check my work before I send it out to be read, I can’t promise that you won’t wince and grimace or outright laugh at my mistakes.  Go ahead.  I just hope you understand the sentiment.