Transitions: Life and Writing

by Pamela L. Beers

Transitions take many forms. When I drive my truck there is a change from first gear all the way up to fifth gear and back down to neutral. I make transitions when I ride my horse from a standstill, to a walk, to a canter as the pace increases or decreases. The object is to make a smooth transition from one speed to another. Even though it is a physical task driving a vehicle or riding a horse, the point is to make it flow. 

For those of us who are passionate about writing, transitions are a necessary part of the process. Transitions in writing, as in life, bridge the gap between one thought and idea in the writing process and one stage to another in the process of living. Transition devices alert the reader to assumptions and connections that keep a writer's words flowing. As far as life is concerned, my 60th birthday alerted me to the fact that I needed to do some serious reorganization in my life.

When writing, you can't have transitions without organization and you need to be organized in order to keep your work flowing (transitions). I guess you could call it the TO program.  

With life, you need to put the TO program into effect in order to go through its many transitional processes…career changes, health issues, body changes, and various stages of child rearing and elder care. We need to bridge the gaps in order to deal with life's varied, challenging issues. It would be really nice if all we had to do is add a few personal pronouns, coordinate clauses, conjunctions, and prepositions to streamline our lives, as we do our writing, but alas and alack it's not that easy.

Writing isn't easy either. There are constant revisions. When I get an idea, I just start writing without editing, "keyboarding" whatever comes to mind. Believe me, there are times when it's pretty pathetic. My mind can go in sixteen directions at once. It's like reading three articles, without any of them making any sense.

One of the things I like to do when I write is create a key word or phrase and repeat it in other paragraphs. This helps to tie the article/essay idea together.

The next step, and most important to me in the writing process, is to take a day or two (more if time allows) to let the words perk. There have been times when I think I've written the great American novel, only to find that after letting it sit for 24 hours and re-reading it, I discover my article/essay looks like the cat wrote it. Actually, Bear probably would have done a better job.

After the perk test, I edit extensively by cutting out unnecessary or tired words and replace the text with precise words, using various types of transitory devices to keep the message rolling along. I write in sections, hooking all sections together with key phrases. Then I edit again, cutting out huge chunks of words that made the article a rambling, scrambled mess rather than tight and fluid. It reminds me of life. Get rid of the junk, and preserve the good stuff. It keeps the positive energy flowing, providing lots of vim, vigor, and vitality.

It is important to vary the rhythm in your writing. Mix in some short sentences with some long sentences. As in writing, it is equally important to interweave your life with different areas of interest. Most writers I know have other careers, hobbies, families, and pastimes. It is important to have diverse interests in other people, places, and things while mingling with your community. You need to circulate to percolate. It keeps the creative juices flowing.     

For me, there is no gap between life and writing. I depend on each to fuel the other. So, in order to be a good writer, I need to write tight, go with the flow, and give myself enough time to let it all perk to the top.

I always compare life to writing, as I continue to revise and change in order to flow gracefully through this world.

Suggested Reading:

Transitions
by Mike Palmquist; Kate Kiefer; James Hartvigsen; Barbara Goodlew