A long time ago, one of my English teachers took me aside in the classroom and told me:
"You have the gift of writing out the window."
"What?" I asked.
"It means you can take words from a book on a shelf..." he explained, smiling, "...and make them into sentences that lead the reader from your page, away from the desk, out the window and far out into the open air..." He made great, sweeping motions with his arm and smiled fondly at the small window in the classroom wall.
At the time, being a teenager, I figured that my post-hippie-era prof was merely having a 'flower moment' and nodded and smiled along. Much later, I realized what kind of compliment had been paid to me. Thanks to him and others, to books and the great writers of the past my writing ability increased and as I write more it continues to do so. Helpful criticism along the way has been also instrumental, especially from my husband and editor, whom alone can get away with the more 'harsh' section-cuts and suggestions which must be made.
Some write textbooks, some write advertisements. Those are needed and I would be terrible at writing them, I admit. One thing it seems I can do is write about a place and figuratively send readers there to experience it, at least in their respective imaginations. I can see it in my mind as I write and my character walks down the road as anyone real might do; I can actually hear the gravel crunching under the ambling shoes and birds twittering in nearby groves. There are wispy scents of flowers in the crisp air; somewhere, someone is baking bread in a cozy looking house set back from the road a little.
Due to there being so many books which send me to places as I read them, I know I am in good company and feel flattered to be present at all. How rewarding is it to receive back an email from a reader confirming this impression; they say things like when they read my book, they felt as if they were actually present and viewing the story unfold before them. Characters (in fiction) are mostly made-up and sometimes the situations are but researched in lieu of actual travel... but if the story is alive,and mostly devoid of cheese, then the book is good.
Try writing out your window; make the stream of words mean something to you, so that the reader is convinced that this is your book... and no one else's.
