"pandora's bowls" by devi laskar

There are two kinds of people in the world: the people who thought R.E.M.’s third album was titled “Fables of the Reconstruction” and the people who thought it was “Reconstruction of the Fables.” Here’s the thing: they both right, and they’re both wrong. The album had two different titles that cancelled out each other, and therefore had no title at all.

Yet, it remains a classic set of songs and the album was ahead of its time.

How does this relate to writing? Just that there are really no right and wrong answers, there’s no quiz at the end of each chapter. As the author of your book, you get to fret to and study and draft and rewrite until your fingers bleed and your brain turns to chocolate soup.

But really you have to remember to enjoy writing and remember why you’ve taken up the art of writing:

1. Because you think it’s fun.
2. Because you think it’s the thing you were meant to do.
3. Because there’s a story inside of you just waiting to get out into the sun.
4. Because you can’t live without it.

And 5. Because writing is an art, it must be practiced every day. So, what are you waiting for, an invitation? Get to work and practice your art.

Devi Laskar is a founding member of the Book Writing World. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Columbia University, an M.A. in South Asian Studies from the University of Illinois, is a rabid Tar Heel basketball fan, is working on a couple of novels and has 31 days to go before she finishes the first year of her art-a-day challenge.