The Write Stuff

by Ashley Lister

Six Serving Men

Kipling is often quoted for his opening lines to the poem ‘I Keep Six Honest Serving Men.’

I keep six honest serving men
(They taught me all I knew)
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.

I remember once saying to a girl, “Do you like Kipling?” and she replied:  “I don’t know.  I’ve never Kippled.”  Which is an incidental joke and probably old enough to be drawing a pension.  And, on the subject of tired old jokes, I think my favourite ever subversion of a Kipling poem comes from the opening lines to ‘If.’

If you can keep your head when all about
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
Then you’re probably Jason Voorhees.

But it’s Kipling’s ‘I Keep Six Honest Serving Men’ that I’ve been returning to recently when I’ve been teaching my students about creative writing.  The pithy summary of Kipling’s verse is as much as any thinking writer needs to take with them to any new writing situation.  Asking ‘What?’ and ‘Why?’ and ‘When?’ and ‘How?’ and ‘Where?’ and ‘Who?’ will inevitably uncover all the aspects of a potentially insurmountable task and make the situation manageable. 

However, whilst this may be a quick way of establishing the framework for a synopsis or the direction of a poem, short story or novel: it’s also a very good way for a writer to clarify their writing goals.  This is illustrated by the six questions below, fashioned on Kipling’s mantra.  They’re not in the same order that Kipling presented them, but I’m not as poetic as Kipling.

Which is your preferred method of writing?

Paper and pen/pencil

Typewriter/Computer

Other

There are no right or wrong ways of writing.  Some writers use paper and pen.  Some use computers.  Some use typewriters.  Some record their thoughts onto cassette and then get those recordings typed up.  Some will only ever use one of those methods.  Some will vary between them depending on the mood, the piece of work or other factors.  The only important detail is that the ideas must be taken out of the writer’s head and transformed into a format that can be read by others.

What do you want to write?

Poem

Short Story

Biography/Novel

Article

Screenplay

Other

Whatever you want to write, it is vital that you focus on that specific goal.  No one will produce a novel if they spend all their writing time composing poems.  Decide what you want to write and write it.

When do you prefer to write?

Morning/Afternoon

Evening/Night

Most writers have a preference for a time of day when their writing flows more easily.  Some are happier at the start of the day, when they feel at their freshest.  Others work more effectively in the evening, when the chores of the day are behind them.  Work out which best suits your disposition and use the time to your advantage.

Have you drafted your idea?

No

Yes

I know where I’m going

Ideas are very much like the winners of Britain’s Got Talent.  One day they’re at the forefront of your thoughts: absorbing and all-consuming. The next day you can’t remember a single important fact about them.  Write down ideas when they strike you.  Keep those ideas safe and return to this ‘ideas file’ whenever you are stuck for inspiration.  Draft and redraft and make sure you keep earlier versions saved in a safe place.

Where do you prefer to write?

A specific desk/study at home

Anywhere the mood takes you

Other

If your working environment is too noisy – fit soundproofing.  If it’s too quiet, buy a radio or an MP3 player.  If family think your writing environment is a place they can invade – set limits.  Some writers don’t mind where they write.  Some writers can’t write anywhere except at their own specific desk.  Wherever you write, make sure you’re comfortable and you have all that is needed to accomplish your work.  This includes necessary solitude and respect.

Why are you writing?

To make £1,000,000 on the bestsellers list?

To create a literary legacy that equals Shakespeare?

Other

If you’re writing to get your name on the bestsellers list: you must be writing to please a carefully specified audience.  If you’re writing to create a literary legacy that lives on beyond your lifetime: you must write to please yourself.  Whoever you’re writing for: always make sure that your writing is something you enjoy.

Kipling kept six serving-men
They taught him all he knew
But now he’s dead
Those words he said
Can still work well for you.

Ashley Lister
July 2009

If you have any comments or insights to share about this column, please send an email to Ashley Lister

Find more of Ashley's Write Stuff in ERWA 2009 Archive.

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"The Write Stuff" © 2009 Ashley Lister. All rights reserved.

About the Author:  Ashley Lister is a UK author responsible for more than two-dozen erotic novels written under a variety of pseudonyms. His most recent work, Swingers: True Confessions from Today's Modern Swinging Scene (Virgin Books), a non-fiction book recounting the exploits of UK swingers, is his first title published under his own name.
Ashley’s non-fiction has appeared in a variety of magazines, including Forum, Chapter & Verse and The International Journal of Erotica.  Nexus, Chimera and Silver Moon have published his full-length fiction, with shorter stories appearing in anthologies edited by Maxim Jakubowski, Rachel Kramer Bussel and Mitzi Szereto.  He is very proud to be a regular contributor to ERWA.
Email:  Ashley Lister
Website:  www.ashleylister.co.uk

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