Pursuing the Path To Good Writing

 

Can you remember when you first gave thought to entering the writing world? When did the idea of writing become a trickle that turned into t stream that led to a rushing river of the desire to write? 

For most of you, those initial thoughts occurred a long time ago. Maybe even too long for you to remember the details. For me, it happened back in grade school. I loved Reading and English best in school. Anything about books and writing essay papers appealed to me. As a fourth-grader, I remember an assignment to write a short story, and I was elated while some of my classmates groaned. My passion for writing came early, but I didn't pursue writing anything more than high school and college essays for a very long time. I wanted to but allowed Life to get in my way. College, Teaching, Marriage, Raising Children--all those took priority over doing something for myself. 

When my children became independent adults, I decided it was time to give writing a try. By this time, I was in my mid-fifties which is long past the time most writers begin. The path to getting published wasn't smooth and easy. That didn't deter me because the more I wrote, the more I wanted to keep on with this new hobby of mine.

Was I a good writer from the onset? Absolutely not. I had ideas for stories and personal essays. That part came easily, but when I tried to transfer those thoughts to print, I showed the colors of a beginner. Nothing major. Little things like the 'unnecessary words' yesterday's post highlighted tripped me up over and over. 

I overcame many of those small glitches by reading multiple books about writing and joining writing groups and attending writing conferences. I listened and learned little by little. Today, I am a much better writer. I have been published many times which would not have happened if I had stayed in the Beginning Writer stage. I am still learning. I believe that the learning stage never stops but goes on and on. 

It's not a terrible thing to make a lot of writing mistakes early on. It happens to almost all new writers. The important thing is that we make an effort to learn what the problems are and to correct them. Joining a writing group where you can have your work critiqued is one of the best ways I know to grow as a writer. 

Today's poster gives the indication that the road to success in writing is most likely a long one. If you keep the candle of desire to write lit, you'll be able to traverse that path overcoming the little problems along the way.

Don't Be a Sometimes Writer

 

Successful writers are not 'sometime' writers. They don't decide to make April and October the months that they give writing their full attention. They don't write for three days in a row and then not again for three months.

Your goal should be to write something every day. It doesn't need to be 1200 words a day. Even two paragraphs will help you attain that goal. Of course, we will all have days when circumstances make it impossible to write. We hope to have very few days like that.

Today's poster says: 'WRITE until it BECOMES as natural as BREATHING. WRITE until  NOT WRITING makes you ANXIOUS.' 

By writing every day, the process will likely become natural or a real part of you. Writing every day will allow you to say 'It's who I am.' 

I like the last part of the quote that says we should write until not writing makes us anxious. Nobody likes the feeling of tension or anxiety, so strive for that writing every day to feel more peaceful.

How do you manage to write every day? For starters, you need to develop discipline. Making a goal and reaching it are different things altogether. You might start out writing every day for two weeks, and then you miss a day or two. Guess what happens? It's very easy to miss that third day. 

Some writers will need to create time to write. You've heard it said before. Get up an hour, or even half-hour earlier, and write when the house is quiet. Or stay up half an hour later than normal. The one problem I find with that is my mind doesn't want to turn off when I do go to bed. My body wants to go to sleep, my mind wants to keep writing. 

Create other small snippets of time to write. Think of all the places you end up sitting in a chair waiting for someone or something. With a notebook at your side, you can snatch a little more writing time. 

Desire is necessary for you to write on a daily basis. If you don't have the urge, the passion, the desire to write, you are not going to be able to meet your goal. When it becomes drudgery instead of a natural instinct, it's time to evaluate your writing life.

Try to develop these three:  Discipline  Time Management   Desire

Different Writing Journeys

Kaye Curren was a guest blogger here a few weeks ago. This morning, I read a post she wrote for another blog. She detailed her writing journey. You can read it here. I started thinking about how I began my writing journey and then about the way rest of the writers I know and those whom I have not met got started writing. 

I think we all began our writing journey in different ways. Many have the desire to write long before trying it. They had a delay for various reasons. I had always wanted to write but let Life get in the way. I was in my mid-fifties before Life smacked me and I chose to take a correspondence course on writing for children as a solution. Ever heard that old adage Out of all bad things comes some good? For me, that was certainly true. From this side of the fence, I know that the miserable situation I found myself in was the catalyst for my finally becoming a writer. I'm eternally grateful.

My oldest granddaughter, Alexis, wanted to be a writer from childhood on. I credit a primary grade teacher she had who taught her students to journal on a daily basis. I have a feeling that was what sparked Alexis's love for writing. She was a copy editor, then writer for her college newspaper. Now, she is in grad school but still writes when she can. She will be an English teacher when she finishes graduate school and she will teach middle school English with an emphasis on creative writing. I'm so glad she pursued her writing far sooner than I did.

Some of you began writing when only a teen. Others waited until they had experienced a lot of other things in life before becoming a writer. Remember this--even if you haven't published but write, you are a writer. Some feel that publication allows you to say I am a writer. Anyone who writes can proudly say I am a writer. If you've never said it out loud, stand before a mirror and say it to your image several times. Then, try saying it to someone else. Take quiet pride in saying it. 

A longtime friend, teacher and artist, always asked me if I'd written my book yet. In his mind, I wasn't a writer until I had written and published a book. That's so wrong. There are so many other types of writing besides writing a book. 

How many of you have written an essay or short memoir piece about how you got started as a writer? Wouldn't an anthology filled with stories of how people began writing be a great inspiration to new writers? 

Some of us begin writing at an early age while others waited until fifty or more. I wrote an article many years ago about people who began writing after age fifty. They were all people I knew personally. What impressed me was that, despite a myriad number of reasons for waiting so long, they all overcame whatever had held them back and could finally call themselves a writer. 

We all walked different paths to become writers. The best part of the journey is that we persevered and can call ourselves writer.

When The Itch To Write Strikes...

Do you have times when you are overwhelmed by the desire to sit at your keyboard and write, or pick up a pen and notebook and scrawl merrily away in longhand? If you do, you can definitely classify yourself as a writer. When an urge like this hits and we cannot take time to answer it immediately, we end up frustrated. Sometimes, we need to take at least moments out of the rest of our busy lives to answer the call to write. 

If we don't, and that urge is insistent, we can never find rest until we respond to that inner itch. Even if you cannot eke out half an hour to write when you feel the call, at least take a few seconds, a moment or two, to jot down keywords that will help you recover the thoughts you had when your muse hit you over the head and said Write! 

The need to write can assail us at almost anytime and anyplace. You might be taking a Saturday morning bike ride when a story idea pops. You could be sitting in a doctor's waiting room when the base for a personal essay floats through your mind. Maybe you're sitting in a conference room with co-workers when that itch to write comes through. Enough to make you squirm in your chair because you'd far rather be somewhere conducive to writing.

It's obvious that you can't respond immediately but you might be able to jot down a minimal amount of notes to help you get going on the idea once you do have time. 

Keep a small notebook with you. Keep one at your bedside for we know many times a great idea appears in the middle of a night. The best poem I ever wrote came from a dream. The moment I woke and remembered the dream, I hurried to my computer and started writing. Had I waited til later in the day, I feel certain parts would have been lost. 

When the itch strikes, answer as soon as possible. If you don't you'll just keep on itching! 

Want To Write? Try This

I liked this quote by Theodore Roosevelt. Wise man. April is National Poetry Month so why not believe you can write a poem? As Teddy told us, if you believe you can, you're on your way. Who doesn't know the story of The Little Engine That Could ? Most of us have read it aloud to children or grandchildren. It's the children's version of the poster above.

Believe you can write a short story, a novel, a chap book, or an essay. Yes, even a poem. Believe it and I'm willing to bet that you'll do it. Does it mean it's going to be worthy of a Pulitzer? Not by a long shot. Those first efforts are rarely masterpieces. The big deal about it is that you wrote it.

If you write one essay, poem or story, chances are you'll write others. Of course, the more you write, the better writer you'll become with a few stipulations. Don't build a defensive wall around your writing world. Invite the people who are knowledgeable about writing to come in. Ask for critiques and accept them with grace. If it is returned to you with editing remarks everywhere, just like some of those high school English essays, don't be offended. Rejoice! Well, maybe not quite that but do be appreciative of this great opportunity to learn.

If you don't feel ready for a full crit group, look for one person to be a Writing Buddy. That's the way I started and, to this day, I am filled with gratitude for the many things I learned from my writer friend, Barb.

Other eyes see our work objectively. Other writers will see problems, and also the great parts, much more easily than we do ourselves. I've heard it over and over again in my critique group. Why didn't I see that? is the common response after a crit.

Have you always had a desire to write but are afraid of trying because you think you'll never be able to get published? Do whatever it takes to believe in yourself. It's the best way to get started in the writing world.