You, The Writer!
I think a great many people in the world want to write, but
are afraid that they aren’t “good enough,” or they aren’t any good with
grammar, etcetera. The truth is, anyone can write! The important thing is to
start! I’ll say this again: The hardest thing to do is to start! Sitting in
front of a white screen, the blinking cursor flashing with an impassive idiocy,
can be downright intimidating.
So, start! Tell a story like you’re having a casual conversation.
Worry about grammar, syntax, and all else later. The essential thing is to get
the story down!
By the way, Writing Brain bears NO relation or resemblance
to Editing Brain. I think this is a major point because a writer will start,
(and I’ve done this myself!), and two paragraphs in, they pop out of Writing
Mind and start editing. Pretty soon, the writer is lost in the swamps of
commas, periods, synonyms, the lying inner voice that says they’re no good, and
it’s like returning to elementary school English, so the aspiring writer smashes
into the brick wall of crippling writer’s block, and throws the whole dream
into the trash. And it’s no wonder. No one can labor under that kind of
tyranny!
Writing Mind: Get the story onto the page and it doesn’t
matter how! And maybe the first few attempts won’t be Hemingway or Shakespeare,
but the essential thing is to keep going. No one else can tell your story with your
particular voice! And the only time a writer fails is when they quit! Honestly,
quitting is always a seductive thing because the truth is, writing is hard! It
looks relaxing, but grinding it out, even when the writer isn’t feeling it, or
when a writer looks at their body of work and hears the devilish whisper,
“You’re a hack! This is all a bunch of dreck!” and the hardest thing to do,
(besides starting and continuing!), is to tell that voice to shut the hell up
and keep going.
Lastly, you may be the hare or the turtle.
Personally, I am the hare: Short stories and flash fiction are forms that
really excite me! If I can tell a complete story in 1,000-10,000 words, often at
a single sitting, I just love it! On the other hand, I’ve always admired the turtles
who spend months writing and when they’re done, they’ve written a complete novel!
To me, that just seems like magic or some literary voodoo! (Eventually, I’d
love to write a novel, and I believe I will, but right now, I’m having fun with
shorter works!)
To summarize: Write! Don’t edit. Don’t quit. Keep going.
Above all, know that your voice is valid, people want to read your work, and
believe in yourself. Show up at the page even when you’re not feeling it. Keep
going and your vision, your voice, and your ability will continue to grow. I
promise. So? Make it happen!!
(As always, shares, +1, and comments are appreciated!)
