On The Practice Of Writing
There is a lot of advice out there for writers.
From where to, when to and for how long ...
- Read everything you can lay your hands on - I'm not actually keen on fiction, but love memoir and poetry.
- Always carry a notebook - when I want it I've always left it at home. I very rarely need to use it when I do carry it.
- Protect the time and space in which you write - Having a large family there's no point in trying that one. Sunday afternoon, when everybody is happy I might let myself do something for me ( I am getting better at that one)
- Have a writing room or at least a designated place of your own - I thought this one would solve all my problems of leaving my work somewhere where I could go back to and mean that I would be "left to do my work". It hasn't happened. Even though I have a purpose built writing room, I am often found writing at the dining room table on my laptop or in a chair by the window ( the sun streaming in)
- Write at least five hundred ( 200, 1000, etc etc) words a day - well actually, if I can get started , the numbers of words don't seem at all relevant and it seems more important to get down what needs to come out.
- Write for one ( two, three , etc etc ) hours a day - and again, Sometimes I can write for half an hour and I've done what I set out to do and other times I will write for nearly two hours. I never get to three or more.
These are just a few of the ways I fail at writing .
No wonder I'm getting nowhere.
No wonder there is no book to boast about
No wonder I feel that I am lying to call myself a writer at all.
But, I do have nearly 30,000 visits to my blog.
So someone is reading some of the things that I share .
And that is good, isn't it.
So, I will start tomorrow. No wonder I'm getting nowhere.
No wonder there is no book to boast about
No wonder I feel that I am lying to call myself a writer at all.
But, I do have nearly 30,000 visits to my blog.
So someone is reading some of the things that I share .
And that is good, isn't it.
I will plan to write 500 words in 2 hours .
I will write in my writing space .
When I go and have coffee with my friend I will take my note book.
And I will do the same the next day and the day after that , until I have something worthwhile written.
I will
I will...
Ah, Maz, rules were made to be broken! I have read all of these, and also other's contradicting them. I think we each have to find what works for us, though I do agree that writing is something we must practice to get better at it. We also have lives and family we need to work around. I most often write in the quiet of the day with my tablet and keyboard on my lap, but I find I am less productive when Papa Bear is sitting beside me, and the tv is blabbering away. Maybe this is why I love the quiet so much, I can hear myself think! Never for one minute doubt that you are a writer, you compose thoughts and share them, you have things to say, you do wonderful poetry full of images, and you speak from the heart. That, my dear friend, is a writer! <3
ReplyDeleteHello, Maz. Yes, I love to read all those helpful guidelines, but I think they're rather like Cinderella's shoe. Sometimes the shoe fits and helps and sometimes it just doesn't. So maybe that daily commitment to writing (as you do here in your blog) is pushed along by ideas, love of story, that excitement to create something that remains uniquely you. I don't know why I write. I do know that I feel connected to life more completely when that writing session goes well. So persevere. It's not about boasting. It's about putting those words down that mean something true to you, despite 'real life' around you. Oh, and one to add to the list? Consider joining a writing group (small), either online or face-to-face! All the best.
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