I have been honing my writing skills all of 23 years. That is a pretty long time. Two decades plus. The thought of writing a novel terrifies and thrills me at the time time. It terrifies me because I know it will be hard and most of the first draft (when I get it done in a billion years) will be garbage. Most first drafts are. And it thrills me because I will finally, finally be where I am supposed to be in life.
On this blog, I write about whatever I want, whatever sparks my interest. It is like a journal to me, but a journal that I am putting out there for the world to see. Why am I doing this? Because I had to have some reason to get myself to a place where I was writing everyday, and who do I write for, other than myself? You, my dear reader. You are the one who is pushing me to succeed. You give me reason to write. You are the cause and effect. I want to reach out and touch your hand, if not physically then metaphorically. You’re listening to what I have to say. And some of you say that my writing is clear, which means so much. My physical voice, as you may know, is not. It’s better now that I am older and know I have to slow down and enunciate, but I don’t always remember. I begin to think there is nothing wrong with me at all, and when I come face to face with someone, reality rushes in.
It’s cruel. But I’ve gotten used to it. I am more confortable in my own body, and because of that, I think I am ready. No – I know I am ready! I have to be ready at all times. Ideas come to me in many ways – some through the dreams I have at night, and some through the books I read and the television I watch. Movies too. I’d be watching carefully, picking out stuff I can use. I should try to rewrite a novel from another character’s point of view. That would be practice – would allow me to get the feel for write a novel and at the same time, it will force me to finish because I already know how it ends. Or maybe I should take a book that just has one narrator and tell it in multiple voices. I would not allow myself to use the original narrator. It is an idea, at least.
Here are some positive messages about writing:
“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have time to write. Simple as that.” ~ Stephan King
