To Write or Not to Write

 

First of all I will begin with disclaimer.

You DO NOT need to be a writer. It's not in the contract you signed at birth. You mean you don't remember doing that?

Well along with that were the other clauses that said you had no obligation to be an actor, or a singer, artist or a dancer or any other creative endeavour has to offer.

But that doesn't mean you can't sing, dance, chant, draw, sketch, yodel, whatever makes you feel good.

So it is with writing. You don't have to have any particular skill, or have taken writing as a major at Carnegie Mellon University.

All that's required is that you have something to say.

One quick look at social media is proof enough that a lot of people, for better or worse, want to be heard.

That means pretty much everyone can write.

Is it good, is it rubbish? Well that's pretty subjective, but you'll never know until you try.

My first real writing stemmed from a diary I kept while in hospital in England, suffering from a viral pneumonia.

When I got home I decided to put it all together and see what i had. Turned out I had something, humour, pathos, drama, it was all there. To my surprise, it was met with some pretty good reviews.

You might dabble with some poetry. Maybe express your feelings. Possibly talk about a dream you had. 

Whatever it is, it is writing. May not be Pulitzer prize material, but it is still valid.

Writing is in our blood. It's as natural as singing in the shower, or doodling on a napkin.

We all have a creative side, and many of us want to express it in some form or other.

SO this post is merely a bit of a pep talk for all of you who have ideas but never put them down. Forget about how you perceive your level of talent, your fear of criticism, or whether anything will come of it. Just write it down.

If that's where is stays, so be it. But if somewhere down the line it becomes more, then all the better.

It might be a few lines you read twenty years from now which rekindles an old memory, maybe it will be a short story you tell you grandkids one day. and yes perhaps it will become something that you work on and nurture which leads to something much more.

In the meantime, if something in you has the urge to write something. Then succumb to it and just write. Good, bad, ugly, poignant, touching, even magnificent, it doesn't matter. 

Hey, you didn't think you were a writer, but you are writing, and guess what that makes you?

Getting a Makeover

 

This is more of an announcement than a blog post. Although it applies to all your writing.

You will notice the theme and background of "Stephen's Scribblings and Scrawls" has changed.

There a couple of reasons for this. When I first selected the theme it seemed to fit in with my writing style, a bit dark and moody. However, this theme also meant that the posts were sometimes difficult to read, what with the murky background.

After hearing from a few readers (thank you for your comments) I decided to give the blog a makeover, give it a brighter more accessible look.

This is the result, at least for now. 

The other reason for change is simple, things get old and sometimes a new look, like a new shirt brightens things up.

Where does this relate to writing? I'll give you a moment to ponder this. Okay,  if you said that you don't need to be stuck in any genre and can explore new avenues any time it feels right, then you earn a point.

If you suggested that perhaps an old story you abandoned long ago could be reincarnated in a new version, you get another point.

Even a published work can be revisited and give the makeover, as many renowned author's have done with their old works.

So, I guess this makeover can serve as one big metaphor for writing.

QED

( quod erat demonstrandum )

Not being a smart ass, just always wanted to put that into my writing. This seemed as appropriate a place as any.