Well it seems i've been at this for just over a year now.
Huzzah!
A note of thanks to those who have followed me faithfully or even not so faithfully. My hope is that you have gotten something of value from it.
And to repeat my beginning posts, remember this is just one dude's take on writing; what has worked for me. It may not be your cup of tea.
But there is one irrefutable fact in my messages.
If you want to write, if something in there wants to get on to paper, or screen, then you need to write.
Yes that is a no brainer.
Yet so many people say they want to write something and when i ask them what they've written, they look like they've been caught pilfering the coffee fund.
And if I were to probe, which I no longer do, they would have a litany of reasons, such as time constraints, lack of confidence, they don't know where to go with the idea.
Well here's another no brainer. If you don't write it down, one thing is sure, you will never know how it ends.
So I am going back to my earliest messages. If you have an idea, and you really want to do something with it, write it down.
Open up a word document, slap a title on it, and then put down all your ideas. Use sticky notes. Jot in on the hydro bill. But please, put it down.
Guess what, it may be a load of rubbish and you may go nowhere with it, but you have made a start.
After that you may have more ideas to add to that first one, or for a new direction.
Doesn't matter. Write it down.
So what's next?
Nothing? Maybe. Something? That's more likely.
Somewhere, something you have jotted down will simmer in your brain. Maybe you'll get a boost from life around you.
But if you really want to write, you'll come back to it and add.
New ideas will start to come out of the blue.
Before you know it you will have given birth to your own baby story.
Just remember, as long as it has all it's nouns and verbs you'll be happy.
Soon you'll take that baby and dress it all up in sentences and paragraphs, until you have a fully developed piece.
It may not be pretty, and it may need a lot of work, but the most important things is you're on your way.
Remember you don't have to be a "Writer" to write. All you need to do is put down your thoughts.
There's lots of time to hone the craft later.
Yes you can take courses. By all means share what you've done with friends. Join some online writer's groups and ask for advice.
But to coin the cliche, just do it.
There is no fearsome Grade Eleven language teacher going to scar your page with red ink.
There is no critic waiting to ridicule you in print.
You are free to write what you want.
And for every one idea you really get intimate with, there may be four you abandon.
But if you really want to write, you will be hooked. The rest will take care of itself.
