Writing for me is an itch that I must scratch daily. I read where someone said that the writing life was like the sex life. And the longer I do this, the more I believe that is VERY, VERY true. I desire to write. You are reading this post, so you desire to write. I think it is an ache. And I don't have to think about it. I just do it. It comes naturally for me.
When I know it's time to write, I sit down and type. Writing is an attitude. And it's a feeling too. I use all of my senses. I touch, see, smell, hear, and speak when I write. I use my mind. But all the things that I have been through in my life, the things that have made me who I am, have made me the the writer that I am today. Everything. The good and the bad. Through writing I have discovered what makes me tick. I'm intense! Who knew? :) Writing has taught me that I am very organized(most of the time). And that my punctuation skills are ZERO! Thank you, thank you Beth. God knew what he was doing when he gave me a high school Literature teacher for a critique partner. Grammar skills stink too. But I learned that I do have a huge imagination. Yeah. *fist pump*
What have you discovered about yourselves through your writing? What has it taught you?
I love the writing/sex analogy. There are times, after writing, that I'm exhausted . . . in a very good, very satisfied way that is comparable to . . . after glow! I love that feeling. I love writing until my fingers ache and then just sitting there, sometimes for a long time, afterwards, totally exhausted . . . but in one of the best ways possible.
ReplyDeleteI don't write every day. I did, once upon a time, until a published author did an interview and said it took her years to write her first published book because she didn't write every day. She wrote when the words were upon her, and didn't fret about it when the words weren't upon her. She might right a paragraph one day, and then nothing for a month. She wrote a fabulous book in the end, and many more since. So, I learned that I don't have to write every day. I also learned that quality is better than quantity. I can type out 1,000 words of crap, but it's not going to do me any good if I have to delete every single one of those words. Quality. Not Quantity!
Writing has taught me . . . patience. Every thing will happen when it happens. I will make a fabulous appearance on Oprah . . . one day. : )
S
OH! Me too, on Oprah! hehehe Well don't know about the fab Oprah appearance. But I will be published. And I disagree. I think, for myself anyway, I need to write most everyday. It keeps me from getting all stale and everything. You've heard the old adage, if you don't use it, you'll loose it? Well I think that applies to my writing. Now I take a day off, two even, but for the most part I need to write everyday. You do too. Your blog is a part of your writing life. :)
ReplyDeleteOh, you're not that bad on grammar!! :)
ReplyDeleteHmmm...what have I discovered? Ummmm...writing has been a humbling experience for me. I'm such a Hermoine, that I think it's probably helped me become a better person to not get everything so easily. And patience. Lots of patience.
Great post for a Friday! What have I learned about myself through writing? That I can persevere. That when it gets rough and it's looking next to hopeless, I don't give up. I want to write and I want to share my work with others and no matter how many obstacles get in my way, I'm still going for my dream.
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend!
Writing has shown me the importance of perseverance and looking deeply into situations and relationships.
ReplyDeleteI think writing has taught me that I'm bipolar. Sometime I can organize all my story ideas and file things perfectly so that others will look at the neatness, oohing and ahhing. Other times, there's no order, no schedule, no rhyme or reason. Just piles of chaos.
ReplyDeleteSometimes, I get in a writting grove and must write everyday. Other times, I'll go on a dry spell and write nothing... for weeks(cringe).
Sometimes my ideas for stories feel out-of-this-world spectacular. Other times, I'm like, "Linda Kay, where in the world did that pathetic excuse of a plot spring from?"
So, basically, I think I have a crazy, scattered, creative side... as well as a dry orgazined, monotone, methodical side. Which might not be so bad. When in the midst of writing, I can be all creative, emotional, and disordered. Later, I can go back and place some distance between me and story, and also bring order to the mess.
At least I hope that's the case.
Robyn - yeah, blogging is writing as well, but a different kind of writing, but still writing. Ha!
ReplyDeleteI think the theory - you must write every day - works for some people, and it doesn't for other people. The author I spoke about . . . well, it didn't work for her. She readily admits she is not an every day writer and that sometimes months would pass on the project before she would write again.
We're all unique, and do things that work best for us. There are projects where I wrote every single day on the project, and multiple times per day some days. There are other projects where weeks might pass in between. I think as long as we write, when we write, then we're doing what we love to do!
S
I think I am both emboldened and humbled by writing fiction. It is a wilder and more complex experience than I imagined--and I imagine quite a lot!
ReplyDeleteHi Robyn,
ReplyDeleteSo nice to find your blog about writing. I'm in the process of writing a book. It's called 'Lessons from the Monk I Married' about my 13-year journey with a Korean Buddhist monk. Writing is not the problem, I have a fear of sending my work out. I also blog (blog is the same title as my book). Recently I've been working on my proposal, so I haven't worked much on the actual book. I am setting a goal for myself, two pages of writing per day. If I miss a day, I'll write four. I think it's good to be disciplined about writing. If I set aside the time only for writing, I find that a lot comes out, but I have to set aside this time or it doesn't happen. I also have a dream, like Scott...yes, Oprah!
Writing has taught me that I am a passionate person and that I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get to where I want to be. I never had that kind of drive until I started writing.
ReplyDeleteWriting serves as an emotional outlet for me. It helps me truly identify how I'm feeling - a few times it's even surprised me to find that the more I typed, the more I became aware of things that were there, just not expressed. A God-given outlet, helping me to leave a legacy! Thanks for the prompt, Robyn!
ReplyDeleteBeth, you know I am! But I try to fake it around the GRAMMAR QUEEN! Hehehe And it don't come easy, does it? *stamps feet and kicks* :)
ReplyDeleteGreat one Cindy! Isn't that wonderful? Perseverance. I have learned that too. Thanks for reminding me. Hope your weekend is great! :)
ReplyDeleteAngie, going deep. I like that. So is Bubba a friend? :) I love the way he does the boat launch!
ReplyDeleteRobyn, what you said about punctuation is hilarious. I've learned a lot about myself too. I've learned that I'm very intrigued by people I don't understand. Those are the people I tend to write about, the seemingly unsympathetic ones. And, ironically, I've also learned that I can lack sympathy for others too. That's something I have improved on through writing. I feel like I can understand my friends' emotions better since I am constantly torturing my characters.
ReplyDeleteLinda, I do that too. But I only go a day or two. I'm afraid to go longer. I love your bipolar comparison! The truth is, I guess all writers are like that. If I step away too long I feel like I've lost that lovin' feelin'. So even when at the hospital with my boy, I lug the ol' laptop around and plug in. They know me and kinda expect me to plug in as soon as I get there. Then there's a coffee shop across the way. I can go there and blog. :)
ReplyDeleteScott, thought I'd get ya with my blogging is writing comment! HA! *another fist pump*
ReplyDeleteI see what you are saying, but... This girl hasta write or she's afraid the words will dry up in her head. :)
Tricia, isn't it great to KNOW that you KNOW that you imagine a lot? Woohoo! :)
ReplyDeleteKatherine, It is so nice to meet you and visit your blog. I love your plan, miss a day then double the words the next day. I too have done that. And your word count is very doable. Thanks! :)
ReplyDeleteSusan, passion. Why didn't I think of that one. A great comment. I too have become more passionate about all things because of my writing. :)
ReplyDeleteMaria, You're welcome! And I agree totally. Leaving a legacy. Another wonderful comment about what writing has done for us. And the awareness for me too. And how to show that awareness. :)
ReplyDeleteDavin,understanding emotions. Oh great on. Me too. As I write about life, I realize that I didn't understand emotional stuff like I thought I did. In other words, Robyn wasn't quite as wise as she thought she was! :)
ReplyDeleteOh and punctuation marks run from me! *grin*
Robyn,
ReplyDeleteThanks for popping in to my blog! I absolutely have to comment here --
When I started writing I disassociated myself from my characters. Writing has taught me an author cannot do that. While we do not put ourselves as characters, there are bits and pieces of us in all of our characters. Like you said our life experiences contribute. If we block ourselves to these things, the writing will come across as flat. If we embrace them, the writing will be evocative. The passages that are the most difficult for us to write, because our emotions might be too raw, are the ones that often get the most praise.
My two cents!
Claire, great to have you stop by. You speak the truth. I can always tell when the writing is FLAT and empty. But when I let ME and all of ME come in, I see my flat, empty writing become creative expression and it feeds me, wonderfully. Thanks! :) Your words are worth much more than two cents!
ReplyDeleteWriting has taught me to speak my mind and find some realizations that I couldn't have found if I weren't writing. It is a bridge between reality and some other world.
ReplyDeleteMany institutions limit access to their online information. Making this information available will be an asset to all.
ReplyDelete