I've decided to start keeping track of all the questions, information, and another random facts about writing I've learned for any curious prospects out there. First question on the list; why should I write?
This is a common question for anyone pursuing a career in writing, editing, blogging, or what have you... The answer is very simple my children! Wait for it...
Write because you ENJOY writing!
I'm not going to promise you a J.K. Rowling life of luxury (that can be one out of a million), but I'm not saying it's impossible either! You have to understand a real life of a writer. You spend hundreds of hours writing, and writing, and writing, and when that's done editing, and editing, and editing, and possible erasing a good 3/4 of your piece. After you finished your "baby", and I know how precious it will seem, then you have to gain the approval of overly analytical monsters that will tear your baby apart and give you back the pieces in a heaping bag of discouragement. Well, maybe less graphic, but you get the idea. We all love publishers.... (right)
Why I make the reference to J.K. Rowling is because, unfortunately, most writers do not make tons of money if any at all. Any job will feel the same way. Being a writer isn't easy or enjoyable unless you have a love for it. If you don't like math then why the heck are you going into accounting? Same idea.
To be a writer you also have to develop thick skin. You can't take compliments or criticism too seriously. In fact, over the years of study in arts I've found that I enjoy the constructive criticism far more than compliments, because for me it means these people were interested enough to take the time to really observe my work instead of the generic "that's nice," remarks. Not only that, but having someone else find your imperfections helps you to learn and progress. Sorry, but no one's perfect, and you aren't going to be able to see these faults on your own all the time.
On another note, I wrote a piece once, just a short story as an assignment, and it is still to this day one of my least favorite stories I've written. I truly did not love it, but I wrote it and submitted it anyway for a classroom review. To my amazement, and horror, my teacher declared this was one of his favorites and selected as top short story for the week. A student in our class even wrote me feedback on how it made him cry and... yeah awkward but touching. I couldn't figure out what I did right since I didn't even care for it. That's when I learned the sad truth about genre.
If you have your own flavor of writing there is nothing wrong with that! The only thing you have to remember is that not everyone enjoys the same genre you do. Just like everything else in the world, people have many preferences and don't get butt-hurt if your genre isn't one of them.
I stick to mainly fiction for all of my stories, but the one story that scored me a win in my class was non-fiction! Sometimes we have to take that step out of our comfort zone and see what other skills we have to offer as writers!
Well if you took the time to read all of this (and sincerely enjoyed) I'm sure I'll be posting in my Journal again for more writer venting!
Sincerely,
Me
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