Write on Through

“You are going to spend your whole life learning how to write, and then you are going to die.”

?-Jeff O’Neal

Hello Geniuses!

If you are anything like me, you are confused most of the time, and even less confident about writing all of the time when you sit down to write. There is either too much that you have to learn, or there is not enough time to see it all through.

I am not even considering all the outside influences that have methods of their own, that cloud the water of your intent on writing. Even that can be stressful at times.

Who is right?

I have concluded that there isn’t a right answer. Sure there are ways to excel in this craft further. What I have learned time and time again is that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to writing.

If there were, there wouldn’t be whole sections of books at libraries, on Amazon, or the bookstore telling us otherwise. No one has cracked the code to becoming “The Writer”.

It’s a painstaking process that each one of us will have to figure out on our own.

We all have our go-to authors that we admire and would like to emulate. There are those few writers that stand out in our minds and inspire us every day. A storyteller that flows with prose like a gentle breeze over a grassy field.

Yadda! Yadda! Yadda!

And then, we look back to our Word document and see a duct-taped mess of nouns and verbs. Cliches that felt right at the time, but don’t seem to tie into what we are trying to say. All followed by a sense of defeat.

Some of us will take that rejection to heart. Others will use that mess of adjectives and adverbs and edit until our eyes burn. A lot of us will keep trudging along until all of this makes sense again.

So, what do we do?

As best as I can say, just write on through.

As simple as it sounds, that is the only solution to this craft. Smarter writers than me might disagree, but I bet they will be the first to confirm that writing through makes your voice stronger.

Yes, it is the practice. Write daily. Write constantly and consistently. So much so that it stops being about the writing, and more about the attitude.

Your attitude and confidence will get stronger and stronger with each passing day. Not to mention your voice. It will help you to keep writing on through.?

One thing though when we are talking about practice, we have to also consider the process. And that is as equally important. Because the process will hold you accountable so that your practice has a purpose.

I can’t explain what process works the best. That is something you will have to figure out on your own. For me, it is stepping out of my comfort zone as much as possible.

And engage in a way that hurts. It’s stepping out of the norm because as writers we must be curious and open. We must not only be creative, but obsessive.

A writer learns from the world and puts down those experiences in the most distilled way possible. And for me, that is putting a process in place that forces me to meet those challenges head-on.

It is making time available when the clock has already run out. It is accepting the responsibility of less freedom and more commitment. It is seizing upon the things that not only interest me but others as well.

And all of this can only take place if you just write on through.

Patience, daily action, practice, and process. That sums it up. These habits form from taking everything you know, picking out the best parts, and just writing.?

There is no finish line. Hopefully, sooner than later you will polish off a piece that speaks volumes to your readers.

This applies to any creative with any medium. You haven't plateau, you are just getting ready for the next level.

Until then, it’s worth mentioning for the fifth time. Write on through.

Also, remember. “A writer who writes well doesn’t write for long.” -John Warner?