One Key To Writing: Write With Other Writers

I feel like a pretender. I can write.... I think I'm actually pretty good at it. I've successfully written thousands of articles. I've made my living as a full-time journalist. 

I have taught writing at colleges and universities. 

Yet... I suffer a disease many writers do. I lack confidence. I don't believe in myself. I doubt my abilities. Who am I to think I can do this thing called writing. 

I should just give it all up. Who am I kidding?

But... I can't. I won't. I shan't. 

Tonight... I took a step to put myself out there.... I met up with another writer. It was a bold step. I met someone online who seemed to share my passion for the written word. 

Then... throwing all caution to the wind... both of us decided to meet at a coffee shop and share something we had written. Ah... the glorious moment that it was. To share the written word over coffee (that was me... I believe she ordered tea)... it was magical... She was enchanting. 

If you dare to write... you mustn't write alone. That is how you sabotage your efforts. You must share your writing with others. But others who can help you. 

My beautiful companion tonight shared similar examples regarding our experiences when sharing our writings with others. 

So... for you reading this... Here's the down low:

Share your writing with whomever... but if you want critical input, share with those who will help you make your craft better. If all you want is your ego stroked, then share with your mother. She'll say how proud she is of your writing. If you want to grow as a writer, share with those who will dare to say... "That paragraph needs reworking... or...I'd cut that whole section out."

If they challenge you to discard your darlings... then maybe they may be helpful readers. 

A safer bet when it comes to potential readers/critics of your writing is to find other writers to partner with.

You should read their work, too. It should go both ways. Give to them...Don't only demand of them. 

You will both grow as writers if you mutually nurture each other. 

Tonight... I met a peer... a writer whose words I enjoyed reading... and whose company I enjoyed even more. It was a beginning, I hope. Writers need writers to help them along the way. Writing is a lonely business. But it doesn't have to be.

Cheers my fellow writers...

Writers Must Live...Like Hemingway

I'm wearing a baseball cap. Shot a boar!

Ernest Hemingway was a man's man. He went on safari. He was a deep-sea fisherman. He loved adventure. Writers are often told to write what you know. If you do not live, you don't know much. Adventure in life is a writer's best muse. 

Recently, I had the opportunity to go wild boar hunting. I did it. I shot on my first try a boar. Did I ever think I'd go boar hunting? No... but as a writer... I knew I had to embrace it. 

My advice... Try new things... 

Random Thoughts – Writers Are Like Everyone Else

Source: MicroSoft

I'm talking about writers. We make poor decisions every day. We’re egotistical, narcissistic, too. We are stubborn, selfish. Gosh, we’re lazy, as well. Let’s not forget moody – talk about drama queens, lol.

We don’t like taking responsibility for our actions. We are conflict avoiders, which ultimately turns us into bitter, complaining (or maybe grumbling is a better word) cowards at best, or scheming backstabbers at worst.

We love to point out the bad in others without ever looking at the bad in ourselves (because obviously they are worse than us). We hate whiners but love to whine. Of course WE have good reasons.

Having said all that, I mean to say writers are like everyone else on this planet. Yes, there is good in us, too. But it’s all this other junk that I’m thinking about now. Why? Although we are like everyone else in that we’re flawed, creative writers are different in one way: we can take all this ugliness and create stories.

We use the brain’s power of creativity to put last night’s bad decision into context. Somehow, if we’re lucky, we may then come to some sort of closure regarding our foolishness. If we're really lucky, we learn from our mistakes (Still working on that one).

Hmmm. I don’t know. Just free writing. Now, back to being lazy…

10 Best New Year's Resolutions For Writers

Less than two weeks until the end of the year. Goodbye 2011. Hola and que tal to 2012. It got me to thinking about what resolutions I might make as a writer. It's always a good thing to push yourself. So, what are the best resolutions for writers? For some it could be to start a daily writing routine. It could be to actually submit your work instead of writing solely for yourself.

The possibilities could be endless. I haven't decided what all my resolutions should be, but I'm thinking about it now and hope to write out a list of 10, my Top Ten, if you will. Two brains are better than one, and a thousand are better than two, so I'm asking what resolutions you can think of, as well, to help the aspiring writer.