Thoughts on the Journey of Writing: Read and Write!

There's no doubt about it: writing is a journey. It's a process-- and not just in the actual writing of the manuscript. There is always room for improvement, always something new to learn. In many ways we are always looking for new ways to tell the stories we love: Boy meets girl. Coming of Age. Etc.

There are really two ways to get better at this process: read and write. (This blog is partly a way to hold myself accountable to do both!) I heard once about a conference at which a famous author spoke, (can I remember who it was? Of course not.) and when he addressed the hundreds of eager writers and wannabes, he said to them: "Why are you all sitting here? You want to be a writer? Go! Go write!"

Anyone still with me? So, yes. Write. Set a goal each day. Even if it's only 500 words. (That's about a page, single-spaced.) Just do it. Don't wait until you feel up to the task, because you never will. Just DO IT!

And keep reading. Read what's new. Read the genre you write, and read beyond it. Read books about writing. Read about writers. Read fiction. Find a voice or an author that speaks to you. Set goals-- read a chapter a day. A book per month. Or more than that, if you like. I try to read at least one book per week, on average.

Read a book about writing and then read a novel. See if you can spot some of the things you learned to do (or not do) in the book on the craft of writing.

And don't be discouraged. Every time I write a new scene, I am convinced it's the best thing I have ever written. Then a few weeks later, I read it again and have to fix the glaring messes in it. If you find yourself feeling that same way, think of it as evidence of your continued growth as a writer.