Am I a Writer?

The simple answer is yes, I'm writing right now. The question I think I should ask myself though is: Can I eloquently place words onto a piece of paper?  Well, that is to be determined.

One of the first things I was taught in school was how to write my letters. Now that I'm all grown up, I have learned that writing is a crucial part of how I communicate with others, be it a test taken in school, a resume for a job, or even for something as simple as a grocery list. Whether I consider myself a writer or not, I don't really have a choice but to write. I don't have the best handwriting either, but I write. In fact, to be quite honest, until 9th grade, I even hated reading (shudder the thought).
     For years, I denied the fact that I was even a writer because I was never consistent. I would go through writing spurts where I would write all the time for a couple months and then nothing for 6 months. I didn't think I had time to write, and I thought that if I told people I was a writer they would say I was doing it wrong. Well now I realize I had it all backwards. Since I started my first children's book almost 3 years ago, I have learned to approach my writing a little differently. I don't need to work 40 hours a week to be able to tell people I am a writer because writing is not like a regular 9-5 job. Being a writer happens whenever an idea strikes, and that can be at any time! Honestly with 4 kids running around I'm lucky if I can manage anything more than a sentence at a time.
    Over the years, I have heard people say that I should find a career doing something I love because then it wouldn't feel like work. Well to be honest, this does NOT feel like work and I DO love it. So, maybe I am a writer after all.

Secret to Writing a Nobel Prize Winning Novel: Make Mistakes

In 1956, The Paris Review interviewed Nobel Prize winner, William Faulkner. In this interview Faulkner stated that, "There is no mechanical way to get the writing done, no shortcut. The young writer would be a fool to follow a theory. Teach yourself by your own mistakes; people learn only by error."
   

     This statement resonates with me in more ways then one, but recently I have been reminded of this in my own writing. In an effort to hone my skills I have found myself looking to outside sources for advice, and have noticed a lot of information out there regarding how to write a book.
       Some experts say to plan out the story before you start. They tell you to map out your characters and write back stories for everyone.  In school they even tell you to make little Venn Diagrams and thought bubbles before you write. Plan, plan, plan, is the theme of most teachers of the written word. Personally I don't do this. I find this tedious and unnecessary in the beginning. I feel like it sucks the fun out of the writing process, and I write because it's fun not because I have to. I've told people before, I never do my writing in order so I wouldn't dream of listening to this particular advice either.
   If my writing is going to be truly inspired I don't have the patience for mechanical writing. I believe writing should happen organically, jumping right into the action and leaving nothing for chance. This helps me with the creative aspect. Sometimes it starts from a dream I had, or simply when in daily conversation. A little spark is all I need to get me going.
     When I allow myself to run with an idea, the characters seem to take on a mind of their own, and something amazing and unexpected happens each and every time. Now, I'm not saying that character and world building don't need to happen, they absolutely do. In fact, in order to fine tune the story, these things are a must, but when I am in the initial stages, I need to let it flow. I think anything forced, an agent or publisher will surely be able to see it a mile away, and won't touch it with a ten foot pole.
        Usually I wouldn't take advice from a man who didn't even graduate High School, but he was living proof that you don't need a fancy degree to your name or know some secret formula in order to become a Nobel Prize Winner. If I'm going to write an amazing book like Mr. Faulkner, I need to just start writing.  I can't sit here and plan every aspect of the story before I even get to the juicy stuff because in my humble opinion, that's not when the spectacular happens. I'm simply going to start making up some random thing and go with it. If it works out, great. If not, then I'll move on. I'm not going give up and say, "Well that didn't work". I'm going to keep making mistakes because that is the only way I will learn.
   

Writer's Block? Start with the End!

      Recently I struggled with a bit of writers block, and I was feeling a bit guilty I wasn't finished any of my books yet. I thought maybe I was just distracted. I really want to finish my books, but a gazillion other thoughts start popping into my head when I start writing so I scramble to write everything down before I forget. I don't write all the time so when the feeling does come it just flows like a waterfall and I have to take advantage of it!
     To help me with this waterfall predicament I have decided to start carrying a notebook for when I think of random scenes.  If I don't write it down right away it will leave me just as quickly as it comes; and it will stress me out when I do find time to actually sit down and write, which will then create this horrible writer's block I so desperately want to avoid. I don't worry too much about writing in order because I know I can always go back and put them into coherent thoughts later.
      In fact, I tend approach my writing like a puzzle. First, I start with separating all the end pieces. Second, I take the random pieces and organize them by color.  Third, I go back and put all the end pieces together. Finally, I find the pieces that fit together with the outer pieces (by color of course) and work my way in, until the last piece is put into place.
     Writing random scenes whenever they come may seem a little backwards to some, but I have never really done anything in order. Growing up, when I took tests in school, I would always start with the last question first and work my way backward. It was much less stressful for me. It seemed to take the pressure off of getting a perfect score. Ironically though, what i was left with, was a 100 almost every time. Its the same with my writing. If I start at the end and work my way to the beginning it doesn't feel as stressful. This makes it more enjoyable and takes the pressure off of me writing the perfect book, which in turn, helps with the infamous writers block.
        So I'm curious: What helps you get through the writing process?

Rosie Update!

Hey yall! I wanted to let you know that I'm still working on Rosie. I have decided Rosie is going to be a Middle Grade book instead of a series. Rosie is really coming along and I have reconfigured almost the entire story. It is similar to the original but it is not quite the same. It has grown and developed as I have been trying to figure out how to character build. I am also putting more layers into the book and it is making it turn into something really special.

       I never thought it would take so long to write though! I came up with the idea so quickly, but editing is a process. Every time I think I'm finished I step away from it for a time and when I come back to it I find more to edit! I feel like it is coming close to the end, but not quite there as I have started writing another book! Oh what fun! Stay tuned for more updates.  Until next time!

~Dawn~

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