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Writing is HARD work. There I said it!

Recently, I had a conversation with a fellow writer about different writing styles. We talked about how some writers can simply sit down on a computer and write on command; I cannot.

My pre-writing process can take me ten, fifteen, twenty minutes or more and it usually involves me ‘getting in to character’; I need to connect with the hero and heroine before I can delve into their lives. It is then when I’m emotionally attached that ideas begin to form I’m able to capture the thoughts and the scenes and the story begins to unfold.

I can tell you that when I begin to write a story, I too experience the same nervousness that a lot of writers feel. Will anyone read my stuff? Will anyone care about what I have to say? This is the fretful process of a writer, yet, we, I, push forward and write with excitement, optimism, and a lot of discipline.

On an amusing note (or maybe not so) one thing that we, writers, often encounter is that non-writers tend to think that writing is easy. Non-writers believe that writing is much like talking: Anyone can do it…right? Talking is just putting words together in the correct order, so how different can writing be? Very!

New writers however soon realize as they embark on their writing journey that indeed writing is hard work. See once a book is committed to paper the writer becomes very aware of the needs of the story and realizes the possibility that a change in direction, plot is needed. We see how a story would be best served in restructuring then scenes or even entire chapters will have to be redone. We will spend countless hours massaging and manipulating, working, then re-working and re-re-working until the book/story barely resembles its beginnings. Yes, it is a maddening process, but nothing compares to the excitement one experiences upon the completion of a story, an article, or a book. 

The feeling of accomplishment, of victory, is exhilarating, overwhelming. And I don’t think it matters whether you’re a best-selling author or a guy who just finished his first book, that feeling of accomplishment is felt by everyone. I guess that's the reason why, despite the fear, the worry and all the anxiety, I want to get up tomorrow and do it all over again. 


I’m a writer!

Until next time friends,
Maria

Comments

  1. Thank you thank you thank you! I'm finally taking the plunge and starting to write my first fiction novel and it's exhausting! I'm spending more time researching than I ever did for academic journal articles I've written. I'm still in the scared out of my mind phase, but I found some comfort in knowing that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

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  2. Fantastic Amanda, so very happy to hear you're writing your first novel. Surround yourself with a team of like-minded individuals and you'll do great!

    Thank you for following my blog!

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  3. Hard work, but totally worth it!

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