In the last entry I laid out a pretty specific “practical” path to writing, but I don’t want you to get caught up thinking “I don’t want to be in publishing,” because that’s just my own version of a more important idea. I know that publishing can be dull anybody. Or that freelancing can be too fickle for anybody. There are a thousand reasons why these might not fit.
But the idea is that if you're like me this way, then you just need to find something involved in or around writing that fits your practical needs and interests as a writer, and then do it. There are tons of options. Journalist, copywriter, script-writer, literary agent, slush pile reader, advertiser, and that’s just off the top of my head. The important thing is being able to identify your own needs as a writer and then move your life in that direction piece by piece.
If you’re not like me this way, well I don’t know how you do it. But I love that you do.
But it's not all about that, either. Working in writing environments and learning to be a good writer are two different things. The first can keep you sharp, current, involved, and on schedule, but it isn’t there to teach you to be any of these things. The best thing you can do for this is to write, study, and share on your own time. And the most practical way to get that done is to involve yourself in creative programs among your peers or friends.
For me, over the last four years, this meant taking creative writing classes. These classes have a lot of the same benefits of the work I've mentioned. They force you to write, they help you develop a schedule, and they keep you sharp and in tune with your peers. But there is a difference. See, in the work world there is an expectation that you can and will produce a certain quality of work. In a class, or a similar program, there is instead the expectation that you are trying to improve on a certain quality of work. And that makes all the difference.
The thing is, there is nothing more important for a writer than having a group of trustworthy readers who are not only trying to look out for the quality of your writing, but to help you improve it. Because they will always, and I cannot stress the word always enough, always see necessary things that you couldn't possibly see by yourself. And classes, groups, or programs simulate this support system for you in all of the best ways. This is why classes worked for me, why the friendships I made in those classes will keep me in the right direction, and why they should be important to you.
Next time I'll talk more specifically about the education (formal and informal) of becoming an author, because there is a lot more to it.
Friday, September 21, 2007
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2 comments:
I agree. It makes sense to surround yourself with writing, but also take advantage of ways to help yourself imporve.
I took a few creative writng classes in college... and to say the least, in was an interesting experience.
For me, it's weird having anyone read something I wrote that I'm actually serious about. I always feel like I'm exposing myself.
I think the most fear inducing thing I've ever done with my writing was experiencing my first year of writing classes. It's excruciating knowing that no matter what you write, you're coming back to hear it get criticized.
And that is especially hard because you are exposing a part of yourself. And almost nobody would intentionally expose a part of themselves for the sake of being criticized. Keep showing things to people, though, and keep listening to them. It only gets easier, and I think eventually you even start to like it because you know how much better it can make your story. And, by extension, how much better it can make that part of you that you're exposing.
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