After attending writing workshops, conferences, book
expos and following the blogs of aspiring writers, it's occurred to me that
there are far more people getting ready to write than there are actually doing
it. Many writers start with enthusiasm, an idea and the imagination and overlook the
equally important requirement of persistence, energy and patience. We need to
be able to look at a tea-towel and articulate how it smells, feels, looks and
performs in a way that is relatable yet unique, and then decide not to use it
in the story.
This weekend I'm participating the in 3-Day Novel
Contest. I've done this before and I don't expect to win or write a
masterpiece but, like the Paris Marathon, I do expect it to break down
barriers. I expect it to remind me how frustrating writing is supposed
to be, how little effort I've made recently and how much more effort I'm
capable of. Writing is not meant to be something whimsical I do only when I feel
inspired. And I'm not going to die writing for three days solid, although
I might look like I have. And when I finish and print out the work I've
created, I will either be elated by the effort, surprised by the genius or
aware that I'm holding a piece of crap but also understand why it's crap and
how to make it better.
And when the next time I'm compelled to write, I will sit there for a few more hours and feel like this isn't really
hard at all.
"Where do you get the discipline to do it, day after day?" they'll ask.
"Because I did the 3-Day Novel Contest," I'll answer.
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