On Writing Well

Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work. ~Stephen King

You can read 30 books on how to be good at something this year. But what do you have now? A blank manuscript and a lot of good ideas on how to write.

Do not get me wrong: I want you to read and study how to be better at what you do. Since I am a writer, and we are on Steemit.com, I will use writing as the example. The best writers read. A lot. They read everything they can get their hands on, not just in the genre they work.

But to be a good writer, or any sort of writer at all, you have to write.

Write every day.

You can watch videos on how to weightlift all day long, but if you don't pick up a barbell you will remain stuck in the same place in your fitness indefinitely.

You are going to make mistakes. And some of your work will not be fit for human eyes. But you are getting better with each sentence you form and put onto paper. With every thought you wrangle and set down, you are training your brain by making new neural connections and pathways. And these connections will grow stronger and bring you more confidence only if you exercise them by using them every day.

One mistake I see with potential writers is that they believe they need more formal training before they start writing. I started writing in Junior High School. It is not what I set out to do but my instructors told me I was good at it and so I just went with it. They urged me to pursue it as a career, telling me I had a unique talent for it and needed to nurture this blessing.

But I never entertained the idea of becoming a professional writer. It felt like more of a hobby; a way to get better grades in order to pursue the career I really wanted. I enrolled in pre-med classes because I wanted to be a surgeon. But life got in the way and I got married and had kids and put my schooling aside in favor of my children's father's education. I did however manage to get a bachelors in Communications in this time while I was a stay at home mom. But when we lost him, I was left a single mother having to scramble just to pay bills. I worked random jobs- tending bar and waitressing mostly. And we struggled something fierce.

I brought us to the higher level of poverty after a few years of working two jobs and was fortunate to land in a situation where I provided room and board to a Manny in exchange for his housekeeping and babysitting services, which was extremely helpful as raising children alone is an almost impossible task. It was then when my writing decided to claw it's way out of the background quite loudly. It was something I could do while on break, or late at night after the boys were asleep, and something my teachers had suggested would bring me a decent living.

Plus, JK Rowling's story kept tickling my subconscious. She had been a single mother, working as a cocktail waitress just like me, struggling with juggling which bills to pay each month- just like me. She had the Harry Potter story burning in her head so she wrote it when she could: during nap times and on the back of cocktail napkins at work. It took years, and many rejections by publishers, before someone finally took a chance and now her story of a boy wizard is an empire.

Besides... I loved to write. When I started I realized I'd forgotten how mush I loved it! I enjoyed creating worlds with fiction, and it brought me great satisfaction writing articles after learning and researching the subject. I derive great pleasure networking with fellow writers and having deep conversations with my audience. I have met many amazing people because of my writing, and have been to places and explored ideas I never would have had I not dove into this wonderful field. I truly enjoy writing. And although I used to think it was not a "real" career, I am so happy I listened to my instincts and gave it a shot. I am a writer. It is my calling. And my true love <3

So I wrote.

I wrote for pennies. Sometimes I wrote for nothing. Within a month I had a gig as a contributing writer for a popular and fast growing website. It only paid $20 a month for 8 articles but hey- I was a paid writer! The more I wrote the better tasks I found, and the better my pay. And now I am a professional freelance writer with published books and pay my bills from weaving words. I am by no means rich, lol, I have a ways to go in that regard!- but I can afford what my boys need and not have to worry about the lights or water being turned off or anyone going hungry each night. I work 12-14 hour days, seven days a week, but I do not have a commute and I can be home for my kids. That is important for me.

As soon as I can recover from the horrible accident I was in the other week and buy a replacement vehicle- I would appreciate any help you could give and take part in @Papa-Peppers CryptoJeep Challenge- I wish to start taking classes toward my MFA in Creative Writing. Think about this for a second- had I decided to wait to start writing until I could get more professional schooling, I would still be working two jobs and never seeing my boys. I would be struggling to pay bills and I definitely would not have enough time or the hopes for a little money to pursue my MFA in the near future.

The moral of the story is you must start now. Not tomorrow, or after your kid turns 5, or when you get a raise and can "afford" it, or after you lose ten pounds- now. Whatever your dream is, if you don't take steps toward it every single day you will never make progress and your dream will remain that- just a dream.

Start now. I promise you will be happy you did.

Make your dreams a reality and be the best you that you can be, starting now.

Write on my wonderful Steemmates :)