To learn to write is not simply to follow someone else's instructions. Learning to write (like learning anything else) is a journey. You can take this journey in the company of others, by participating in a writing course or joining a writers' group. You can take it on your own. Or you can do some of both.
This journey will not necessarily be easy. You will be tested by coming up against things you don't know how to do, by times of intense frustration. The success of your journey—whether you can continue it in the face of such obstacles—will depend in large part on how determined you are. If you are the kind of person who gives up every time something doesn't come easily to you, if you expect writing to be “fun” all the time, then you are unlikely to get very far on your journey. If, on the other hand, you love the challenge of learning new things, if you are willing to persist through the periods of confusion and frustration that inevitably accompany real learning, then you will be rewarded. You will develop solid skills and the confidence that you know what you are doing when you write.
You can take a learning journey in the world of writing any time you like. It doesn't matter how old (or how young) you are; it doesn't matter what your experiences with writing have been. And you don't need to worry if you don't have “talent.” It's certainly true that some people have a natural aptitude for writing, just as some have a natural aptitude for hitting a baseball. It's also true that these people don't necessarily go on to have the most successful careers. (Think Barry Bonds, or Manny Ramirez.) Many professional writers worked hard to develop their skills. In writing, as in baseball (think Kevin Youkillis or Dustin Pedroia), what counts the most is hard work, determination, persistence—and the willingness to learn.
As with any journey, when you embark on a journey of learning to write, it's helpful to know where you are starting from. Here's a practice to assist you in seeing where you are now as a writer:
Using nonstop writing, answer these questions:
Now look through your answers. What do you notice?
Now go through the list of skills you want to learn and consider which ones are the most important to you right now. Write down these skills in a new list.
Now ask yourself (and write down your thoughts): How can I learn these skills? (Take a class? Read some of those writing books I've been collecting? Study a favorite writer? Talk to a writer friend?)
Now ask yourself (and write down your thoughts): How can I learn these skills? (Take a class? Read some of those writing books I've been collecting? Study a favorite writer? Talk to a writer friend?)
Take a few more minutes to write down any other thoughts you have about what you want to learn and how you might learn these things.
If you like to plan, you may want to organize your learning journey in more detail. Or you may prefer to just get started and see what happens.
You can use this practice at any time during your learning journey. It will help you stay on your path and intuit your next steps. You may, for instance, want to work on one set of skills for a while, then switch to a different set.
One of the things that makes learning to write so enjoyable is that there are always new things to learn. So I strongly urge you to see your journey in the world of writing as a lifelong one. Your path will not look exactly like anyone else's, and it will probably surprise you in its movement.
Most of all, I encourage you to leave behind, as you take your journey, the attitude of being “in school.”There will be no tests, no boring drills, none of the drudgery of make-work that so often contributes to making schools such unhappy places. You will be free to learn in your own way, at your own pace. Learning, when undertaken under conditions of freedom, is a joyful adventure.
Suggested next lesson: A Place for Practice
© 2010. All Rights Reserved. Barbara Baig