It's one of the only things I've ever identified with for most of my life. I started journalling at 10. In high school I wrote short stories. There was a period in my life where I didn't write very much at all outside of the occassional journalling. However, two years ago I took the hobby back up and I've never stopped.
I'm often told I should write a book. I don't personally think I have the talent nor the discipline to do that. However, a year and a half of majoring in English will tell you I had seriously considered it.
So what's the purpose of this post? The other day my husband made mention of the poor reading and writing level of most people in the U.S. It's not something that surprises me.
I get asked a lot how I write so much, how I stay inspired, how I stay organized. And I think this habbit reflects on my reading and writing level.
Do you want to be smarter? Write? Or just overall have a better grasp of the English language?
Read a book.
That isn't supposed to sound insulting it's just fact. Do you know how much I have read in my life? Have you ever seen Gilmore Girls? Consider me Rory. If you don't catch the reference then I will when I was in school I averaged a book a week. And let me tell you something, your family may complain about buying you something but they'll never complain about a book. My floor to ceiling bookshelf was packed full by the time I left my parents house. I love to read, I love physical books, but I've recently started reading the free books on iBooks.
Reading keeps your mind active. It's good for you. It doesn't matter what you're reading. You're engaging your brain, your imagination, and building your vocabulary.
You may not think there's books out there for you? Well I say you haven't looked hard enough. Even nonfiction books have appeal. I've actually gotten very into bibliographies more than some fiction novels I have read.
If you want to write and be good at it, you have to be disciplined. Just like any other art, it takes practice and dedication. You don't just type out a story and expect it to be perfect the first go around.
If you want to be a writer than write. It's not for everyone. Just like painting, playing music, creating art is something that some people will always do better than you. It doesn't mean you suck, it means they're lucky. That's okay.
Be disciplined. Write every day. If you want it as a job make it a job. I have always said when writing stops bringing me joy I'll stop. So far it hasn't and ice been writing for 15 years.
But of course there are days I'm not inspired and don't feel like writing. But I feel worse if I don't write a thing versus writing something subpar. Or blogging.
There's no point to this. It's how I work, how I operate. The more I write the more I stayed warmed up and can continue writing. If I let myself fall into a funk I take longer to get back into the groove of things.
Of course life happens and I have responsibilities to take care of. Writing is my hobby, and I make time for it when I can. Google Docs is an amazing app available on most platforms. I write on the go. Sitting on the bus, in the car, waiting for a table at a restaurant, etc.
I've always written during school. This week I had orientation and I filled up an entire notebook writing. I don't encourage you to ignore school or work to write. I simply concentrate better when I'm doing multiple things at once. It's weird, I know.
So there's some about me and my writing. Will I ever share my writing with the world? Probably not. For now I'm happy with the hole in the internet I write for.
But I will share this.
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