Honestly, the hardest thing about writing is just the self-doubt and the pressure (guilt) of it. I feel awful every day that I don't write or read because of all of those authors who stare you down with their quotes and tell you that you'll never be an author if you don't do both EACH and EVERY day. And if I don't do that then, along with the guilt, I begin to wonder if I am a writer after all. To be completely honest, I think a lot of authors are liars and do a lot more damage to people's confidence than actually boosting it. If it took J.K. Rowling 17 years to write one novel, do you believe she wrote or read EVERY SINGLE DAY? It is such an unachievable committment when you're in school or have a full time job or both! Your brain hurts by the end of the day and sometimes you just cannot commit to it.
I believe in individual people not in rules or circumstance. I believe that if someone wants to write they will... in their own time and in their own way. I believe in PEOPLE. Some writers say follow the rules- read every day and write every day, while others tell you there are no secret rules of success to writing. I'm the latter. We are individuals for a reason. If the same thing were possible and worked for all of us, then we would probably lack all originality and everyone would probably be a writer. And well... completing two books in three years isn't bad. Three? Four? We can't all be a James Patterson *eye roll*.
So if you're going to take advice from a writer, take it from me. Ignore them. There is no reason to take their words for gospel when you are attempting to be your own kind of writer with your own individual voice. I'm a creative writing major with a minor in business and public policy. Many people have asked me my major and after I told them what it was would go, "Oh." Oh? Most of them wouldn't ask anymore question and would drop the topic completely, while some pursue an argument. Listen, in this day and age, everyone and their dead relatives has an opinion to force down your throat. It's best to look them in the eyes and say, "I want to be that person who, ten years from now, can honestly say that I have never worked a day in my life because I love my job so much."
The lesson here is- do whatever the heck makes you happy. Life can either be about making enough money to live on or being happy enough that you've actually LIVED and THRIVED instead of just sustaining yourself. Life can be so many things, you might as well go through it doing what you love.
With Love,
SKW
Wednesday, June 21, 2017
Saturday, April 15, 2017
Waiting on the End to Start a New Beginning
My first year of college is almost to a close and I'm more than ready for it. Don't get me wrong, I'm sad that my first year of college flew by so fast, however, I'm ready to write what I want to again. I plan on writing all summer and, hopefully finishing something before returning for sophomore year. I miss it, you know? In college, you hardly have time to read what you want much less write what you want. And, to be honest, I'm excited for my next adventure. I want to try something new and see how it goes. Many of you would judge me because I haven't even gotten a success novel out but I want to be able to write anything I want to write and to do that I need to practice writing other things besides novels. I'll eventually return to it, of course, but I want to see if I can't finish something over the summer.
As a writer, it isn't how successful you are with getting things published but WRITING. And I want to try my hand at something else. Many people frown upon me for being a creative writing major because, let's be honest, people think if you want to write that you're going to live in a box under a bridge. I cannot even begin to recount the times people have made rude comments over my choice of major. However, it is MY major and not theirs but I will continue to explain. My explanation to myself and everyone else is I want the ability to write whatever I want to. I want to be able to write screenplays, dramas, novels, or business documents. I want the knowledge and the confidence to accomplish whatever I desire. Most people around me want to be nurses or in the medical field and ask why I'm not going into it to. There are two answers to that question: One- because it gives me anxiety to be responsible for someone and Two- because that's not where my heart is. Everything in life makes people anxious but writing is the one place I feel pretty confident in (except for this semester in English when this teacher destroyed my ego because of all the stuff I was never taught).
Anyways, the gist of this is that what other people say doesn't matter. Maybe on occasion an ear can be lent to the critics but, more often than not, it is better to ignore them and do what you feel drawn to do. Think big things. Do big things. It's okay to be nervous, but never be afraid.
With Love,
SKW
As a writer, it isn't how successful you are with getting things published but WRITING. And I want to try my hand at something else. Many people frown upon me for being a creative writing major because, let's be honest, people think if you want to write that you're going to live in a box under a bridge. I cannot even begin to recount the times people have made rude comments over my choice of major. However, it is MY major and not theirs but I will continue to explain. My explanation to myself and everyone else is I want the ability to write whatever I want to. I want to be able to write screenplays, dramas, novels, or business documents. I want the knowledge and the confidence to accomplish whatever I desire. Most people around me want to be nurses or in the medical field and ask why I'm not going into it to. There are two answers to that question: One- because it gives me anxiety to be responsible for someone and Two- because that's not where my heart is. Everything in life makes people anxious but writing is the one place I feel pretty confident in (except for this semester in English when this teacher destroyed my ego because of all the stuff I was never taught).
Anyways, the gist of this is that what other people say doesn't matter. Maybe on occasion an ear can be lent to the critics but, more often than not, it is better to ignore them and do what you feel drawn to do. Think big things. Do big things. It's okay to be nervous, but never be afraid.
With Love,
SKW
Thursday, February 16, 2017
Life Lessons
I've been in college almost a full academic year now, which isn't really a long time. However, I've had a slew of teachers in my life considering elementary school up through Freshman year of college. That being said I've never had a more frustrating teacher... except maybe in math, but never in English. Call me sensitive or lazy, whatever names seem to fit, but I cannot agree with this professor's methods.
She believes in the concept of "simple is best". I have never had a teach tell me to remove words from my sentences because they are too "wordy" or "awkward". Additionally, she believes in a restriction on the verbs that I am allowed to include in my papers such as nothing with the endings -tion, -ence, or -ment. Whenever I have attempted to impress my teachers, I have read or listened to Pride and Prejudice, gotten myself into that voice, and written my papers to sound what I would consider "proper". Long words are what dazzle right? That's what I've learned up until this semester. Always expand my vocabulary to include big words and write in a way I know how is what I have been taught my entire life. That is until today.
If I were turning in this blog post, I would have to go through and remove every "the", "that", and any other word that isn't "necessary". However harmless that may seem, it is a censor on my unique writing voice. Taking out words that aren't "vital" and changing others into a different word with the same meaning is taking my voice and warping it into my professors. I came to college to further my writing skills and I understand that my writing is not perfect. Correct my commas and apostrophes, I won't mind. Correct my grammar or tell me that there is a stronger way to phrase something, but allow me to keep my voice.
I am sounding spiteful, but hear me out. I'm not here to please her. I've gotten passed that since becoming a writer. Write what you want to write is an author's mantra as well as never change for your audience. I am supposed to write to please myself which I usually do and I'm okay for writing for school. I've been doing it most of my life, but I cannot allow myself to be okay with a teacher who represses my voice in favor of her own. It is no longer teaching me how to write, but teaching me how to project someone else's voice and ideas onto my paper.
I've been insulted almost every day this week with comments such as, "Have you learned how to write now?" I rolled my eyes at that and she caught me saying, "SKW says she didn't."
You might be asking yourself what is the lesson in this, SKW? That you can't write? That she's wrong and you know everything? No, nothing like that actually. I could be wrong. She could be wrong. Maybe we're both wrong. The lesson in this is... I wanted out of her class. I wanted to transfer. I don't understand her methods. I don't agree with them and I don't think they count as composition. However... I've decided to stay in her class, not because I can't transfer, but because maybe I'll learn something from her rubbish. Maybe I'll learn there is a deeper meaning to her madness or maybe I'll learn what I already know. What I don't want to do is be that quitter who one day gets up in front of a crowd and tells them the story of the English class that was too hard. What kind of writer would I be to shy away from a challenge? Sure, I may despise her, but the greatest victory would be a battle won with the odds not in my favor.
So that is the lesson... know your limits, but don't shy away from a challenge even when it goes against everything you know. Everything in life is a lesson even if the lesson is hard learned. One day I want to get up in front of a crowd and talk about how nuts this teacher was, but that I survived and so did my writing. It's always fight or flight, guys, and I'm tired of running (plus... I hate running. It's a gross pastime).
Keep your ground my lovelies.
With Love,
SKW
She believes in the concept of "simple is best". I have never had a teach tell me to remove words from my sentences because they are too "wordy" or "awkward". Additionally, she believes in a restriction on the verbs that I am allowed to include in my papers such as nothing with the endings -tion, -ence, or -ment. Whenever I have attempted to impress my teachers, I have read or listened to Pride and Prejudice, gotten myself into that voice, and written my papers to sound what I would consider "proper". Long words are what dazzle right? That's what I've learned up until this semester. Always expand my vocabulary to include big words and write in a way I know how is what I have been taught my entire life. That is until today.
If I were turning in this blog post, I would have to go through and remove every "the", "that", and any other word that isn't "necessary". However harmless that may seem, it is a censor on my unique writing voice. Taking out words that aren't "vital" and changing others into a different word with the same meaning is taking my voice and warping it into my professors. I came to college to further my writing skills and I understand that my writing is not perfect. Correct my commas and apostrophes, I won't mind. Correct my grammar or tell me that there is a stronger way to phrase something, but allow me to keep my voice.
I am sounding spiteful, but hear me out. I'm not here to please her. I've gotten passed that since becoming a writer. Write what you want to write is an author's mantra as well as never change for your audience. I am supposed to write to please myself which I usually do and I'm okay for writing for school. I've been doing it most of my life, but I cannot allow myself to be okay with a teacher who represses my voice in favor of her own. It is no longer teaching me how to write, but teaching me how to project someone else's voice and ideas onto my paper.
I've been insulted almost every day this week with comments such as, "Have you learned how to write now?" I rolled my eyes at that and she caught me saying, "SKW says she didn't."
You might be asking yourself what is the lesson in this, SKW? That you can't write? That she's wrong and you know everything? No, nothing like that actually. I could be wrong. She could be wrong. Maybe we're both wrong. The lesson in this is... I wanted out of her class. I wanted to transfer. I don't understand her methods. I don't agree with them and I don't think they count as composition. However... I've decided to stay in her class, not because I can't transfer, but because maybe I'll learn something from her rubbish. Maybe I'll learn there is a deeper meaning to her madness or maybe I'll learn what I already know. What I don't want to do is be that quitter who one day gets up in front of a crowd and tells them the story of the English class that was too hard. What kind of writer would I be to shy away from a challenge? Sure, I may despise her, but the greatest victory would be a battle won with the odds not in my favor.
So that is the lesson... know your limits, but don't shy away from a challenge even when it goes against everything you know. Everything in life is a lesson even if the lesson is hard learned. One day I want to get up in front of a crowd and talk about how nuts this teacher was, but that I survived and so did my writing. It's always fight or flight, guys, and I'm tired of running (plus... I hate running. It's a gross pastime).
Keep your ground my lovelies.
With Love,
SKW
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