How long have you been writing? What is your daily word count? Do you have a daily word count?
If you’ve been writing regularly for a year or more—a reasonable amount of time for your “test-drive”—you may have noticed that it (writing) doesn’t seem to be getting any easier.
Perhaps at the same time, you’ve noticed that the bits that used to be confusing, difficult, are no long an issue, but when one problem is dealt with, two more come in to take its place. This is a very common thing, and it actually occurs out in the world as well.
Image: sammytaylor.net
Consider this: You’re leaning to play tennis. You get all dressed up in white (gotta dress the part, right?) and go out to the Courts of Chaos with your friend, the redoubtable “Tennis Pro”.
The first few tennis balls that come whizzing your way are clearly moving faster than the speed of sound. You hear the “thwock” of the pro hitting the ball, and you hear the ball bouncing just inside the white line behind you at about the same moment. The ball is clearly moving at 300 feet per second. How in the world will you ever be able to return the serve?
Or: You just bought the latest 1st-Person Shooter (combat computer game) that everyone is raving about. For some reason, though, you can’t get twenty feet into the game without being attacked by a gang of baddies and being “killed”.
Both these instances have to do with perception. Damn! There’s that word again.
In the cases of Tennis and of the computer game, it is perception, or better said, a matter of distinction that is causing you problems. If you stick with the tennis or the computer game this is what you find. The tennis ball begins to slow down as you get better at seeing it. The baddies that kill you in the game seem to get wimpier, easier to defeat, as you start to notice where they hide, and the tactics they use to get you.
Image: penguinforum.miniclip.com
In other words, if practice doesn’t make perfect, it at least makes “better”.
When it comes to your writing the same things hold true. The traditional problems you have at first, motivation, consistency, grammar usage, familiarity with the tools of the trade—while seemingly insurmountable at first—begin to get easier.
The problem is that once these initial issues are dealt with, new ones step to the fore and announce themselves. The thing to remember is that no matter how many of these demons you slay, a writer who is committed to excellence, committed to daily learning, will soon discover that the craft is a journey, not a destination.
Your thoughts?
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My writing for the day: is there a connection?
On the Oil Spill: (Gush). They said it was between 12,000 and 20,000 barrels a day. (For seven weeks, let’s say 50 days). That would be (am I right) about a million barrels. Multiply say by l00 and you have about l00 million gallons. Would that be enough to keep all the trucks and cars in North America on the highways and by-ways for a day!
This is not to underestimate the severity of the oil spill, but to point up just HOW MUCH gas,and oil is being consumed in the world today. (Unless my math like my writing needs a rewrite!)
Sadly, Loreen, I think your math is 100 million gallons correct.
And I’m not sure whether we wouldn’t even exceed that amount most days:
If 100 million people hit the road each day in North America, and commuted 25 miles per day, they would each consume (on average) a gallon of gas.
Yowsa!
At the Living Green Expo today, we checked out an electric boat (which we cannot afford) which wowed me. It operates slowly, quietly, for 8-10 hours on a charge. No gas. No fumes. No dead pelicans in the Gulf of Mexico.
I hope that I live long enough to see our reliance on fossil fuels abate.
The greatest of achievements were not accomplished in a single night, but were a work of countless weeks and years of learning.
Today’s society is dangerously dependent on instant gratification. If it can’t be done quickly, then why do it at all?
(Aggh! Now I’m seeing adverbs everywhere)
Those who learn patience and are willing to invest time and effort earn the prize.
And, even if they don’t earn “the prize,” they are apt to enjoy the journey more than someone who wants instant gratification.
I watched the National Spelling Bee. So impressed with the youngsters competing. Not just because they worked hard, and made it to DC, and into the finals, and ended up on stage before the cameras ~ but because they enjoyed the journey even if they didn’t go home with the trophy.
They were doing something that they loved doing ~ spelling ~ and had had so much fun in DC hanging out with others of like interest.
Awesome!
Happiness = pursuing your purpose with passion or your passion with purpose.
Excellent post, Rik.
We never know how much time we have left to “write.”
If we focus on enjoying the journey of writing (and living) each day, we tend to use our energy wisely ~ based on who we are now . . . not on who we hope to be tomorrow.
We keep moving in the direction of our dreams as the path unfold before us.
It’s a wonderful journey, I devour every mile and relish the learning I pick up along the route.
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