I studied English in college because I like to read. It's that simple. When you study English in college, people frequently assume you want to be a teacher. They ask clever questions like, "Do you want to be a teacher?" I did not want to be a teacher; I just liked to read. Now I'm a teacher (of more than nine years), and it is very fulfilling.
When you study English in college, you get to write. A lot. I didn't mind because I wanted to improve my writing skills. While most of my papers were probably mediocre, I enjoyed writing enough to accept an offer for a part-time job as a technical writer during my senior year (Thanks, Scott!), and I continued at it for a year after college. I think I was a decent writer, but it gave me no great pleasure, and I never aspired to write more than what was required.
Quantum leap 15 years forward (Make the sound, Doug.), and writing has become one of the most satisfying things I do. I enjoy searching for the perfect combination of words and sentences to capture what I am thinking and feeling. I like grammar and the mechanics of constructing sentences and paragraphs. And I love reading my final product; in fact, I usually read and reread what I've written more than a dozen times simply for the pleasure of reading something I constructed (and to check for mistakes - I detest mistakes!). Also, since I discovered a super simple method to teach it (Thanks, Jill!), I really like teaching writing to my elementary school student. It is all very satisfying.
The problem is, for someone who claims to like the process and end product so much, writing isn't an easy, carefree process, especially when I'm not inspired, so I don't do it very often. Also, out of all the different types of writing, I don't write fiction because it's difficult and intimidating (witness my spectacular failure at last year's NaNoWriMo) because there are simply too many variables and choices that are totally up to me to decide. What is right? My reticence notwithstanding, I would love to add the ability to write fiction to my set of skills. What is a writer to do?
The answer came recently when a friend asked me to write a story just for her. In a couple sentences, she framed the parameters of the story by identifying the characters and the story ending, leaving the genre, content, and setting up to me. I thought on it for a week or so, then after a spark of inspiration came, I laid on my bed with my laptop one Saturday afternoon and in several hours pounded out a 5,000 word short story, and I liked it.
I could enumerate all the ways it was a rewarding experience, but I'd rather just state two happy discoveries.
If you are interested in your own short story, and you're game to overlook my shortcomings, complete the following two steps:
When you study English in college, you get to write. A lot. I didn't mind because I wanted to improve my writing skills. While most of my papers were probably mediocre, I enjoyed writing enough to accept an offer for a part-time job as a technical writer during my senior year (Thanks, Scott!), and I continued at it for a year after college. I think I was a decent writer, but it gave me no great pleasure, and I never aspired to write more than what was required.
Quantum leap 15 years forward (Make the sound, Doug.), and writing has become one of the most satisfying things I do. I enjoy searching for the perfect combination of words and sentences to capture what I am thinking and feeling. I like grammar and the mechanics of constructing sentences and paragraphs. And I love reading my final product; in fact, I usually read and reread what I've written more than a dozen times simply for the pleasure of reading something I constructed (and to check for mistakes - I detest mistakes!). Also, since I discovered a super simple method to teach it (Thanks, Jill!), I really like teaching writing to my elementary school student. It is all very satisfying. The problem is, for someone who claims to like the process and end product so much, writing isn't an easy, carefree process, especially when I'm not inspired, so I don't do it very often. Also, out of all the different types of writing, I don't write fiction because it's difficult and intimidating (witness my spectacular failure at last year's NaNoWriMo) because there are simply too many variables and choices that are totally up to me to decide. What is right? My reticence notwithstanding, I would love to add the ability to write fiction to my set of skills. What is a writer to do?
The answer came recently when a friend asked me to write a story just for her. In a couple sentences, she framed the parameters of the story by identifying the characters and the story ending, leaving the genre, content, and setting up to me. I thought on it for a week or so, then after a spark of inspiration came, I laid on my bed with my laptop one Saturday afternoon and in several hours pounded out a 5,000 word short story, and I liked it.
I could enumerate all the ways it was a rewarding experience, but I'd rather just state two happy discoveries.
- I found my fiction writing groove, and suddenly I believe I can do all the unique parts of fiction I previously doubted I could do.
- Writing for someone else, at their request, was the key to quashing my fear and prior inability to write because it narrowed my focus by removing some of the thousand decisions you have to make when you write, and I had a patron (instead of just passive readers) who would specifically approve or disapprove what I wrote.
If you are interested in your own short story, and you're game to overlook my shortcomings, complete the following two steps:
- Email me or post online a unique picture of you and me (or at least me - because I'm just that vain). Unique means I probably don't already have a digital copy of it, and the older, the better.
- Choose two characters (they don't have to have names) and a story start or ending, and send them to me in an email.
