Have you ever been excited about a new thing, yet when you get to do it, you don’t know what to do? That’s how I feel right now, as I write this post. One of the things I’ve wanted to do for the majority of my life was to be a full-time writer. With today’s technology, that dream is easier to accomplish than ever. So when some friends and I decided to publish a flash-fiction anthology together, I knew it was time to pursue my dream. The fact I’m a full-time college student with a part-time job was not going to stop me this time.
Well, here I am, writing this aimless blog post. In an attempt to not waste your time reading this, I will make sure this post will have a purpose by the end. Just bear with me while I’m being honest. Haha!
“What does it take to be a writer,” you might ask, “much more a full-time writer?” Well, that’s what I’m discovering. See, in the past, I wrote based on inspiration. I would write what came to me, what made me feel alive inside. It feels absolutely wonderful, perhaps even addicting. But writing on inspiration is not enough to keep up the habit. Random inspiration is not enough to keep a regular readership, for it has no schedule.
As I said, I’m a full-time college student. This means I’m forced to write academically quite often (bleh). It’s writing, yes, but it doesn’t allow one the freedom to revel in creativity like blogging or fiction. It’s rigid, has to meet certain rules and expectations, and worse, it’s graded! When I write fiction, no one is going to pass or fail me as I strive toward a degree that costs lots of money. Do you see what I’m saying? Academic writing is heavy with pressure.
“But!” you say, “If you write fiction no one likes, doesn’t that hurt your reputation as an author, therefore lowering your readership?” Perhaps, but bad fiction can be forgotten, good fiction can take its place, and the author can move on. In college, your grade is a permanent record that gets averaged with all other grades, determining whether you pass the class. Some professors might give you an opportunity to make up the grade, but not always.
“What does writing academically have to do with being a full-time writer?” I am constantly using that part of my brain for work, so when it comes to play, which in turn is also work, there is not much power left, nor time. I say writing creatively, either blogs or stories, is play because it doesn’t carry the pressures of college. But it is still work because, while I might be able to get past one bad blog or story, consistently bad content will not grow my readership. And while the idea of writing for myself is a good one, I would still like to have readers.
Now I’m going to bring it all back around. This is a new thing I’m doing. I’m writing creatively full-time for the first time, and I’m being honest up front. I don’t know how to schedule sacred writing times apart from study time. I don’t know how to force myself to write without inspiration. I don’t know if I will get these things done on time that I want to do. Will my personal writing career fall apart before it even gets started? I hope not. But it is a possibility. However, the possibility of failure is not a reason to never try. One of my all-time favorite sayings is, “Take chances, make mistakes, and get messy!” Yeah, I’m probably showing my age on that one, which really isn’t much, but it feels like it sometimes. Haha!
So, here is to taking chances. I’m sorry this post is messy, but sometimes the truth be that way. And maybe I’m just setting the tone for this blog. Not everything I create will be inspirational, and that’s okay. But honesty, maybe that can help someone else somewhere out there. And that’s my whole goal for writing, to brighten someone’s day.
If this blog didn’t brighten your day, here are some pictures of my pets. 🙂
-Beth
Beth Freemont 