The cardinal rule in writing is always to write what you know. Well, who among us knows everything about everything? But I think the message is clear: write about something in which you have experience and passion.
Writing about writing seems just as ridiculous as talking about dancing. The purpose of this blog is so that I write, and that my friends, is the first rule of writing: WRITE! Even if it's absolute crap, write it anyways! Besides, what are rewrites for if not to eliminate the useless jargon that leaps from our brains and out through our fingertips as we compose our prose.
I am the first to admit that I have much to learn about the writing process. I went to college, I've read classic pieces of English prose, I even have a couple copies of Writer's Digest on my desk in front of me. Does that make me a writer? You bet it does! The first step to take in order to become a writer is to believe you are one! It's really as simple as that!
The next step (once you've talked yourself into believing that you are a writer) is to - you guessed it! - WRITE! Like all things, we get better with practice. Do you think star basketball players in the NBA got there by never trying to shoot hoops? I think the point is clear: shoot, and if you miss, try again! We get better each time we try to score and are rejected.
I spent most of my day today working on the first chapter of my blossoming novel. I finally finished the first chapter. Is it publishable yet? Not by a long shot! But I will keep going, word by word, until I have a rough manuscript ready to send to a publisher. Do I expect rejection? Absolutely! What is one of the key experiences of life if not rejection? But if I keep persevering, one of those basketballs will make it through the hoop and I'll score.
It takes time and patience, folks. To end on a cliché note (as well as the famous words of a pop song): if at first you don't succeed, dust yourself off and try again. And that, in my novice opinion, is the writing process!
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