How to be a Happy Writer: Chapter One

1. Writers write.

Leaders lead, cooks cook, writers write.

If you are a writer, you write. That you write well, that you write many words or that you write in a particular genre, is all description, detail after the fact. A writer writes, so to be a writer, you must write. The intent of the statement is not to ensure you understand you are not a writer if you don’t write. No, just the opposite, it is to validate you so when people ask what you do, you can tell them confidently, “I’m a writer.”

Writing is not like doctoring or lawyering. No one will die or go to the chair if you lack skill. Those that want writers to hold a degree in English or a master’s in a science are, at the least misguided, and at the most elitist who probably can’t tell an interesting bedtime story to their own children.

Now, to be fair, there are English teachers and scientists in the writer community. There are also doctors, lawyers, comedians, carpenters and cooks. Regardless, no elbow patched blazers or cherry bowl pipes are needed (although I must confess I always wanted one of those blazers). Nor is there any need to drink chamomile tea or buy a lonely cat. If you write, you are a writer.

Find a place to write that facilitates your writing.

For whatever reason, I find it difficult to write at home. It is not that I cannot get a quiet space, I can, and sometimes I do write at home, but I find I can be a lot more creative in other spots. A couple of my favorite places are a particular coffee shop, and a fast food restaurant at the end of our road. Another is an empty room in my church, especially when I need Internet access. I don’t know why I write better in these places but it’s true, and since it’s true, it doesn’t matter why.

Find a place where you feel energized, happy and unstressed, and where you get the highest word count. Notice, I joined two things, an emotional value and a physical value–happiness and word count. Don’t break out the laptop at Jimmy Joe’s Donut Shop, eat donuts all day and write 100 words. Your time is too valuable for that.

When I sit down at the Joe Muggs in Books-A-Million or a back table in my favorite Whataburger, I try never to leave before I get 1500-1700 words, unless I am editing. Editing is a different animal, and honestly, I don’t always make my word count, but I try.

Are you an “outliner” or “pantser”?

In my early years, I tried to outline everything before I wrote, but I found it was just not fun. I spent my time outlining and detailing scenes and eventually lost my energy to write the story. I got caught up in the formality of outlining and forgot to write. I was an outliner until I read Stephen King’s book, On Writing. Through his book (part autobiography, part how-to), he gave me permission to write in the moment and go with the flow.

A friend of mine calls people who write by the seat of their pants, “pantsers.” I’m a pantser and proud of it. I now understand that it is okay to have a style different from another writer. I like being a pantser. It is exciting when I’m writing and I get to the part where Big Bill was supposed to get shot but his little sister, Susan, jumped in front of the bullet at the last minute. I think, “Wow, never thought she had it in her!” Then, I have to know why she would sacrifice herself, so I keep writing to find out. I love the feeling of turning left when I thought I was going right. Now, don’t get me wrong, there are positives in structure, and for those that use it. Even I like to throw some plot points down as a general path, a direction I think the story will move, especially if it is a large story.

 Write what you like, write what you read.  

I’m not telling you anything you haven’t heard before, right? It is such a well-known saying, most people think of it as a rule, and I wholeheartedly agree, at least to start with. You should definitely get your ”writer canoe” far out into the writing current, learn to handle your boat and get some success, success as you define it–before trying the tricky stuff. I am defining the “tricky stuff” as subjects or genres outside your norm. Regardless, don’t chisel this “rule” in stone. If you read horror and want to write westerns, do it. Just understand that it will require more time and research to make it good.

Louis L’Amour wrote over a hundred westerns beginning in the 50s. Several were even turned into movies. Westerns were what he knew and he was good at it. Then in 1984, he published a medieval novel called, The Walking Drum, a story about life in medieval Europe, and in 1987, he wrote The Haunted Mesa, his only sci-fi novel. Both were well written and interesting because L’Amour was a great storyteller. I never read any of his westerns, but I loved these two books. So, yes, start with what you know, but don’t think you have to stay there. Once you’ve gotten your feet wet and developed a discipline for writing, it’s okay to try a different genre.

That said, there is a strategic reason to stick with a genre, especially if your goal is to make your living as a writer. If you change genres, you may lose loyal fans. I mean, people who read L’Amour’s westerns, were western readers. They were not hot on buying a book on medieval exploration and adventure. On the other hand, you may add new fans as he added me. Had he stayed with either of the two new genres, I would have purchased more. Besides, even if you change genres, who says you have to stick with the new genre. To paraphrase Johnny Castle, “Don’t let anyone put your baby in a corner!” Live large and be happy!

The bottom line is to find out what method works for you. Pick one and try it out, take it on a date, even cuddle with it, see where the relationship goes, but MAKE these decisions of what, where and how, then write!

 

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