This is the first of two posts dealing with the not so obvious persona of being a writer. These internal characteristics are habit and ritual. Standing in front of the mirror and saying “I am a writer” makes you neither a writer nor a stand-up comedian. One becomes a writer by studying the writing of recognized good writers and by developing the habits conducive to writing. Not only must you develop good writing habits, but you must also approach your craft using rituals designed to foster the skills and the habits you need to consistently write well. You cannot separate the two nor can you assign more value to one than the other.
Part One: Writing by habit
Before you can truly begin to channel your wish to write into a reality, you need to find the motivation driving you to write. Is it the desire for money, for fame, for great recognition, or is it a still small voice urging you to write. You cannot ignore this step. You can and should ignore what others might think of your motivation. What is important is that you see it as being truly unique and very important to you.
Take a moment for some introspection. More than one person has tried to trivialize the requirement of motivation. What is critical, they say, is that I want to write. If you really want to write you need to strive for a reward, and that is your motivation. Find out what that is, write it down and memorize it. Every time you think of writing think of your motive for writing.
My motive for writing is I want to be read. That is why I write a blog. I know a little about writing so I write posts about the craft and intricacies of writing. Since “blogger” supports pages I post my fiction under pages. I enjoy reading comments and try to answer all of them even if it is only to thank the reader for having commented. I also pay attention to my blog statistics and the analysis offered by Pinterest. I know what post is being read and which posts are being ignored.
Everything you write will play to the fulfillment of your motivation. Now that your motive is in clear view, and your subject is known, how are you going to write today? Establish a clear, attainable goal for your writing session. If you are starting a novel, your goal is not to finish it today. Think in terms of how many words can you write for as long as you are going to write today. Steven King writes about 2,000 words a day. If you can do that every time you sit down to write I am happy for you and honestly, I am envious of you. I have learned over some years that I am most comfortable with from 350 words on a not so good day to one thousand words on a really good day. If I get between 500 to 750 words a day, I am a happy writer. Note, I said writing daily. Looking in the mirror, I realize I am a fallible person. I don’t write every day all the time. I am a voracious reader and if I want to take a day to read that is my right, and I will do so as I see the need. But I do know that for most of the week I will spend whatever time is necessary to meet my word goal.
If you can achieve your daily writing goal, you are well on the way to forming a lifelong, writing habit. If you can only write once or twice a week, remember that you are writing from habit while you write. Encourage yourself to write every day, but do not belittle yourself if you are not 100% successful. For every goal you achieve I applaud your effort and encourage you to continually strive toward achieving your motivation.
**The Ritual of writing** will appear by Wednesday, October 3rd.
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