The Truth About The Writing Dream
Tags: Writing Tips, Motivation, Self Improvement, Writing

The Truth About The Writing Dream

There is so much more to writing well than churning out content

Photo by Amador Loureiro on Unsplash

I don’t want to be a writer who churns out “content.” That is a job. I want to do more.

I want to stir your soul, not your ego. I want to appeal to your humanity. I want to breach your emotional firewall and poke at your vulnerabilities. I want to get under your skin and make you think. That is what good writers do. They get in their reader’s heads and leave something behind.

When you see yourself somewhere in my experiences or are affected by my opinions, we have made a connection. I have succeeded. In order to reach you, I have to be able to write. If I am not engaging, you will move on.

How do writers write these types of stories? The ones that make a connection so strong, they refuse to let their reader go?

Be true to your story

Honesty breeds trust. That’s simple math. When I make it as a writer, that will be my cornerstone. If I deal in half-truths to impress, or worse, present myself as someone I am not, I run the risk of losing you.

A half story is a half-truth — a half-truth is a lie. You are giving me your time and deserve better. The uncomfortable detail is what makes a tale compelling. Great writing does not shy away from the raw pain of life’s universal experiences.

Take The Bell Jar, for example. What if Sylvia Plath sugar-coated her depressive descent? Would it be the classic it is known to be today?

My own story of recovering from addiction would be incomplete without the sordid details of the fall. It is vital to be true — even if that truth makes others uncomfortable. The people who need to read your truth will thank you for it, because whilst they read your vulnerable writing, they will feel less alone.

Good writing is straightforward, concise, and honest, and makes people feel understood.

Edit, edit, edit

As a woodworker spends most of his time sanding and finishing — a writer spends a good deal of his time editing.

Ray Bradbury wrote a collection of essays called Zen, the Art of Writing. In it, he describes his short story routine. First draft Monday, followed by five more drafts, one each day until he mailed the sixth and final draft off on Saturday at noon. That is a lot of editing! And if Ray Bradbury feels his stories require that much polish — maybe mine do too.

As I look back on my work, several pieces would have benefited from one more look.

Whether you’re eliminating words or sharpening a phrase, there is always something to improve. If a sentence or paragraph doesn’t sound right, it isn’t. It should be reworked until it clicks.

Get it right before showing it to the world.

“The first draft of anything is shit.” — Ernest Hemingway

Read more and practice more

There is no such thing as perfection in writing (well, maybe if your name is Hemingway or Vonnegut). But for mortals like myself, there will always be room for improvement. Always! Willingness to put in the time is imperative. Story after story, year after year, if I keep at it, I will improve.

How else can I experiment with style and technique if I don’t put it down in black and white and show it to you? Of course, talent helps. But, there is no realizing talent without PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. We are like athletes improving with every hour spent in the gym.

“We have to continually be jumping off cliffs and developing our wings on the way down.” — Kurt Vonnegut

Good coaching is also a key element. Michael Jordon was guided by Dean Smith, Jabbar by Wooden, and Brady by Belichick. So who do I turn to for guidance? Styron, Cheever, and Steinbeck come to mind — as do Dostoyevski, Dickens, and Murikami.

Our libraries and book stores are full of coaches. Go to the writers who inspire you the most for encouragement, spend some time with them by reading their stories, because reading is as important as writing.