Redwoods: All Writers are (not) Writing Experts

I rarely write about writing because who am I to offer expertise? And I have laughed at some folks giving advice who have so much more learning to do (so I don’t want to be one of THOSE).

BUT…

If I ever do write a writing book, this quote from Anne Lamott will be the theme.

Here are the critical points:

What about when it feels hard?

I get it. You can do it. You’ll be fine. Hang in there.

And when you’re not sure?

I get it. You can do it. You’ll be fine. Hang in there.

And if you don’t know if you’re good enough?

I get it. You can do it. You’ll be fine. Hang in there.

And when the day goes bad or worse than bad?

I get it. You can do it. You’ll be fine. Hang in there.

And I’m not being flippant. I really get it. And I have been there. And I have been fine. I have hung in there.

For me, life has gotten in the way because I let it and life has gotten in the way because sometimes life does that. But if something beyond a fleeting joke “I should write a book” stirs in your conscience, then you need to do it. I started writing because I had a story that was stirring. Whole passages of dialogue were being written in my mind, I decided to write them down (type them in a computer).

All those questions about rules and selling and agents? Just write the words first. Give room to the writer in you. The rest will come.

That first book? Not very good I’m afraid. Never saw the light of day and lost permanently in a computer upgrade. It was a merciful end. But that book gave me confidence to write another and go to a conference and…

And I keep writing. I have been working on Redwoods and as I progressed, I had no new ideas. I was really worried. I mean, there was nothing. That feeling when you can’t find your car in the parking lot? It was like that but add in the dark scary part of town and it’s sleeting.

But then I did. I have a whole new novel percolating for Leo Colson to write. Which will happen right after Charise Olson gets her contemporary novels out this year.

So back to you: What if it amounts to nothing? What if you start and never finish? Or you hate it? Or it’s awful. That’s fine. That’s not the point. The point is to listen to yourself, the part of your self saying “I have this idea…”

That pretty much summarizes my writing book.