The Writing Life
If you don’t know it’s impossible, it’s easier to do. Neil Gaiman, “Make Good Art”
If you intend to write and publish a book, you have given yourself an immense challenge. You might think it’s impossible to do. You must not think that. If you hope to make your intention a reality, you must view it as something that is possible.
Richard Hugo says to write with the tool that brings the writer the most sensual satisfaction. For Hugo, it was a number 2 pencil. He felt good putting the words on paper when he used one or two or more. Hugo liked to be prepared. He would sharpen about twenty pencils before settling into the act of writing. When one pencil dulled, he grabbed another.
When I write anything – be it a poem, blog post, or research paper – I am writing a story. I am sharing information in my own way. I am sharing it in order to persuade or to educate. I am sharing it based on my perspective. Thus, I highlight some details and neglect others. I’m not lying; I’m merely choosing the elements that are essential to my story.
How I blog is different from how I write a poem is different from how I write an academic paper is different from how I write…almost anything. How I blog now is different from how I blogged only a few months ago and is completely different from how I first blogged. How I blog is different from how you blog. It should be.