by George Alfred Kennedy
I can’t tell you how often I hear that question. Frequently, I am asked, “How did you begin writing?” Or, someone will say to me, “I think I’d like to write a book, but how do I begin?” There are myriad variations of these two questions, but the common theme is, many of us want to write but don’t know where, or how to begin. That’s fair enough. To begin, I don’t consider myself a professional writer. I am, however, someone who always has loved to write. It is a passion for me, and that’s where I begin.
Okay, you want to write. I would ask you, what are your passions? What is your grand passion in life? Art, history, music, sports, cooking, or your garden? Then there is your family, your children’s accomplishments, your business, travel, cars, politics. While you’re sorting that out, try this: What propels you out of bed in the morning and drives you through your day? No, I don’t mean obligation or sense of responsibility. What do you think about in the quiet moments we all seek during the day, or after dinner when the kids are in the bed or closeted away with their computer, cell phones, or studying?
What is your response to the question, “If I had the time, I would do…….?” You supply the verb. Develop a short list and then pick one. You want to write about it. What do you know about the topic you’ve selected? Do a little research. Do you want to write a book, an article, a blog post, or perhaps reflections for a daily journal. Decide. Some take courses on writing that short story, get discouraged and quit, or become paralyzed by rules, structure, formats, and dos and don’ts.
My advice: Ask the question, what do I like most about the topic I’ve selected, and then proceed to answer the question. Write it down. Write the thought that comes to mind. Don’t worry about sequence of events, clarity of thought, rules of grammar, content, flow, and structure. Just put your thoughts down as if you’re writing a letter to a family member away at school, serving in the military, or living elsewhere. The object is to commit your thoughts to paper. You’re not concerned about publishing anything at this point. You are creating a physical manifestation of what was in your head a few seconds ago. You’re now holding it in your hands. That concentrates the mind, raises more thoughts, questions, but, most importantly, you have something to build on.
You put it down and come back to it the next day. You’ll find that you have given the topic some thought and you want to make changes, additions, or perhaps start over. Remember, the trash can is your friend. If you don’t like what you’ve written, there is no embarrassment; no one has seen it. Walk away. But, let’s say you hang onto that piece of paper. You want to take it a step further. I think you’ll find that once you begin this process, you’ll devote part of your day to thinking about it. You might even engage others in conversation about the topic, the theme you’ve selected. You’ll want to get back to it; you’ll begin to make time for it; you’ll begin to conceptualize an end product: an article, entries for a journal, a blog, perhaps a book.
I should point out that if you’re serious, writing requires discipline, the ability to focus, consistency of habit. Passions also require the same, and most of us are passionate about something.
