The Many Shades of Writing

There are moments in writing where you just sit down and let it flow, freely and without measure. Maybe what you write will make sense and maybe it won’t but it’s important to get the words on the page. There are also moments when you want to think out each and every word you put down, everything must have a meaning. Titles can be very much like this.

The truth is depending on what we writers are trying to do, we need all sorts or writing. The free flow kind is the best for that first draft. You have a story in your mind and you must get it on paper. After you’ve pour the plot and characters into written form, you can go back and work to slowly tweak them. This doesn’t work for everyone of course. There are some of us who rewrite as we write. It can be a slow going process but these writers can’t stand to see “flaws” in their manuscript. I have been this writer and have a tendency to get stuck in the rewrite when I’m in this mode.

One of the best things about writing is that there is no specific recipe on how to do it. Sure, plotting can help and sure there are certain items one can include to make their story a better story, but nothing is a must. Success in writing can be yours whether you’re a panster or a plotter or whether you write romance or suspense, etc. Basically, the world of writing is not black and white. The world of writing is a world of blurred lines and many shades. And to me, that is a good thing.

So… what does this all mean? It means there are no more excuses as to why any of you out there can’t be great writers. You don’t need to write like Nora Roberts or Dan Brown, you need to write like you and just know how to tell a good story. That’s no easy feat but the sooner you accept that this is an endless craft and journey, the sooner you’ll hit your shade for success.

Happy writing to you all this week!

 

Filed under: Toni Kelly, Writer's Life