On Being a Serious Writer

If you want to be taken seriously as a writer, you need to take your writing seriously. That’s the general idea, right?

For a while, I thought that this meant adopting a rigorous approach to my craft. I wanted to be able to write every single day, on a schedule and everything. I wanted to be able to dutifully read as much as I write. I wanted to be able to write whether I was in the mood or not, whether I was inspired or not.

I’ve stressed out about it. I’ve felt guilty about it. I’ve felt like a failure because of it.

Circa 2012, I wrote a flash piece titled “Becoming”. Ever since, I’ve wanted to write a full length short story based on that particular concept. As with many of my story ideas, I went back and forth with just a germ of an idea for years. I just couldn’t seem to make it happen.

A few days ago, there I was again, going back and forth with this fragment of an idea. Out of the blue, there is was! A fully formed idea. I inked a basic plot in just a matter of minutes. I love the idea that I wound up with. I can’t wait to finish writing it.

This made me realize something. A good story happens in its own time. I don’t have to force myself to write when uninspired. I’d rather read only when I feel like reading and write when I feel like writing.

Now I can’t claim to harbor any great ambitions when it comes to my writing. This one thing, I do purely for the love of doing it. So from now on, I’ll write only when moved to write… which explains why I’m up writing this post at one thirty am on a work night.

For me, the journey matters more than the destination, so an unfettered approach works best for me.

What works for you?

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