It's important to maintain a good thing.
And to maintain a good thing you've got to contribute to it.
Most relationships, for example, have two people finding a good connection and sucking it dry for as long as they can. They find their good thing, and enjoy it like a ride for as long as it lasts. Then, when it's done being fun, they step off and go look for another ride.
GOOD relationships have two people finding such a good thing that they constantly feed and nurture it, always improving and moving it forward.
If I get myself to feel like writing, I need to do something to maintain the feeling.
It's not good enough if I only feel like writing for a little while, or hit a snag and get so discouraged I abandon the writing practice altogether.
Now, I know that to get myself in the mood to write, I've got to write.
So, what am I supposed to do? Sit down in front of my keyboard, stare at the screen and try to figure out something to type?
It's a blank page. I've got no story, no character, no setting - I'm just supposed to reach into my head and pull out something cool?
It's all about categories.
If I said to someone: "Tell me a story about you."
They'd react with an: "Uh - " as they tried to go over their entire life and pick out something interesting.
But if I categorized it and said: "Tell me a story about you being drunk or puking" then they'll easily remember something worth talking about. I've narrowed the field and given some parameters.
If I'm going to write I should give myself some parameters.
Shout out a suggestion for something to write like you're the member of an improv audience.
Single Ads!
Cool, get writing...
SMW looking for a lady to go to dinner with. Please respond quickly, I'm VERY hungry.
Archer looking for a lady with good posture and a flat head. Must like apples.
There, I wrote.
That's practice.
Every time I write I'm practicing.
I have to get it out of my head people need to read what I write. I shouldn't be writing to show someone so that they'll give me compliment or gratification. I should be writing and scrapping 90 percent of what I write just so that I do it frequently and get better at doing it.
I mean, if I show everyone everything I write, I'm leaving it up to them to tell me if it's good or bad.
And if they said it's not good, I get discouraged.
Well, if I'm not practicing every day how can anyone like what I produce?
It's fucking amateur. And it's going to stay that way until I put my time in and refine the skill.
Photographers snap 12 shots in 3 seconds and review the photographs. They take the best ONE shot out of the twelve they took.
I have to do that with writing.
I need to write to practice, not to show.
Who cares if my practice isn't impressive? It's not supposed to be. I'm not a master of this art. Of course it's going to look terrible.
I was terrible when I first tried to play the guitar.
Know why?
Because I'd never played it before.
I sucked at walking, too, until I fell on my ass enough times to try harder.
I promise myself that every page of writing I write, I will not be critical of.
Unless I'm trying to produce a novel, or something otherwise publishable... all of my writing will be practice.
If I think I sucks... I will then be OK with it sucking.
It's supposed to.
But writing something that sucks means the next thing I write will suck less.
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