 Action/Adventure: April 22, 2009 Issue [#2996] |
  Action/Adventure
This week: It's Okay to be an Amateur Writer. Edited by: esprit  
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At some point every beginning writer must evaluate his or her work and make a realistic appraisal of its worth. Do I aspire to be a Professional or an Amateur?
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It's Okay to be an Amateur Writer.
I'm going to look at writing for ourselves this time. We don't all have aspirations to publish, and that's okay. Your goal could simply be posting on the site and being read, to learning to write as well as you possibly can and publish out of a Print on Demand shop. Not for the money, because honestly, there won't be much for the majority of writers. But do it to have a book or two with your name on it as Author. Give it to your family to set on their coffee tables. As long as the writing is clean of errors and you've learned the elements of a good story, be proud of it.
One of these days after a lot of rewriting, I'm going to group my stories together and take them to Lulu's. Maybe once they're bound within hardbacks the Grandkids will be willing to read them.
If your goal is to publish, there's a lot of work ahead. But, you already know that.
What do you read? Writing is not for you unless you have spent a lifetime reading, a lifetime savoring stories. I've seen at least one post that said, "Oh, I don't like to read. I watch TV and movies, and I want to write a story to be made into a movie." I thought, "Surely, they jest!" Yes, I really did think that. 
Writing is a craft, like playing a musical instrument or painting with oils. Every writer must acquire this skill, just as every musician must learn his or her instrument. Whether you take a formal course or not, you must learn it on your own through lots of practice. Feedback helps tremendously, but you need to know about writing to be able to decide which feedback to use. All feedback is not created equal. If all you're getting is praise, I urgently advise you to seek out other reviewers and pay attention.
At some point every beginning writer must evaluate his or her work and make a realistic appraisal of its worth. It helps to allow unbiased readers give honest criticism. If receiving feedback causes you to consider quitting, you already had the thought of quitting in the back of your mind. Do not try to write unless you are willing to fail. If you are unwilling to let others read your stuff because they might not understand it, it is unpublishable--the book buying public won't understand it either. If you have to explain to a reader what they should have gotten out of a story, it didn't work. Go back and work on it some more. The story must stand on its own. How well it stands is a direct measure of how well you have mastered the craft of writing.
When it stops being fun is the time to think about what you really want to do. If you decide you are satisfied to be an amateur writer, you might actually become a better writer. The pressure disappears, leaving you free to make mistakes.
I see the hackles rising. Calm down. Stop and think about the word. It has a meaning that isn't well known, and I like it better. I think it fits most of us.
amateur: "a lover, an admirer," is clearly descended from the senses of the word's ultimate Latin source, amātor, "lover, devoted friend, devotee, enthusiastic pursuer of an objective," and from its Latin-derived French source, amateur, with a similar range of meanings.
amateur: "a person who engages in an art, for example, as a pastime rather than as a profession,"
Dictionary.com. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/amateur (accessed: April 19, 2009).
Read the story of O.Henry that is linked below. Notice how, when he was relieved of the pressure of having to write for publication, the humor returned.
Don't be afraid to admit that you want to write only for yourself, but this doesn't mean you shouldn't still seek out constructive reviews. Fix the problems before they're printed in permanent ink, forever. You want to be proud of your self-published book.
Thanks for reading, now relax while doing it your way. Enjoy your writing!
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