Writing Is Not A Solitary Career

Okay, so most of the writers I know are introverts.  Maybe the invention of the Internet has taught us to avoid people at all costs.  Books hold a great deal of information, but it is the information you get from people that separates your story from a history paper.  All writing needs some basic human elements and you can't have human elements without people.  The really interesting thing about writing is how it forces those introverts to go out into the big, scary world and interact with other people.  Maybe we've forgotten that along the way.

Along with gathering useful information from friends and (if you must) family, networking can be beneficial to not just the collection of information, but the stamina of your writing career.  Let me put that another way, writers need to stay motivated any way they can.

For years, people had been telling me that I needed to join a writing group, because writers need to be around other writers.  Eventually, I gave in.  And, I must say, I'm so glad I did.  I won't say that every meeting or even every group was the most wonderful experience of my life--some were flat-out boring--but what was true of these special outings was how inspired I felt after attending even just one meeting.  We would read through each other's work (something I was absolutely terrified to do at first) and make suggestions.

I'll never forget one of the people there.  He had some funny little accent.  It kind of reminded me of the sound you get when you simultaneously strangle a Brit and an Australian.  Anyway, he thought he was God's gift to writing.  I thought his writing was boring, but then, politics have never really interested me, so maybe I was being unfair.  The reason I bring him up is because, despite having very little in common in our writing styles and preferences, he was the first person I had ever met who would take my one or two page document and write all over it.  At the time, I thought, "What nerve!"  Then, once I got home and actually read what he had said, I found myself more motivated to write than I had been in a long time.  Long story short, network.  Network in as many ways as you can.  Writers write.  That is all that separates us from other professionals: they write because they have to (memos, emails, etc); we write because it is what we were born to do.

Job Security Writing Prompt

You've got to love a job that, even when you don't quite understand why you're doing it, it always manages to bring you joy.  That is what writing is for me: a joy.  Yes, it's difficult, oh so difficult, and frustrating.  Half the time, I don't know how I'm ever going to get past that stupid blinking cursor or the taunting blank page.

So why keep going, you may wonder?  Why put myself through the anxiety, the uncertainty, sometimes even the pain?  I'll tell you why: because I'm a writer.  For better or worse, rain or shine, happy or sad, rich or bankrupt, come what may, writing is what I was born to do.  Now, you have to ask yourself, what were you born to do?  What do you like to do?  What makes you smile?  What makes you laugh?  If you're one of the lucky few who has managed to turn your passion into a career, I genuinely raise my glass to your success.  If, however, you have not yet found a way to do what you love and love what you do, but continue to dream and try your hardest to make those dreams a reality, for you, I raise two glasses.  Dreams are precious.  Don't give them up without a fight.

Practice Your Poker Face

The following prompt reminds us that sometimes the truth is highly overrated.  Maybe we spend too much time trying to make people believe we know what we are talking about.  By doing so, we allow doubt to creep into our subconscious and poison our promising writing goals.  So, following the advice of author Chris Bohjalian, lie like you have never lied before.  You might just find a nugget of truth in there somewhere.

Make It A Priority

Stop waiting for the right moment.  The world is constantly spinning, but you can make time for yourself and for your writing.  Make it a priority and remember why you started writing in the first place.  What I like about the following prompt is how it reminds us all to stop focusing on the big issue and, instead, look at the smaller issues surrounding it.

Writing Prompt #3

Writing Prompt #2

You know, different things speak to different people.  That is why, in addition to these writing prompts, I will also provide a link to my Pinterest page.

Visit my Pinterest page by clicking here.

The Importance of the Writing Prompt

A writing prompt is just what it sounds like.  The point of these exercises is to not only get a writer, well, writing, but also to expand their thinking.  For this reason, I would suggest you pick one that is out of the normal range of experience.  I'm going to post a new writing prompt every day.  While you don't need to share your take on the prompt with me, I would be interested to know how you managed to adapt it and make it your own.  Just keep writing.

Prompt # 1