Multitudes around the world write for different purposes, ranking from leisure, to profit purposes.
I for one, I find writing as a means to express the fact that am so blessed. It is a means through which the thoughts of my heart is conveyed to anyone who comes in contact with my piece, bearing in mind that in that piece lies the potential of emancipation. My writing is a vehicle with which I transport people to a glorious destination. It is an avenue with which I bless and impact lives. For instance, in one of my articles in a dailies, I wrote about cheating as a pestilence that ravages the soul. I live in the west, and someone who lives in the North read my article on cheating. she was grateful that the article came at the time. she mailed me, thanking me for shedding light on the topic. One, I had imparted a life and made an impact, two, I felt appreciated, three, I was fulfilled.
WHY I WRITE?
When I write, I am so conscious of the fact that someone out there is waiting to get an answer to their heart's question. I write as though I am solving a visible problem, because I know I am. Many times, I have gotten mails telling me how the piece I wrote either on a dailies, or on my blog has either shed a light on their path, or how it elevated them to the next level. These make me fulfilled. I makes me know I have a defined purpose for living. These amongst many have kept me going as a writer, in that I am convinced that my writing is a panacea to those who stumble upon it. I am really delighted to know that I can reach out to the world, and proffer solution to the world's problem from my little corner of the world. Writing has become an inextricable part of me, so much so that I find myself doing it all the time.
Writing in fact is more than an art. It is far more than what words can describe or comprehend. it is life itself. I may be amazed at how poorly someone writes, yet, someone else may be appalled at how badly I write, yet, after putting a piece of my mind on paper, I feel so alive and relieved. in other words, writing is the quintessence of life. and to others, reading is the quintessence of life.
there are certain people who cannot do without reading in a day. that is probably because they find solace in reading. they apply some philosophy that they read in a book, to their lives and get amazing result. yet, that may not be the best panacea, but because of their level of understanding, they are able to apply certain rules to their life, and it works wonders for them
HOW TO START A WRITING CAREER?For me, I began writing as a hobby. When I was growing up, I found out that I was either writing what I read in a book, or what I felt about a particular situation. gradually, I developed a habit for writing poems. then I started writing short stories. it might be interesting to point out that as a writer, I first started reading everything I came across. I was intrigued by grammatical expressions, idioms and sentence constructions.
Writing for me was more than an art, it was more than a flair. It was passion. for me, I found it great to be a reader, reading the supposed experiences of writers and contributors.
Today, am a writer, not because I have a degree in it, nor because I trained as a writer. Am a writer because I was passionate about writing. Funny enough, not everyone can be a writer.
As we go through life, each one of us tend towards different areas, especially during our formative years of childhood. That is when we consciously or unconsciously choose what we become to become in life.
That's when you find out that some of your friends tend towards science, some tend towards fashion, others tend towards arts, yet some others tend towards nature. These cravings have been put in the heart of every new born baby by God. As we grow up, we naturally gravitate towards our passion and innermost desire.This is why you have to get it right from childhood, otherwise you will find yourself in a train full of aliens. you become the odd one out. And then everything around you looks like a mystery.
Life is not really about your survival, nor is it about your educational status; it entails your passion, how you must hone your talents and gift first to reach out to people and make a difference in their life, And then, the profitability aspect will naturally fall into place. Where many get it wrong, and they find themselves swimming in the pool of frustration is when they prioritize material gains over the help their gift and talent is primarily supposed to render. It doesn't mean that you shouldn't expect to live good via your gift and talent, but this shouldn't be your primary goal. Your primary goal should first be to make life a heaven for anyone you come across in any way.
CAN I LEARN WRITING?
Intrinsically, writing is inherent, i.e it is a natural gift, which comes with childbirth, though it can also be taught and learned by a willing mind. For someone who wants to learn to write, willingness is a prerequisite. In other words, you cannot force someone to learn writing. It is a process that deals directly with the mind mind. It requires the full attention and pledge of the mind. For those who grew up with a passion for reading and writing, it begins from the heart, then the mind accepts it.
The good news is this; those who are passionate about writing can learn it, and become better writers than those who naturally tend towards writing during their formative years of childhood (those who are talented writers) but never trained further on writing.
TIPS
- Writing is a continuous process, in which the writer learns new and innovative skills each time they settle to write.
- Writing is intuitive as well as formative.
When I see someone who doodles every now and then, and I read their doodle, of course it wouldn't make sense at that time, I see a great writer who is building his career in writing.
Writing a I earlier said begins with willingness. It is an art that can be interesting and fruitful with each time dedicated to it.
The more you write, the more you tend towards perfection.
TRUTH!
No one can be a perfect writer, though some people can be better writers than others. Fact is that no one can be perfect in the art of writing. Each day as we write, we find out new skills, new grammar and new styles. These help colour your work as well as portray you as a good writer. To be a perfect writer means to know everything there is in the world. Do you know anyone like that in this world? I really would love to meet that individual.
Over the years, people keep telling me that my writing skills have improved. Yet I never saw myself in the light of a writer with increased skills. But as I went back to my early articles, prose, and poems, it dawned on me that I had truly grown as a writer.
The best standard with which to measure your writing skills is to compare and contrast your more recent write ups with much older ones. You will be amazed at the level you have reached. You can achieve a lot in so short a time with constant writing.
If there is a panacea I have given to anyone, or will give for anyone to become a better writer, it is to write often. Write what? Anything at all! Just write. In fact, penning down how frustrated you are about writing could be the best way to write an article suitable for publication. As the reader reads the piece, he is filled with mercy for your inappropriate vocabulary and poor sentence structure, he is filled with compassion for your mood, tone and diction. By doing just this, you have touched a heart, you have registered your name in the papers, and you have written! Well, it could be you alone that will read it. It still makes no difference. The fact is that you have written. Reading your article gives you a clear insight as to what corrections need to be made. As a good writer, make the corrections immediately you notice them. By doing so, you have learned something about writing, something that would boost your next article, prose, poem. Something that will boost your image, and that will stick with you for a long time. Now, imagine that you didn't write, how would you have learned these new things.
Writing as an art that can be perfected by constant writing cannot be over-flogged. Just like the best treatment for an electric shock victim is another dosage of electric shock, the best panacea for inability to write, or what is literally described as writer's block, is to write. The answer to a puzzle lies there in the puzzle; you cannot invent an answer to a puzzle outside the puzzle. It is in you!
It has been a privilege writing on the art of writing. I believe as a writer, I have a lot to learn from you guys. I really will welcome contributions on this article so that we can better each other. Remember, the summary of man's duty here, is, making impact. Correct a notion today, educate a mind today!
Cheryl Conner, ContributorYou knew I’d love this article, Josh. And I’m so glad you’ve connected with @GrammarAllie – she’s one of my favorite people, of course :) Love their progra [...]
Joshua Steimle, ContributorI did not know that about the founders. That’s interesting because I know that for me, I never learned so much about my native English language as when I l [...]
domino Great advice, author. I used to a stringer reporter for my hometown newspaper before I became a businesswoman, and I will always remember the editor’s cons [...]
Allison VanNest Joshua, I loved your comments about your dad: “Even though I’m approaching my 40′s, my father still corrects me, and in fact reads all these posts I make o [...]
