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Inspiration Up to My Eyeballs By Jenn Root
My freelancing career has barely gotten off the ground when it does a nose dive. No, I'm not talking writer's block or rejection depression. The trouble is, I've been bombarded with heaps upon loads of advice on writing, and it's weighing me down.
My "favorites list" is so jam-packed with writers' sites that searching it is like searching the web itself! My e-mail notifier barks relentlessly (it's a little beagle with an envelope in its mouth), letting me know my inbox holds yet another free newsletter on writing. And let's not leave out the storehouses of must-have writer's guides, magazines, and books that a real writer can't do without. I'm surrounded.
All of this reading leaves me literally no time to write. When I do actually squeeze in an occasional Word document, I'm so bogged down with information that I'm not quite sure in what direction I should go. Floods of markets and writer's guidelines and tones and styles swirl through my head. The chaos too much, I save yet another unedited barrage of thoughts to my documents folder, hoping that at some later date I might produce something saleable from the gibberish.
I read once that we live in a society of information overload; that one daily newspaper contains more data than a person living in the 1600s came across in a lifetime. This can work to our advantage, of course, but there's a danger in never putting at least some of that information to use. Confucius warned: He who learns but does not think is lost. I am definitely lost.
Each time I read about writing, I get that familiar adrenaline surge. The one that says, "Ok! Ready, set, write!" Eagerly, my fingers churn out the words and… I'm not so sure. I'm lacking confidence. I need that advice fix again, just to be on the safe side. What would the pros tell me to do? One click and once again, I'm sidetracked.
I've plunged into the school of a self-taught writer, and have been submerged for months. The professors at Google provide me with a bounteous supply of tips and personal experiences to last lifetimes. It's like a free college education. It's all very generous of everyone, and I'm extremely grateful. But I can't remain a student. I've got to come up for air, venture out into the field, and feel what being an author is like for myself.
So, I've decided to get tough with my writing. After all, my online mentors tell that being a writer is about self-discipline. Sometimes that means self-deprivation. Sure, I might experience withdrawals from the information highway, but my thoughts are being stunted by the ever-intruding voices of experts. I really need to be left alone with my voice. I need to find it again.
The literary veterans will always be there, just a click away. There will forever be a new book on writing to read, another possible angle to a story, and many more potential markets to research. But I'm going to write first, drawing on what they've given me so far.
Who knows, maybe if I actually read less and write more, I'll be one of those advice-spewing experts one day. If you're reading this piece, then I've made some progress. I've shed a few e-mail layers, plowed through my mountain of publications, and taken off. I'm also sabotaging your writing time.
Jenn Root is a first year freelance writer pushed ever onward by those sporadic acceptance letters. She lives in central NY with her five year old daughter, military husband, and sloppy Saint Bernard. Life is good.
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