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Stop "Writing," Start
Writing
By Catherine Gamroth
As Henry Ford once said, "You can't build a reputation on what you're going to
do." Now, I've done my research here, and it turns out that my magazine writing
career isn't the single exception to that rule. Any way I look at it, to
establish myself as a writer, I will actually have to do some writing. This is
trickier than I originally thought.
For a while there, I had myself convinced that I was doing a lot of writing. I
made a point of dedicating a few hours every day to sitting at my computer and
working away. Some of this time wasn't actually spent writing, but I was
definitely doing very important writing-related stuff.
The problem is when I say "some of this time wasn't actually spent writing,"
what I really mean is "this time wasn't spent writing." And, in all fairness,
"research" included checking e-mail, reading articles on
Discover.com, and making tea. You see, I wasn't writing, I was "writing."
"Writing," as you can probably guess, can be technically defined as "not
writing." Occasionally it does involve putting some words on paper (or, in hip
21st century jargon, "typing"), but those words are in no way related to a
career in writing. E-mail, to do lists, or blog entries about how well I relate
to last night's episode of "Desperate Housewives" -- these are all "writing."
Perhaps you do a lot of "writing," too. Statistically speaking, I can't be the
only person who has this problem. In fact, I recently read of a successful
freelance writer who once spent an entire afternoon polishing all the wooden
doors in her house-- plywood doors. I haven't polished any doors yet, but only
because the thought hadn't occurred to me. It's time I admit that despite my
million fantastic writing-related qualities, I still haven't given the Pulitzer
Prize committee quite enough to work with.
So, what's the cure for us "writers"? Unfortunately, it's very simple: less
"writing," more writing.
For me, this transition from "writer" to writer will borrow from steps four and
five of the Alcoholics Anonymous twelve step program. Step four, as you may
know, is conducting a searching and fearless moral inventory of one's self. Step
five is admitting one's wrongs to another person. Overachiever that I am, I'm
also adding step four-and-a-half, which is to make commitments to limit each of
my "writing" habits. Unlike with AA, I'm not trying to quit completely, so I
feel this is a good addition to the program.
So here, in a searching and fearless manner, are my writing wrongs and how I
resolve to start righting wrongs. (That was a bit of writing humor there. I'm
sorry about that, but not sorry enough to leave it out completely.)
1. Reading: This is probably my biggest weakness. I enjoy reading the way
many people enjoy watching hockey. Except I feel more smug afterwards because I
have spent my time bettering myself with knowledge, whereas they have merely
watched TV and had a few beers. Plus, reading will help my career as a writer.
If I enjoy reading something, the author clearly did a good job, right? The
better I understand her stylistic choices, the better a writer I will be. While
this is true, a completely searching and fearless inventory leads me to admit
this is a leisure activity and should be restricted to after working hours.
(Exceptions are all over the place, of course, because you can't get through a
day of writing without reading anything. Common sense will rule as to leisure
reading vs. survival reading.)
2. Researching Markets: At this point, I feel like one of those people who
spent December 31, 1999 locked away in their fully-stocked underground survival
facilities just waiting for something to happen to make all the preparation
worthwhile. I know exactly what to do in the event that a fully-written article
appears on my desk one morning. This is turning out not to be as helpful as
originally anticipated. So. My resolution is to not look at another set of
writers' guidelines until the after the first few planes fall from the sky, as
it were.
3. Looking for Stories: I'm secure enough in my nerd-dom to say this:
there's nothing cooler than reading through press releases to see what the
future's going to be like. And, again, this actually is important. So I will be
allowed twenty minutes per day to read through random news stories. For each
hour of writing I do, I will earn an additional ten minutes. That seems fair,
right?
4. Researching Topics: A great story idea goes nowhere without back-up,
right? Then again, great back-up isn't much without a story. I will solve this
problem with a two-part approach. I will (a) limit myself to research topics
that are at least vaguely related to my planned article and (b) end my research
sessions by writing a summary of what I've learned.
5. Searching Wikipedia: I was going to group this under Researching Topics,
but I realized it deserves a mention on its own. Yes, my habit really is
becoming that bad. Those handy little wiki hotlinks allow me to lose focus with
ease. I mean, I can get from Shakespeare to NASA in two clicks. I'm sure the
coolness isn't lost on you. Or maybe it is. Either way, from now on my wikipedia
time will be treated as research (must be relevant and summarized) or as leisure
(for fun on my own time-- I know, I know, if that one doesn't trigger the "nerd
alert" sirens, nothing will.)
6. E-mail: Much as I'd like to pretend that composing an e-mail is writing,
I know deep down it's not. So unless my e-mail is addressed to an editor, I will
no longer pretend it's productive.
7. Eating: Although necessary, eating is actually quite different from
writing. My problem is that I feel my little forays into the kitchen don't take
any real time. They occur in a different space-time continuum and therefore I do
not lose any time at my computer. New plan? If one hour of writing actually
included 20 minutes of snack preparation (making tea, cutting fruit, inhaling
Oreos, etc.), my net writing time is 40 minutes, and I will be honest with
myself about this.
8. Sudoku: I wasn't going to mention it, except this is supposed to be a
fearless self-examination. There's no possible way to justify this one, unless I
happen to be writing an article on addictive Japanese games. Repeat: Sudoku is
not writing. Sudoku is not writing.
So there it is. I've been searching, I've been fearless, and I've admitted my
wrongs. I won't pass judgment on you, but if some of this sounds familiar,
please accept that you may have a problem. I would suggest that we form a peer
support group, but that's kind of like using chewing tobacco as an anti-smoking
aid. So here's what I propose instead: I'll put my head down and get some real
writing done, you do the same, and we'll compare notes at next year's Pulitzers.
Catherine Gamroth is a freelance writer from Victoria,
BC, who hopes someday to own a pony. She can be reached at
cgamroth@gmail.com.
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