Writing Advice In Action
Not another advice post.
Writing advice is frustrating. There will be one listing the top 5 ways to start writing and another listing those same tips as things not to do. Take them all at face value and use what works for you. They’re just suggestions, not the rule.
Anyway, that is not the point of this post. I see this more as a testimonial to patience and time—two also annoying factors in writing.
A lot of advice is flung as new writers, hoping you’ll bite. At some point, I started skimming. Then, flat out, ignoring the repeated words. I’d had enough.
Writing didn’t feel any easier. People with it all figured out felt grating to listen to. It all sounded so simple. Why wasn’t it for me?
Until it clicked. Frustratingly, I’ve noticed that I can collect all the information I want. It won’t matter until something randomly decides to make sense. I have never been able to control it.
Writing has worked out exactly like this.
Ideas, the writing process, editing, all of it.
I threw it all into the void, hoping something would come back to me. It did.
Experience comes to all newbies eventually.
Recently, I worked on a piece that wasn’t quite working like I wanted. It was disjointed. I had an idea that felt like it made sense, but wording it effectively did not. I worked away. Writing whatever wanted to show up.
And it clicked. A unified theme to tie these concepts together. Edits to snip away the similar, yet not relevant enough threads. Before me was a draft in rough shape. A workable draft, no less.
What changed?
Well. I let the rambles win. This idea has been juggling around my head for a few weeks now. Putting it into fruition was the challenging part. So, I let it become what it wanted.
The advice was right.
I let go. I chose a topic I wanted rather than what might do well on the site. I guess this is what carving out a niche looks like? I bet on myself to make it work. With patience (begrudgingly) and time, the process gets a bit smoother than the next.
Starting out, this all felt incredibly hopeless.
It might just not be.
Thanks for reading.