Expressions, Lessons & Musings of a Writer
That very first experience at writing is now a funny memory. It wasn’t funny at the time. I didn’t learn anything from it when it happened. All I knew was something I spent all afternoon on was “blowing in the wind”, and there was nothing I could do about it. There was no way I could ever get it all back, and it was heartbreaking. I didn’t even say anything to my father about it at the time. I just turned around in the seat, looked out the front windshield and fought back tears.
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Expression & Lesson: Heartbreak doesn’t have to be fatal
I stopped even trying to write after that first failed attempt. Thankfully, writing was a requirement in school later in life. It rejuvenated me! While other students groaned, moaned, and dreaded research paper assignments, I reveled in it. I thrived! I delved into the research, found myself and my views on certain subjects (man’s fear of death and John Dunne’s sonnet, The Canonization). I learned to at least acknowledge the “other side” of things. I didn’t necessarily agree with the other side, but I at least realized it existed.
Those research papers helped me recognize I DID still enjoy writing. There was no reason to stop doing something I enjoyed doing just because my first experience was dust in the wind.
I gradually started writing outside of school again as a teenager. First, it was letter to the editor of the local newspaper. Then, it was poetry. Next, short stories, which led to a novel. Finally, I wrote a Christian play. I’m currently finishing my second novel. I’ll be bringing it to you soon.
Don’t let a little pain stop you. Heartbreak can only be fatal if you let it.
02
Lesson 1: Always Have a Copy
How I wish I had a copy of the script of Good Times™ I wrote in grade school! Back in those days the average family didn’t have a printer/scanner/copier to make copies or even a computer or word processor to save what we wrote. If (and that’s a BIG if) the family had a typewriter there was no way the parent would let you use twice as much paper so you can type something twice. I didn’t know how to type back then anyway. My episode was totally handwritten. Keep in mind, no one that age was going to write two copies of anything willingly. That was a lesson that should have been learned early (as soon as those papers went flying). Always create or save a copy! Unfortunately, I didn’t learn that lesson until my professor in college returned a paper long enough for me to see the “A” on the top of it. He then instructed everyone to return their papers and they were never seen by the students again. By the time I realized the paper would not be returned to me, the word processor I used no longer had the paper saved in memory. That word processor was special. Lol. It required a special glossy paper and everything. I know, right? Yep, it was that long ago. Keep a copy. Lesson learned.
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Lesson 2: Protect Your Paper
Now I know my episode wasn’t going anywhere! I was what? Maybe nine? Maybe? I didn’t know how to get it to the people in control — directors, producers, writers involved with the show. I never even thought that was an option. But I think now how my strips of paper blowing in the wind could have gotten into the wrong hands. Your works in the wrong hands nowadays can result in lost credit, lost profit, and lost time from all the researching, writing, etc. To be honest, I’ve always wondered if anything scholarly ever became of the work referenced above. Just keeping it 100. Keep your work secure. Protect that paper!
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Musings: Doesn’t matter if it’s wind. Just get it out there!
Sometimes our writings are meant to “blow in the wind”. That’s what dust does. We may write just to get something down and off our shoulders to help us breathe. Things get heavy sometimes. Other times, our writings are for growth; this could be OUR growth or our reader’s growth. Don’t worry about that when you’re doing it. Just get it out of your brain and onto the page! You’ll find out who benefits from it later on. Sometimes our writings benefit our employer, our colleagues, or the entire field we actually work in. That’s great, too! Writings often provide knowledge to people who wouldn’t otherwise know about a particular event or subject. Our work can be the catalyst for change by our reader. However, sometimes our writings are for entertainment purposes only. Let’s face it, we all need some entertainment in our lives nowadays. The art of creating joy, laughter and smiles is a talent and should be recognized as such. Writing is always beneficial. We just don’t always know WHO the beneficiary will be when we start it. Sometimes we do know; but, sometimes we don’t. Our job is to let the ink flow!