I write, therefore I help other people write.
Does that make any sense? Maybe not in any other occupation, but it's true in writing. Every writer I know gets a kick out of helping another writer over a hurdle. As one friend said, "We have to be the only professionals who work so hard to help our competition."
Why do we do this? We learn while we're helping, for one thing. And I suppose we like being in the company of other writers. And then there's this little ego thing: it feels good to see someone jump the hurdle and get where they want to go, knowing that you contributed to their success.
I guess that's the big thing for me. In the sixteen years since the Studio opened, and in the years before that when I wrote for a living, I got addicted to the thrill of seeing writers win. Like Doreen, when she wrote that first perfect story; Maria, when she heard the applause after her play was read; Gene, when he saw his book in print; Steve, when he sold his first article. The list goes on, happily, for a long, long time.
We see a lot of wins around here. Seems whenever I start out a day cranky, someone will call, or write, to say "Hey, guess what!" They'll say thanks, to me and all the other writers at Redbird who help one another.
So okay. We write, therefore... we help other people write. I think that's a pretty good thing to do with our time.
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One day we ran a survey asking writers to finish the
sentence: I write, therefore...
Here's what they said: "I write, therefore I spend a lot of time staring at my computer."A few answered: "I write, therefore I AM A WRITER."We liked that. But we liked this better: "I write, therefore I think." |
Excerpts from Shut Up & Write!
In one sense, writing seems solitary--a writer staring at a blank page. But if you step back and take a wider view, it's clear that we never really work alone. Without all the others in our lives, we would perish for lack of cookies and pencils and the Internet and people who ask, "Are you finished with that thing, yet?"
There is nothing more important than commitment. It beats out talent, brains, and friends in high places--all of which you can have and waste. In order to write, you have to put your butt in the chair and your fingers on the keyboard and make words until you have a long string of them, then you rewrite, then you edit.
I do not agree that "If you write, you are a writer." That's too easy. You are a writer because you are drawn to it, because you want to communicate and you work hard at it. Chances are you've been collecting pens, pencils, and notebooks since you were a kid. You remember stories you wrote in elementary school. You took more books out of the library than you could read, and to this day, you always have a stack of books or periodicals begging for your attention. When you read, you notice how words are used. You catch symbolism and nuance. You love the rhythm of beautiful language and the way a paragraph can turn your heart. When you write, you love the feel of paper, the sound of a pen on it, the soft click of a keyboard, the wild joy of finally, finally, getting it right. If these things are true of you, you are a writer.
There's no point in wondering if you are a writer or talking about what you are going to write--you just have to do it. You have to commit to the process. Commitment makes you hold on, learn what you need to learn, put in the hours, and try again. And the best thing about it is that it's not a gift. It's something you can get for yourself.
Crib Sheets and Handy Lists
Although the material in this section is copywritten by Judy Bridges, you are welcome to use it for any honorable purpose. Please give the writer credit.
- Sample Format for Query or Cover Letter
- Sample Manuscript Format
- 101 Ways You Can Use Your Writing Talent
- 30 Things to Write in Thirty Minutes
- Tips for Public Readings
- Writers' Affirmations
- Critique Groups - Snappy Introductions