I've been a writer for years, and only just started writing. I mark the threshold as the recent pursuit of my MA in English and Creative Writing, a formality I should decades ago have thought to do. But since I make it a habit to forget what I'm doing, I didn't...until I picked up 'Tenth of December' and decided to aspire to something fo…
I've been a writer for years, and only just started writing. I mark the threshold as the recent pursuit of my MA in English and Creative Writing, a formality I should decades ago have thought to do. But since I make it a habit to forget what I'm doing, I didn't...until I picked up 'Tenth of December' and decided to aspire to something for once in my life. WWGSD (What Would George Saunders Do?) became my lamppost long before I found Story Club just a few weeks ago. My point is, beyond introducing myself to the group, that I literally always abandon my work for something else--often in some other field--and only come back after years of relentless self-improvement. I'm not patient so much as a career amnesiac, but I figure we've all only got one real opus, so who cares if it happens early or later? My writing has vastly improved spending much more time on it; however, my favorite and best projects stand the test of both time and neglect. That's my advice to the group from a 'young' forty-six-year-old writer. Neglect your work. Don't overwater your houseplants, but take a look at them from time to time to see if they're growing or dying. Your stories will tell you what they need if you listen; if you stare, they might just shrink from your scrutiny. I hope some of that made sense. Thank you all for existing.
I've been a writer for years, and only just started writing. I mark the threshold as the recent pursuit of my MA in English and Creative Writing, a formality I should decades ago have thought to do. But since I make it a habit to forget what I'm doing, I didn't...until I picked up 'Tenth of December' and decided to aspire to something for once in my life. WWGSD (What Would George Saunders Do?) became my lamppost long before I found Story Club just a few weeks ago. My point is, beyond introducing myself to the group, that I literally always abandon my work for something else--often in some other field--and only come back after years of relentless self-improvement. I'm not patient so much as a career amnesiac, but I figure we've all only got one real opus, so who cares if it happens early or later? My writing has vastly improved spending much more time on it; however, my favorite and best projects stand the test of both time and neglect. That's my advice to the group from a 'young' forty-six-year-old writer. Neglect your work. Don't overwater your houseplants, but take a look at them from time to time to see if they're growing or dying. Your stories will tell you what they need if you listen; if you stare, they might just shrink from your scrutiny. I hope some of that made sense. Thank you all for existing.