Sharing experiences in writing

I’m a Novice Writer

Wanting to Become a Writer

Like any novice writer, I believed I was a writer apart from other writers. Isn’t that the belief of us all? I’m unable to embrace other writers totally because I believe, falsely, that I alone hold the secret. In the end, of course, that is ego at work.

I’m finding a chasm of differences between believing oneself a writer and knowing how to write. I had managed, vainly, to convince myself I would one day knock on the hallowed doors of publication. But, of course, in such a quest, one will suffer highs and lows, and those two extremities are faced by all writers to different degrees.

First, in most cases, I’m sure, when deciding to write fiction, comes the idea. But what IS an idea? In a single day, you might have several a-day story ideas. But really, what the hell is an idea? I’m a novice writer who jots down anything that comes into my head. If it feels good, has some promise, I’ll go forward with it. But an idea for me, as someone who leans toward fiction, is first an abstract thought. If I enjoyed black comedy, my abstract thought must lead me to somehow find humor in difficult circumstances. If I lean towards mystery, that idea will lean toward solving a puzzle. Obvious enough, right?

Ideas come to nothing or something.

Though I enjoy writing fiction, most ideas, in my case, stem from actual experiences. Last week I was stood in a coffee shop in California. The man in front of me was wearing a black shoe on his right foot, dark brown on his left, similar in style. I consider an abstract thought about why he hasn’t noticed. Does he care? Is the man color blind? This abstract thought becomes a plaything. The brown shoe has a blotch of red on it. There I go, I’m off to the races. This thought is then fun to play around with; writing is fun, but how will it become a story?

In reality, writing is a discipline.

Writing to entertain is not easy. Having that little nut of an idea now requires something very different. Whether it becomes a story good enough to keep the reader interested depends on something exceptional, something I’m learning slowly. The strength of a story is dependent on how well that idea is exemplified. Something different must happen; the idea, simple enough, needs the author’s discipline and writing power to give the concept its own honor and self-respect.

I’ll write more (part two) about what I’m learning. But here on Medium, a reader’s interest averages 600 words.