Try My 5–5–5 Formula

Summary

Brooke Ramey Nelson discusses her passion for writing, her personal formula for creating content, and the reasons she continues to write, emphasizing the joy and challenges of the craft.

Abstract

Brooke Ramey Nelson, a seasoned writer with over 50 years of experience, shares her "5–5–5 Formula" for writing, which encapsulates her motivation and approach to her craft. She writes out of a love for expression, the challenge of the process, and the community she has built online. Nelson is not driven by financial gain but by the satisfaction of sharing her thoughts and engaging with an audience. Her writing serves as a platform for venting, explaining, entertaining, venerating, and astonishing readers without the constraints of deadlines or editors. Despite the complexities of online writing, Nelson's dedication remains steadfast, fueled by her love for words, the ability to showcase her images, and the continuous inspiration from her interactions with others, including the "incompetent boobs" she encounters.

Opinions

Nelson writes because she enjoys it and has something to say, not for monetary rewards.
She values the intellectual stimulation and learning opportunities provided by her online comrades.
Writing is both a personal challenge and a way to maintain connections with loved ones.
Nelson is an opinionated individual who uses writing to reflect on various topics, from the serious to the silly.
She appreciates the immediacy and

It just might satisfy your need for screeds

Author’s Archives.

Since I got back into the writing biz in December 2020, I’ve fielded no small amount of suggestions, questions and quips about my content, my style, my approach, my goals.

Unlike some, I’m not in it for the money. I write because I like to. Depending on the day, I’m able to vent, explain, entertain, venerate and astonish, without a deadline, nor a no-nonsense editor breathing down my neck.

I was never very good at science or math. But I was curious, and I loved to read. Words became my love language at an early age, and I found ways as an adult to make what I loved work for me, as well.

There’s no formula to writing, really. Just sit down and see what develops. And, absent any serious knowledge of theorems and hypotheses, I’ve developed a blueprint, of sorts, along the way. After 50+ years at the typewriter, laptop and the “notes” section of my cell phone, here’s my “5–5–5 Formula.” If nothing else, it helps me with my need for screeds.

I write because:

I have something to say. Words are the best way to express those thoughts, whether directed at my own inner self or at a U.S. Senator.

I’m on my phone or my laptop just about 24/7 anyway, so I might as well make myself useful. Come to think about it, there’s nothing cheesy about that.

Writing — at least in this format — looked so easy. I have an idea; I type my idea; I hit Publish, right? Well, maybe.

I love a challenge. Turns out writing online is a lot more complicated than I thought. But I’m still at it, to the tune of 350+ pieces so far.

I’m an inveterate wordaholic. Check out the unending Tower of Babble (not Babel) posted when I started out here. A 15-minute read? Omg, OMG — Oh, My GOD!

I’ve continued writing because:

I still have something to say. Sometimes serious, sometimes silly. In fact, I hardly ever repeat myself!

I’ve met some erudite comrades online who say things a heckuva lot better than I. Learning by example is the best way of schooling.

I like to emit a slow burn from time to time, riffing off the mistakes of others (although I promise, I do not write merely for revenge).

Writing online keeps me close to those I love. Seriously. They don’t always listen to me, but they often read what I have to say.

I’m an instinctively opinionated person, who loves to ruminate on the regular.

I’m pretty sure I’ll continue writing because:

I’ve developed a coterie of comrades, who put up with my rants and rambles. They sometimes also can convince me to go off the deep end.

I’ve found a way to showcase some of my images online, too. No, I’m not a professional photog by any stretch of the imagination — more someone with an eye for the pretty, or pretty odd, or just plain odd.

Mickey Mouse, his Merry Band of Idiots, and others I encounter along the way will continue to make “good copy,” as we used to say in the news biz.

I don’t think I’ll ever tire of the immediacy I find online. Coupled with a quasi-transcendental rush, I’m happy in my element.

I don’t believe I’ll ever run out of something to say, however petty, sweet, scurrilous, or ridiculous it may be. And if the incompetent boobs I’ve met along the way get burned, then so be it.

Take it from someone who scuffled and scraped to get online followers, but who’s delighted at every comment I receive at the end of something I’ve written. Yeah, even the nasties out there — I understand your need to vent!

And if you get too tangled up in the web of inconsistencies and inane repercussions thrown your way, just remember this little piece of advice about life: It’s only high school.

WRITING

Try My 5–5–5 Formula

It just might satisfy your need for screeds

I write because:

I’ve continued writing because:

I’m pretty sure I’ll continue writing because:

It’s Only High School

Lifelong philosophy morphed into a helpful catch phrase in my own classroom