If you want to write...

When I was younger, I thought that writing ability was innate - you either had it or you didn't. And I felt (regretfully) that I had more desire to write than talent.

I don't see writing like that anymore. I think that we all can have different levels of writing ability and still succeed in writing. We need to ask ourselves : What do we want to write? And does our writing clearly convey what we are trying to say to readers?

And, of course, there are things we can do to get better.

The first is READ. By reading, we absorb style - the rhythm of sentences in other people's writing, the way they say things. Style should (I think) be effortless. In other words, we shouldn't worry too much about it. We talk the way we talk, we say things the way we think about them, we write the way we express ourselves. That's fine. There is no right or wrong. But there is appropriate style. For example, if you are communicating with a child or with someone who speaks limited English, you would talk (or write) differently than you would to a friend your own age and experience. If you were writing a letter of application for a job, you would express yourself differently than if you were writing to a friend. That's style.

But the most important thing that will help you write better is PRACTICE EVERY DAY... Okay, maybe not every day, but most days. Make it a habit. Two books were very helpful when I wanted to get back into writing. Both encouraged daily writing in a writing notebook.

I first encountered the idea of daily notebook writing (writing random entries, capturing whatever you are thinking about) in the book Writing Down the Bones, by Nathalie Goldberg. This gifted writing teacher likes to sit in cafes and write. She even wrote at least one book sitting in her car! (I think the idea was that she wouldn't let herself drive home until she had accomplished a certain amount every day!) So I sometimes try to do the same. Last Monday I spent several hours at Costco having new tires put on our van. For part of that time, I sat in the cafeteria and read - and wrote in my writing notebook.

Another writing teacher who encourages a Writer's Notebook is Julia Cameron, whose book, The Artist's Way, got me writing again every day. (Last spring, shortly after retiring from teaching, I began her 12-week series of exercises.) She also encourages a weekly "artist's date" - where you go by yourself to a place that INSPIRES YOU. You do that every week to enrich your creativity. She suggests simple things like visiting a garden or going to buy stickers and pretty pens in a dollar store - whatever inspires you on any given day. I went to a vegetarian restaurant alone once or twice, wandered through Michael's craft store... Just ask yourself, what would give you pleasure and peace. You will think of something - then make a date with yourself and JUST DO IT!! It will enrich your life.

If you want to begin to write, both books are wonderful resources and will inspire you. But the most important thing is to take the time to DO IT!