I had it in my head when I left the PR job that I wanted to become a "real" writer, not a writer bound by the perspectives of the organizations I represented.
A couple of things happened to me back in those PR days. For one, the line between truth and fiction became blurry for me. If a public leader needed a quote but didn't have time to come up with something, I wrote it and ran it by him or her for approval. If a story had to be developed but I hadn't yet talked to the parties involved, I wrote a draft purely on how I imagined it and then inserted the information I gleaned after the fact.
The second thing that happened is that my own opinions took a back seat to my craft. I felt, to quote Pink Floyd, "comfortably numb" out of pure necessity. It's hard to acknowledge anything negative--I mean truly acknowlege--and then turn around and write only the positive side of the story. So I developed the habit of ignoring my own critique of the system in those instances when something fishy seemed afoot or even when I knew something was outright wrong. Instead I dived into my work to get it done, and then at the end of the day dived into other things--exercise, friends, hobbies, travel--by way of distraction.
I had a recurring idea that I didn't like the work I had dedicated myself to--and by extension the person I had become--but again, like my other misgivings, I went to lengths to ignore it.
Now, a year and a half or so away from the bulk of the PR work, (aside from the lack of cash flow), I do have some positive news to report. For one, ideas are coming to me that I want to write about. Some of these ideas are not very meaningful, but at least they are fun. (See: How to Make Your Own Tattoo Sleeves). So I'm having fun with writing again (in between the stressful moments, of course, which I think have got to be par for the course for any writer).
I'm also finding myself to be rather opinionated about some things. And, unlike in the past, I am giving myself the time to research these things, and then, in those moments that I trust myself, writing about them.
When the writing isn't flowing, to distract myself, and with the encouragement of my boyfriend, I read about the experiences of other writers, and study the steps they took on their journeys to making writing their profession.
"Write often" is a common suggestion. So simple and yet I had avoided it for so long.
"Become a blogger" is another one. And so here you see the beginning of that effort on my part. It is important to note the other part of blogging, besides writing one's own content, is to read other people's blogs and to post and comment on them if inspired to do so. So I have been doing that as well. (See Gnu Women's Snowboard Camp; scroll down the page for the entry.)
The other exercise I've recently pulled out of my study and self-study is to write different kinds of things. I always wrote article-style press releases for my PR job, so naturally I started with newspaper and magazine articles as I began to branch out into the freelance world. Now, however, I have been experimenting with different writing projects--blogging, as I mentioned, along with letters to the editor, "how-to" stories, and a more dedicated attempt at fiction-writing. As for the articles, I have moved on from solely reporting on events and people, as I did in the past, to writing to communicate ideas that I, myself, have invented. (An example of this is my latest story for 32 Degrees magazine, which is currently under consideration, entitled "Work Out Those Grabs with Grabaerobics." It talks about a fun technique for getting your snowboard grabs. ...More on that after I find out if they decide to publish the story.)
Anyway, this is just a start. Another item on my list includes, for example, converting a section of my "post-apocalyptic adventure story" novel into a short science fiction story and attempting to get it printed in a a sci fi mag, perhaps, in advance of the finished piece. I also plan to read more widely and begin to query different publishing outlets, trusting my gut instincts as to who to reach out to and what to propose.
It's snowing lightly outside my window now, high in the mountains above 11,000 feet, even though we're already into May. It's pretty out there, and I'm going to rouse myself now for another cup of Joe before getting back to some of my other projects.
Endings never were my forte, can you tell?
It doesn't matter. I'm sure I'll be rambling on and on about my foray into writing far into the unforeseeable future.
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