The Answer is Writing: Discovering Strength Within the Writer

Writing may be a pain on the days we work the regular job. Writing may never work out in the end for us. But, writing is about finding answers. We explore things when we write; try to find a way with words we enjoy; and often seek to profit from our work. The answer to a troubled childhood is to discover the moments in prose. If we want to be published we will have to, inevitably, write. We can have a million ideas, but without the action of writing we will never turn all these ideas into words.

Exploring prose is about taking an adventure down a different road. Instead of taking the highway where writing is fast, we consider a drive through the country where the writing is slow. We do not have to rush on this answer; fast or slow writing is still writing. We buy a few notebooks and play with the thoughts in our mind. Often the writing will begin like a memoir; but will turn into other things like fiction and or essays. That is what exploring the page is all about. Whatever we do, we must remember the answer to any form, short fiction, novel, or essay, is to write it out. We can let the inner critic battle us later. For now we are enjoying the ride.

We find that, in writing, we do better following the same course. Instead of driving the highway every day, we explore the back roads. We can find things within ourselves and in our writing when we try to enjoy the ride instead of questioning it. Perhaps the short story is the form we like writing the most. Maybe the memoir-like essay appeals to us. Or we want to be in this for the long haul-we want to be stars so we write a novel. Whatever the path, we must find something we enjoy in writing anything.

When we have been working the back roads or highways for a while we realize the gas prices are high. We cannot afford to roam as much anymore. As writers we find that the time we invest into a writing project takes us away from work or family. So we need some kind of material award for our efforts. The answer to this is to keep writing, but to write with the intent of publishing. We discover the market we want, say "The New Yorker" or "Writer's Digest," and we pander our writing towards them. The back roads are still there, but the answer for financial success is to study the market and to continue writing.

When we explore we work on our speed and thought process; we try to discover something in the writing that appeals to us; and we eventually find we can, and should, be paid for our work.