WRITING, MY LABOR OF LOVE

Ramon Casas i Carbó

Writing is not at all like riding a bike; once you’ve learned how to do it, you will never forget. On the contrary, writing takes continuous practice; they say a page every day. Like a relationship, it requires persistence. Like love, writing is an emotional, frustrating, and intimate process.  

Catherine Alexandre

I feel like I’m a wannabe non-fiction writer. I like the idea of being able to write. When I write I feel happy. Writing keeps my mind straight; it gives me some kind of mental integrity. When I start to feel stressed out, I start to think of words to put together. Trying to write becomes some kind of self-therapy for me. Some people drink to forget, I write to forget. 

 David Martiashvili

I live in the city. I pay rent. I go to work Monday to Friday, full time. Everybody who lives and works in the city knows that the derogatory of daily life and work can really drain you physically and mentally. To keep my spirits up, I write during my “leisure” time. To keep my thoughts intact during the week, I think about writing. Writing gives me hope. Who knows, maybe be what I write will be useful for my children someday. Let’s face it, the way things are going, I won’t have a bundle of wealth to pass down to my kids, but maybe I can pass down ideas and thoughts that will help them develop into better human beings.

Dee Nickerson

As a (wannabe) non-fiction writer, I get all emotional and frustrated over something I am trying to write. I feel like I face a lot of barriers because of my circumstances. One being language, when I write in English, as it is my second language. I feel like I have a disadvantage to begin with. Another, is struggling to expand my knowledge so I can I build on my niche. Finally, I am a non-white woman in the global blogging world. Why should this matter, I ask myself? I am not sure. But I think it does. In any case, I am conscious of this somehow. So how do I get through all this and finally get a piece done? First, of course a cup of coffee.

 Evgenia Antipova. Books at the Window, 1963

Then I try to read as much as I can on topics related to my niche. My budget does not allow me to buy books now a days, so I just read all kinds of interesting things I can find on the Internet and do the best I can with that. They say you should stick writing about stuff you know best. I don’t totally agree with that. If you only write about what you know best, then you will run out of topics sooner than you think. That’s why you need to read and learn new things to be able to maintain fresh ideas. Another thing, reading is important when you are learning how to write. English is my second language, so I try to read a lot in English. It’s been said many times that reading a lot will help develop your writing skills. From my experience, this is so true. 

illustratosphere.tumblr.com

From all that reading, I start to get ideas, like a whisper in my ear, sometimes I get three ideas for a post at the same time. Other times, none at all. Still I don’t use any apps to come up with a popular topic. Ideas will develop as it won’t be long until that soft whisper comes a long like the voice of the devil. And once I get the chance to sit and write, I let the devil take me where she thinks I should go. I don’t really have something systematic in my head at this point—I think about it a while and start typing. The shortcoming of this method is that I tend to develop multiple issues and get out of focus. This is why when we were at school we were taught to always make an outline. Well, I was never a good student. 

 

Edward Okun. View from the Window (1905)

They say you have to write about what you are passionate about and choose that as your niche. So that is exactly what I did when I started my blog. As my niche is feminism, I have to be critical of the gender biases in the work I’m reading. Feminism also has its issues with pluralism, representation, and difference, thus marginalizing the voices of many women. When I write, I try to look at things from different perspectives, but find my own voice there. It’s like looking out the window to see a different view, but looking beyond even when your view is being blocked. 

Robert McGinnis

 

To me, writing can be like traveling alone when I don’t want to. Sometimes it feels lonely. Sometimes I get lost in my thoughts, I don’t know where I’m going anymore. Everybody is super busy, there’s no one to discuss the problems I am facing with the piece I am trying to write. I want to cry for help, but there is no one to turn to. I feel stranded, I get off course. Again, I lose focus, I don’t know which direction to take. It’s like packing your bags and leaving home in the middle of the night with nowhere to go. Yes, it can feel this helpless sometimes!

Daniel F. Gerhartz. With Love

So what do I do? I re-write, I find more information, get rid of less relevant information. I change the paragraphs around for better coherency. I get another round of coffee and I read it again. I change things around again. Then, I edit the language, paying attention to grammar (which is not my strongest point). Hey, I’m almost done now! I make a last check on data and information and references I used. During this process, I feel like I’m a wannabe academic. And you know what? After all that effort, I still feel unhappy with what I have. It feels hopeless, I’m thinking of not publishing it after all. I almost always get to this anticlimax stage when I’m approaching the end of what I’m writing. But I will recover, make some more changes and edit again. Hey, I think I’m there! I’ve calm down a bit and with some effort, it’s finally on the Blogger template with pictures too! So, I hit the publish button. Phew! Writing is a labor of love. 

 Glass Wine Nude Female Existence Dream Oil Painting

Then when it’s out there in blog land, the funny thing is, I start to feel vulnerable. Like I am exposing myself. Like all my weaknesses are there for anyone to see. Strange but true. Although I have this funny feeling in my gut, I have no regrets. I hope a few people will read my post and find it useful. 

Fabio Hurtado

Although I don’t have a big  smile on my face because I’m never satisfied with what I have written, the fact that I’ve finally achieved to have written something just makes my heart pound with excitement. As a matter of fact, I start to feel how writing is such an empowering experience. So what do I do now? I celebrate. Cheers! Happy New Year everyone. :)