Overcome Your Fear of Writing
All forms of communication are important but the virtual world we now all inhabit has turned the spotlight on the written word as the key form of getting your message across. However, this is easier said than done for some as, for whatever reason, they can't or won't write.
When we first get into a car to learn to drive, everything is alien and difficult. Yet, within a very short time we find ourselves driving without conscious thought. Learning to write is a similar process - it is something that needs to be practised.
Writing is simply the process of capturing your thoughts on paper or computer screen. Instead of letting your thoughts escape into the ether, writing them down is the process of lassoing them and keeping them for future use. What is more difficult is capturing the thoughts worthy of recording from the countless notions that pass through our overstimulated minds on a moment by moment basis. I guess this could be described as sorting the wheat from the chaff.
You could probably get as many different definitions of good writing as the number of people you ask. However, a general standard would surely be text that is easy to understand that successfully transmits the intended message.
Writers need to maintain a fine balance between time spent on planning and research and time spent on writing. All writers will have a preference and will need to compensate in the area in which they do not spend sufficient time. Too much of either is not a good thing.
Writing styles vary, which is considered to be a good thing by readers. There's the matter of personal writing style combined with the style most appropriate for the piece being written. These two variables alone combine to produce a rich diversity in the written word.
For me it's important that whatever I read causes me to pause and think. I don't want to be bored. I don't want to find myself speed reading and scanning pages. I want to enter the mind of the writer and learn something new or be offered the opportunity to look at things in a different way. That is the essence of good writing.
Making time to read is a big investment - we are all busy and could fill every hour at least three times over. It is disappointing therefore to feel let down when we allocate our most scarce resource, time, and then feel we have wasted it. For this reason whatever you write needs to provide value.
Whilst some fear writing and think it is difficult, it's a piece of cake compared to editing.
Editing is a different animal from proof reading. The latter is an exercise to spot errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, syntax and the plain old typo. Editing is the process by which a raggle-taggle collection of words is pummelled and pounded until it becomes clear prose that is a joy to read.
As a lifelong reader and writer I so want to see others enjoy writing. At the very least I would like to remove the fear so many seem to hold about the process of writing. My wish for you is that you find some inspiration here that encourages you to pick up your pen once again. Write for the sheer fun of it. Write simply because you can.
Article Source: http://www.search-raven.com
About the Author
Jessica R Hartley provides a free online writing course and writers forum to encourage everyone who yearns to become a writer. A professional writer she is passionate about encouraging writing skills in others.
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by: JessicaRHartley
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