Week Seventeen: On Writing

          I’m glad to see that real writing is finally happening now.  Not

that I wasn’t really writing before, but it felt too much like a

process.  In my experience, the best writing doesn’t come from

this.  So far, in trying to fit the mold of an article writer, I turned it

into a generator.  The article was spread out in front of me and all I

had to do was plug things in.  Here’s an opener (make it real

catchy).  Here’s a quote (fix the speaker’s grammar).  Here’s some

researched information (hopefully it’s correct).  And so on and so

forth.  This writing felt forced, mechanical and stiff.  I would read

over the first drafts and get bored with the predictability.  Sure, it

was fine for an article, but I wanted it to be interesting.  When I

pushed myself to start breaking these molds I felt the freedom to

make the writing interesting as well as fun to write.

           Now I feel like I’m doing that.  I started a blog but got

caught up in it and turned it into a full-on article.  I stretched myself

and by doing so I was able to pepper my articles with my voice and

creative touch, truly making them my articles.  The consequence,

however, is disorganization.  I know what I’m trying to say and

expect everyone else to know it, too.  It’s hard to slow down

sometimes and create good flow and pacing.  I think we all

experience this when we are excited.  We rush to get to the punch

line but forget to tell the joke.