Baby Steps...

Follow your passion, and success will follow you. 

~Terri Guillemets

Baby Steps ...
 
...into the world of writing

I remember watching a movie, quite a few years back titled, What About Bob, starring Billy Murray, and who cares who else was in it, it had Bill Murray. (I’m kidding, I’m sure it had quite a few other good named actors in it) Veering off topic there. In the movie (which I own and watch over and over again) Bob fears everything, so he goes to a doctor who basically forwards him to a specialist.

Long story short. The doctor tells Bob to take baby steps, every second of the day, so that he can get to where he is going, and eventually in the end (after a long hilarious bout of driving his doctor insane) Bob is healed, sorta, kinda, somewhat. teeheehee! Are any of us ever really healed, come on now, be honest.

I have a knack for shamelessly calling writers insane, but I’m telling you, you’ll be hard pressed to find writers themselves saying otherwise. They’ve gathered in their cubby holes, tapped on the keys for days at a time, expounded on the threshold of many words, (eww, that sounds gross) and have all come to the conclusion that they are sane. A sane writer? Now that is some funny stuff.

What is needed is baby steps. You can’t just think that you can write because you see a bunch of other writers hammering at the book, don’t believe for a minute that you can knowledge yourself into writing, by that I mean, you can study until you’re blue in the face, if you don’t have what it takes, it isn’t going to happen for you.

I’ve seen so many come into the Village, (wvu) WANTING to be writers and they quickly gave up when they realized, they were not cut out to be a writer. They crammed, purchased, shelled out time and money, but still in the end, they missed the passion of a writer. They had the will to write, but without the drive and nerve ending passion that it takes to wait, years and years before an ounce of effort pays off, they quickly dissolved from the radar screen.

They actively pursued someone else's writing dream, just to fit in. That is seriously not the way to do it. I have been writing since I was a baby and learned HOW to write the alphabet. I took baby step after baby step, and grew to write poetry, for my English classes, for holidays, and actually I saved money. I entered free contest (vanity) only to be let down but still, I persisted. (I did win honorable mention, but wondered how many others won that title also.)

It wasn’t until about 10 years ago when a computer magically walked into my house, free of charge, that my entire life and writing dream took a turn around. I diligently sought out writing groups where I could feel a part of something.

After taking a two year writing course with Christian Writers Guild came to a close, the fire was lit and my passion burned inside as I grew as a writer. And I’m still taking baby steps but now, I feel as if they are strides, strides in the right direction after cutting out the insanity and moving forward.

My baby steps have led to a full gaping walk. How about you?

Joni Zipp's : https://apps.facebook.com/yourlifecontest/content/see-again