Blurred Lines

Part Six

You can meet all kinds of people while working in a department store. Many of them are amusing; some are rather annoying. For a writer, they are all fodder for stories. A good writer is an observant person. 

Although working in a department store took time away from becoming a novelist, I took away a lot from the experience. Experience is important to a writer. You learn and take a little of this and that away with it. It helps you build your stories and develop your characters. While I was working, I thought I was wasting my time. I learned, in retrospect, that it was valuable time. 

Writing is a craft and a talent. Observation is the key to success. Imagination is the work of the mind. You can appear inactive, but the mind always works behind the scenes. Even when you are sleeping, it is dreaming and creating scenes in the background. It is also fodder for a good writer's development. 

I guess this is turning into an advice chapter. 

Most of us know if we want to write at a young age. It's a longing that develops early. Following through is the hard part. The difficulty is in putting thoughts into words. What we think doesn't often end up on the page. It can become frustrating, and we go through many drafts trying to get everything correct. When you reach the point when you can let all that go (and stop trying to write to perfection), you can begin to create an excellent story. You aren't always going to get all your thoughts into words exactly as you think them. 

Characters and situations have a way of developing themselves. Go with it. You can always polish a chapter in revision. The most important part is starting and then improving step by step. You don't have to rush or complete a novel in a certain amount of time. You want to take your time crafting your skills.

I write every day. Sometimes it's difficult. I have suffered from low vision all my life and have encountered many complications or setbacks. However, I can only write for about an hour each day; sometimes, an hour and a half on good days on good days. If the screen is too blurry, I start squinting and have to stop. It's too much of a strain. 

Don't let anything get in your way if you have a goal. Nobody is perfect--everyone faces difficulties or is challenged in some way. Sometimes, you must work with those challenges to get where you are going. If you let them drag you down, you will never reach your goals. 

If you've read this far, thank you for reading my advice chapter.