Be a Warrior! In Life and in Writing.
Start with one sentence.
Just write one sentence.
This might get your mind going.
This is the writing advice running through my head as I try to put together my next Medium post.
A good friend of mine once told me I should write a book. Three days ago, my primary general practitioner said the same thing to me. My answer: “I’m busy with it, seriously, I am writing a book.” We both had a laugh as she put her head in her hands.
You see, from the start of my life, I have been a fighter. It started with being born in the 29th week of my mother’s pregnancy with me. Before I was even one day old, I had surgery to correct a faulty heart valve and a collapsed lung.
From that day on I had my ups and downs. When I entered my 20’s it started to be more downs than ups. I have had a total of 19 surgeries to date and countless hours and days in the hospital, and I am only 33. The last surgery ended up being brain surgery. Something I really thought I would never have to go through.
I admit, my medical history might be short compared to other warriors out there, but that didn’t make my journey any easier. There have been so many times that I hear about someone’s medical journey and I stop and think, I have it easy, how can I complain… but like I said, that doesn’t make what I have fought through any easier.
I do believe me GP and friend had a good point when they told me to write a book. Maybe someone else can find solace in my suffering. You see, sarcasm is my coping mechanism. I always say: “If you don’t laugh about it, you have to cry about it.” I have, however, learned that crying is not such a bad thing when your emotions overwhelm you. Writing has also been a wonderful help to me over the years.
The truth is writing any piece of content is not easy. It is not always that the words just flow onto the paper or computer in front of you. There are times that reading something helps you write one sentence or think of a title, and there are times that pieces you write lie on your computer hard drive for months or years, and, suddenly you are able to complete the story or article. This is true for all writers out there. It can really be a struggle to get an article done, no matter how mundane the content.
So here I am, I started with one sentence, and the words started flowing. Tomorrow the words might get stuck somewhere in your brain.
So here is my advice to struggling writers:
1. Don’t give up on an idea.
2. Don’t be too hard on yourself, self-criticism can be your enemy in the writing business (it has paralyzed me for many years).
3. Someone out there might find your piece of writing interesting or helpful.
4. You might just be a better writer than you thought.
5. Take the leap, be vulnerable, and let someone read your writing (no matter what it is).
6. Join a writing group, even if it is just to get you motivated. A writing group can help you bounce your ideas off of someone else and have someone you trust read your writing.
7. Once someone has read your writing, you might just feel relieved.
I hope to be able to find the words a day in and day out, so that I can share my whole story with the world, that is all I can do, well, that and write.
