Falklore: Make Writing Fun

For seniors, it is imperative that writing is fun event, especially if you start practicing the craft late in life. Make writing a hobby - not a life or death situation. Approach writing as a hobby and you will enjoy it, and chances are you will succeed. You will look at things you have written and proudly say, "I did that."

Don't ever think that something you write is not good. If it doesn't meet the intent you had, simply start retyping it. If you look at writing as a life or death situation, then there is nothing but frustration in your future and you will soon give up. Ernest Hemingway once said that he had a basket full of rejects, but never gave up. Once he sold his first project, manuscripts that had been rejected were accepted. The lesson here is to never throw anything away: simply file it.

A few issues ago, I wrote about why I like to write and hopefully why you like to write. Much of that boils down to 'attitude.' Attitude must be positive. Writing and selling is more difficult than working in a steel mill. I know. I've done both. You will run into times when you can't think of the next word you want to use or how to improve what you have on paper. The former is called "writers block," and the only way to get around that is to pound out words.

Once you feel comfortable writing, than look for immediate sources for getting it published. For instance, each area in this country has weekly or bi-weekly publications that often times will accept work from local writers. We'll get more into these and other possibilities in a later issue. Getting a story in a local newspaper or magazine shows that you can write. That will be a positive factor when you send queries out to a publisher or agent. In my next column, I hope to offer some sources for material that you can think about for short stories or even novels.

Questions/Comments? Contact Jim at james@jamesfalk.net, or visit www.jamesfalk.net.

James Falk, as a teen-ager, used to dream of being a big-time racketeer. Fortunately, his dream didn't come true. A 10th grade dropout, he finished highschool after four years in the Marines and went on to earn a B.A. in Journalism and an M.A. in Communications.