Writing for Yourself

I am half way to completing my story for Mslexia’s short story competition and I have thoroughly enjoyed the writing process so far – one thing I found inspiring was to let your writing settle on the page before you and your inner critic go in for the kill and start to revise/edit the story. The first draft is just that - the start of a story – a new form of creative expression on the blank page and somehow you have to be disciplined to let the story evolve, unless you have the plot structure already sorted.

With my story, I started with an outline of the main character and the themes and then let the story (plot) unfold and it was both surprising and thought-provoking letting that process take shape. Having written 1,000 words, I deliberately didn’t read what I’d written until a week later, with fresh eyes, and that made so much difference. I also read the text out loud and where I stumbled upon some words, knew they had to go or be amended. So far so good. Finally, although I am writing this to submit to a competition, and have done the necessary research, i.e. check out the judge’s profile, etc, I am writing this story for myself first, and for the competition second.

In the current issue of Mslexia, Issue 40 (Jan/Feb/Mar), an article called Heart and craft by Beth Webb states, …being a good writer is really about art; it requires craftsmanship and passion. Its primary purpose is usually communication – building bridges between people – but writing is just as valid when the author is working for her own pleasure or satisfaction. Measuring the value of our creations solely in terms of publication and money is misleading at best, dangerous at worst.

Happy writing!