I’m really sorry it has taken me so very long to learn this lesson. It literally has been a bit of a light-bulb moment for me, attached with a bit of remorse over a stupid comment I once made.
Let’s get the stupid comment out the way. For many years I have not been a big reader. I have read the Bible in a year and very few other books. A few years ago, someone asked me why I didn’t like reading. I said something really foolish, like I don’t read a lot because I can’t write as well as those authors and so I don’t really want to expose myself to brilliance when I can’t achieve it myself.
It was a stupid thing to say and the moment the words were tumbling out of my mouth, I knew it was very small minded – if it were true.
The truth of those words I cannot justify. After all, the brilliance of the Bible doesn’t stop me from reading it.
So, altogether I have remorse over that silly comment and I take it all back.
The light-bulb moment came when I was reading “William’s Story”.
I realised to be a better writer you need to read more. In reading the words of others – the way they craft sentences, think up new and creative ways of saying things, their styles and topics all add to the creative writing juices of the reader. They spark thought and increase motivation to write more and to write differently.
That has been a big lesson. I am now determined to read more than I have been in the past. I have a pile of books waiting for me. I am close to finishing William’s Story and will complete it by the week’s end. Julian’s coming & I can return it to him.
The second thing – which I have to admit I have known since I began this blog back in 2010 is that to be a better writer, you have to write more. One of the things I learned when I was on the radio was the more you did something the better you got at it. I remember first being on air and in my mind counting the number of errors I made either in speech or in the technical area. I would evaluate it afterwards as being a bad show because I made so many mistakes. Eventually instead of having 3 bad shows in a week, I would only have 2. Soon (after years!) I was so fluent and accomplished in both speaking and driving the technical side, there would only be a bad show every now and again.
With writing, the more I write the better I will get. I don’t know if I write for an audience not yet born, but regardless of who the reader will be, my job is to keep writing.
And so I will.
To be a better writer, I will read more and I will continue to write more.
Psalm 102:18
This will be written for the generation to come, That a people yet to be created may praise the LORD.
The Psalmist was write – after all, each of us are reading those words.
These are the days!
Keep the smile going!
God bless you!
In His Grip,
Helga xx 🙂