Thoughts on Xomba and Becoming a Writer
posted November 3, 2009 - 2:45pm
I’m good at writing – in class, on an assigned topic. Xomba is unique in that I can write about pretty much anything I care to write about. Am I the
only one that finds this a little daunting? You can write about a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g! And the many talented writers on here do write about anything and everything. In comparison, sometimes it feels like I have nothing to say, but I guess everyone has to start somewhere.
I think the best advice I’ve read is to simply write about what you’re passionate about, so I’ll try to follow that as I muddle through my first weeks here. (Bear with me everyone!) Even if all I write is personal musings and thoughts about my day-to-day life, every new xombyte and xomblurb I post will (hopefully) get better and better. And, even more hopefully, I’ll discover that I have even more that I want to share. The thought is kind of scary….but also exciting. Wish me luck!
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Agreed, if we got paid by the
Agreed, if we got paid by the comment we would all be in trouble. Then again, maybe everyone would comment more often! Wouldn't that be wonderful! I think I was lucky to get so many comments in the beginning though. And some great advice :)It already seems like a while since I wrote this. I think i've already learned a lot. Time will tell!
I do indeed wish you luck.
I do indeed wish you luck. It looks like you are off to a pretty good start if this was during your second week here. I can't see how many reads the piece got, but I think it has gotten more comments than anything I wrote during my second week.
It is good that we don't get paid by the comment. I would really be in trouble. I do seem to get enough views, but would like more comments like you mentioned on the one of mine that you commented on.
It is so much easier to know who to return a comment to and begin conversing with as well as who to make friends with rather than have to guess. Excellently written!
Johnny Yuma
Thank you very much for your
Thank you very much for your encouraging words, and sorry for not replying sooner. I'm trying to put your advice into action and writing daily, though my ramblings aren't necessarily worth putting on Xomba yet. The weird thing is, I'm noticing that the more I write the more I have to say. I guess I'm finally learning to stop editing myself so much. I don't think that trying for a word count would work me either. I'm a bit of a perfectionist and I know that I would beat myself up if I didn't hit my goals. At any rate, I'll let you know how this all works out.
Good luck to you too!
I'm told the thing that
I'm told the thing that separates people like us from the people we consider "real" writers -- and I'll bet you've heard this before -- is this: writers... WRITE! They do it on a regular basis, and they do it whether they feel like they've got anything to say or not.
I confess that I'm not nearly that consistent with my writing, though I'm making another try at it. However, I did keep a writing journal for a while a few years ago and I'm still surprised when I flip back through it. The quality of what I thought was drivel when I was writing it sometimes surprises me, and there are things in that journal I can use and expand upon now if I need material to keep my regular word count up.
And not everything in there was a thousand word minimum. Some writers try for a daily word count, which is great but can make you feel like a guilty slob who is unworthy of his pen when you miss it. I didn't bother with that when keeping my journal. I just wrote whatever I felt like writing, until I'd said whatever it was I was saying. If I didn't feel like anything needed writing, I'd just make something up and ramble on the page. It worked.
I guess the journaling process went something like this for me: Does something need to be said today? Say it. Did I notice something quirky this week that I have an opinion about? Start scribbling! Nothing yet? How about a dream I remember having. I can write about that! No? Well, heck -- let's make something up!
Okay, enough with the rambling about me. It's like this: do your best, write on something resembling a regular basis, even if you're distracted and don't feel much like writing, and don't let it stress you -- have FUN with it!
Good luck!
Good luck!
Yea, I felt the same when I started Xomba. It was both exciting but scary. But as I write more, I started realizing where my real focus and niches are. I'm still working on it, but I feel like I'm starting to know what my writing voice is sounding like.
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