Writing comes from writing. Have you heard that, before? At the core of decent writing is experience. Here’s another euphemism: “To write well, you must listen well.” By that I mean, listen to your heart and your mind, and do not let thoughts escape into Netherland – capture them while they are fresh. They are bits of inspiration to build upon.
Before I go any further, I must make one thing clear – Writing has very little to do with age! True, your experience in life can inform your writing, but you are never too old to string words together, to convey thoughts, ideas and love. So, I say it again: You are never too old!
I challenge the title of this essay. I don’t believe that writing is ever self-taught. Good writing evolves over time, the result of layers and layers of experience, and the voices of others, along the way, that have instructed, nagged, critiqued, bullied, encouraged you into better phrases, and taught you the basics, i.e. the difference between a noun and a verb, and that everyone has a story.
For me, there were stages of growth that led, at times, against my will, to my writings today. Some of these stages are common to any writer. As I look back, I can think of five that seem most prominent:
Stage #1 – School Days. The worst writing I’ve ever done was when I was told to write on a specific subject — I had no choice in the matter. For me, there was no reward, no ”good job”, just a lot of lower grades and “do it over” comments. As a result, I was turned off to writing, at an early age.
Stage #2 – College Days. Once again, I didn’t have a choice. I must do the research and write that essay. I worked at it, learned how to research and I got decent grades. The operable phrase is “I worked at it.” There was very little inspiration poured into those writings, just dogged hard work. Still, I learned.
Stage #3 — Korea interrupted my education, but expanded my experience! When I returned, I got a job with a newspaper, and I found myself, again, under the thumb of another teacher, a demanding editor. Again, I had to work at my writing, only this time it took on meaning. My first byline was an epiphany. And I learned.
Stage #4 – I’m a College Dean and a Professor. I’m asked to write a position paper for a professional journal. I am flattered by the request, but intimidated by writing to a jury of my peers who would decide if my article was worth publishing. Yet, I worked at it and viola’ I was an author! I learned a little more.
Stage #5 – Writing on my own, for my own enjoyment. Nothing more to learn? Not so. Each essay, each devotional, each homily contains a tiny seed of growth. Each project is a lesson in itself. And so, the learning continues.
In truth, there have been other writings, over the years. From time to time, inspiration in the form of disappointment or emotion or pride provided the motivation to jot lines of poetry or prose, maybe about giants fighting, or perhaps the beauty of nature, or the nature of love, subjects of my choice. The form and substance of that writing was not great, yet I learned, word by word, piece by piece.
Time passes and I find myself in retirement. My writings have changed, possibly improved, based on subjects of my choosing, that come to me. Essays on topics as divergent as faith and fantasy, and humor and grief. Some met “Stan’s Standards” of “not bad”, while others barely escaped shredding.
So, it should not be a surprise, that I would write an essay early in my, let’s say, fourth quarter. That essay grew into a short story. Then the short-story grew into a novella as I played with the story. That novella eventually grew into a full-sized novel, A Life for Barabbas, which was published in 2020 by TouchPoint Press. Later, while holding a copy, my critical eye reviewed what I had written, and I thought, “Wish I could re-write this!
As I post this essay, I await the release of my next novel, Middle of Nowhere, also by TouchPoint Press. It is a “prairie mystery with a spiritual twist”, a fun and fantasy story where the writing is better, smoother, more engaging. Where did I learn to do that? Why, “Writing comes from writing,” that’s where.
What have I really learned on this odyssey of mine? Well, my writings have become a bit better, maybe more interesting. But that is not it. I have learned to put words together, but that is not it, either. What is it, then?
I started this essay with the statement that “To write well, you must listen well.” Over the span of my life, my faith has deepened. I have come to know that there dwells within me is a Spirit, a Higher Power, a Muse that speaks to me in words, images, memories. I have come to listen to this grace from God more carefully, and to realize that my best work comes from that source, not anything that I may have experienced or learned along the way. I have learned to listen well.
That’s my secret, “For What It’s Worth.”
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