It's been a long time since my last post. A really long time. I am still a struggling writer. But as the saying goes, insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. So last week I did something I have wanted to do for a long time. I joined a writing club. I went last Thursday but didn't bring any of my own writings with me. I just wanted to get a feeling for the people in the club, to see if it would be a good fit. I was a bit nervous because it was something new. But the people were friendly and I found some real talent there.
I did have an epiphany. I realized that the story I have been working on wasn't going anywhere because it lacked passion. I was seeing it as a scholastic exercise instead of a story that had to be told. And worse, I didn't care about the story. If I didn't care, how could I get a reader to care?
So I tried another tactic and remembered a painful but important event in my life. Keeping that in my mind, I began to write a emotional story. I'm not sure how good it is, but at least it felt real. I plan to read it to the group this week. My heart races and my stomach sours a bit thinking about reading my story to the rest of the group. But I realize that I have been writing too careful. I need to take more risks, get a little messy and hopefully a little better.
