Learning to Write;

I have spent the last month writing each and every day. Thankfully, not all this writing is for public consumption. I have enjoyed writing thus far, but even just one month in, I am finding myself working very hard to come up with things to write about.

I walk on lunch, and today listened to some excerpts of the fantastic audio series, How to Be a No Limit Person by Dr. Wayne Dyer. Dr. Dyer is one of the most prolific creators of self improvement. While listening and walking, I was pondering a topic to write about today. Dr. Dyer has a concept called the “Life Mile”. You can think of it as the sum of your life, and each day you move forward an inch. Dr. Dyer claims that in many people’s lives, there is something called the “Critical Inch” where we abandon the rules that serve us well in the rest of our life mile.

Dr. Dyer made me think, if today was the last time that I had the chance to write, what would I want to leave the world. If there was one song that I could sing, what would it be? Today is my critical inch, and if I can change the world in any one way, I should write that each day. I need to communicate my song to you each and every day, as it might be my last.

Brevity is the soul of wit, and it appears I am severely lacking both. TL;DR- The past is gone forever, the future is promised to none of us. All we have is the present. Each day, I will write whatever means most to me.

Writing is a skill like any other. Frequent practice is required to hone the skill. I have learned over the last month, that frequency instead of long periods of work. I have found that a time goal is superior to a word count goal. I have also found that re-reading my writing a few days after the fact, and editing certainly helps to polish the product, but it does little to improve my stream of consciousness (at least for the time being).

So I have been sticking to the following: Write often, write for 20 minutes when I write, and pick something near to my heart that I think a reader can benefit from. As Benjamin Franklin (supposedly) said, “If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write something worth reading, or do things worth writing.”

Thank you to those who are patient enough to read this. If you have feedback, or a way that you think I could improve, please comment below. Same goes for any of my posts.