Bear with me, this might get sidetracked or come unglued.
I am a failure as a writer.
- Writer: one who writes
By that definition I am a failure as a writer. I manage and post to blogs, I polish up half formed ideas in short fiction, I can dash off an article or a write-up here and there, but to actually write [the things I dream and obsess about], such an event has eluded me for ages.
Alright, I write, but not often and certainly not daily. I blame conception and obligation. My wife she’s too beautiful for me to get anything done. Does that make sense? Probably not.
I used to write stories, but I’ve got like five in the finished draft stages, and a few more that are scripted (outlined) but not written yet that I really want to get to.
The bills need paid.
The kids are after me to do things with them for and despite school.
My wife is amazing, and I have a honey-do list that would reach from here to… well, you get the idea.
So when to write? How to write? Most of my best efforts were done half awake in the wee hours of the game.
I am focusing on finshing some bits, and quick proofing them for spelling and such. Then I’ll go over them in detail for editing for flow, plot holes and other crap. But the actual writing, well, the creating stage, that’s what I always thought a writer was.
- To be a writer is to write!
Um.
No.
There’s more to being a writer than just writing. So as a writer, I have kinda failed, but in restrospect, I’m not aiming at being a writer now am I? In hindsight, my actual goal was to make some money from writing, to share my stories and maybe shine hope in the increasingly spiritually dark and shallow world that we seem to be creating.
So, maybe the definition of the writer I want to be is more along the lines of:
Storyteller
- One who creates, spins a tale, then reworks that tale until it’s suitable for general consumption (not socially widely acceptable by any means, that IS NOT A GOOD OBJECTIVE), at least enough so that the story makes sense and there’s no logic or plot inconsistencies.
- One who produces stories that others will want to read, with all the attendant steps.
Ok, I feel better now.
To make good on this process, along these lines, I’m posting each block of a story as I parse it for at least proofreading coherence (spelling and grammar, first past, no guarantees). These posts will go up here on Medium, and over at my blog danielocasey.com
