Writing From Zero

A short opinion about writing.

“There is no "how to write," not in English or in any other language; every successful writer finds his or her way through the process, usually with lots of trial-and-error, and usually by having the courage to "fail" a few (or many) times.”

-John Galigan, Creative Writing Instructor �"

When I took creative writing class for the first time, I though the language barrier would be my major challenge. But after spending the whole semester working on my manuscripts, I realize it is not. I have discovered that writing is more than how to string words together in sentence. It’s more than the grammar issues and technical things. It’s more than language skills. Writing is about the author. It is about how a story should be loved by the author first, before it is read by others. Honestly, that’s the hardest part.

Before I wrote in English, I was already an author. I had published eight books on my own country of Indonesia. I wasn’t famous yet, but I set myself high standards for my writing. I was a perfectionist, a workaholic who spent the most of my time on midnight deadlines. I even worked on my science fiction novel on New Year’s Eve. So, when I had to write in different language, it wasn’t easy to deal with that. It wasn’t easy to become a beginner. It wasn’t easy to start from zero. I just hated my drafts. I hated them. They looked terrible. I spent many nights in library, buried in many “how to write” books and still often not satisfied with my writing.

However, I’ve learned a valuable lesson. I learned how to let myself make mistakes and have rational expectations. Writing is a learning process. It will never be perfect. One time, when I was revising my first draft, I suddenly thought, why should I feel under pressure when I am doing something I love? I wanted to write because I felt happy about it. John gave everyone in the class to review and give feedback to one another. I learned a lot from the authors in my class. Isn’t that more important? To enjoy the process, not merely focus on the result.

In conclusion, the best thing I learn from the class is: Writing is an adventure! Enjoy it. An author not only needs to be creative, but also to stay strong. When you write, you are not only sharing a story with your reader, you also show who you are. Writing is about the author 

Reviews

[dressedasanowl]

Very wise words indeed!! :-)
Thank you, that definitely brought a warm smile and the loving literary kick in the bum I needed.