I feel most comfortable as a writer when I see the work as practice. Writing warm-ups. Journal reflections. Writing exercises. First drafts. The attempt to say what I want to say without the pressure of getting it right the first, or second, or millionth time.
Yesterday it occurred to me that what I am doing with my blog is practice. My occasional anemic tweets are practice.
Stating these activities in those terms is a relief. As much as I would like to believe in my ability to craft a blog post or tweet worth reading, I don’t think I have it in me to see each one as a polished final draft. And polished to reach what goal? I am exploring what I might say. Surrounded by ongoing conversations, I lose time wondering what can I add and what should I avoid? Sometimes I am not yet ready to put my thoughts or reactions into words.
In the face of so much uncertainty combined with the challenge of what it takes to write well, I benefit from calling it all practice. Practice helps me move forward.
reader. writer. 