Are you true to yourself as a writer?
I’ve been teaching Magazine Writing Basics for a while now, and when I taught my last session, I added two phone consultations to the e-course – one during the first week, and one at the end of the 8-week class. I wanted to speak with my students because I really feel that teaching magazine writing is like teaching … well life … in a way. Although there are tools and techniques that are common to all writers, in the end, writing is personal. Where you wind up depends upon where you want to go in the first place – with subject, style, voice, format, and markets. As I had expected, talking with students at the outset allowed me to customize the class for each one of them. What I didn’t expect was what I would learn at the end.
I had a particularly illuminating discussion with a student the other day. She had started out the course with a great deal of passion for writing about food and sustainability. She had a smart, edgy, funny style that she was already employing in her blog. But somehow the article that she wrote for class just didn’t have that same sparkle. It didn’t sound like her, and despite a few revisions, it just didn’t sing. I knew she could do better, but I hadn’t been able to put my finger on what was wrong – although I had been able to help her with the technical problems of organization and lead.
When we spoke, I discovered the problem. “I learned in your course that I don’t want to write how-to articles for audiences that don’t know anything about eating and the environment,” she said. “I don’t read those kinds of stories myself. And if I’d just been writing that story on my own, instead of for a class, I never would have kept at it for so long.” It turns out that she loves creative nonfiction and reads it all the time. She’s a New Yorker reader, not an Oprah fan. And service stories aren’t her thing. She’d written one because she figured that service pieces were marketable. And her lack of enthusiasm came through – for her, writing this piece was like pushing a rock up a hill.
The good news? She’s about to embark on a real journey to become a skilled writer of creative nonfiction. She may even get a master’s degree. She has the talent – she just needs to learn some techniques and to practice. The big lesson for me: I need to make sure that students are true to themselves. One of the most important things any writer can do to improve his or her work is to do some self assessment: what do I care about? For whom do I want to write? Which authors do I love? Which magazines and writers do I read all the time? Which do I avoid? What kinds of topics and what sorts of writing energize me?
Writing well is brutally hard if you’re trying to make yourself into something you’re not. And it’ a joy – and really, kinda easy – when you allow yourself to be who you are, and let the world see who you are.
What a lesson.
Have you done any self-assessment lately? In your work, are you being true to yourself? [Elaine Appleton Grant]
So…instead of ‘write what you know”, focus on ‘write what you love?’
This makes sense. If you love it, you probably already know it. If you don’t love it, it’s gonna be a drag to GET to know it.
Great post, thanks!
-Perry
I recently went through very much the same process of self-evaluation as your student. I want to earn money with my writing, but I simply can’t do the kind of writing that freelancing requires. I can drive myself to it sometimes, but I hate it. The trick is figuring out what I can do instead, that will pay.
I couldn’t agree more! As a writer, I can’t NOT be who I am. (My main website is http://www.BeWhoYouAre.com.) But I have to take it as far as to say that I have to write what comes to me, and while I can write to sell, I can’t sell out my style. Why would anyone bother reading me? Thanks for a great post! Robin Rice
It’s one thing to write about what you love if you can afford to wait for the muse to come, but quite another if this is your livlihood. In the corporate world, there aren’t too many people who “love” their job, so if you have to make your living by freelance writing, then sit down and write the assignment you’ve signed up for. Chances are, you haven’t signed up for anything that you are morally opposed to; so just treat it as most people treat their jobs – there are good and bad assignments.
In the meantime, perfect the “big” project (and I am not being mean at all here) but to put bread on the table, do the “mundane” stuff and don’t feel bad about it.
You’ve got to try out different types of writing as well as various topics to find out what you want to write. I went from thinking I wanted to write about fashion and relationships to hard news to (finally) service on home & garden and writing business profiles. Go figure!
Just to be clear — I’m not at all suggesting that you solely “write what you love.” I’ve made my living as a writer for more than 20 years, now, and if I’d done that I can assure you I would have starved. What I am suggesting is that you need to be true to your voice and your intellect. You won’t always have the opportunity to write about subjects you’re passionate about, but you can write about any subject in an authentic manner. For my student, that meant that she should avoid bullet-pointed service stories and work in a more sophisticated style. Some people LOVE service stories and should do them daily. Sure, avoid subjects that you hate, and especially anything that feels morally wrong. But don’t wait for the muse to strike — that’s no way to have a professional career. I hope that clears up some confusion
Elaine
A very well put article on something so rarely acknowledged. Thanks for posting this.
I always wanted to be a fashion writer but I realized what I really like is women’s service journalism that isn’t fashion-heavy. So, I’m learning to do what I love
I’m at the point where I know I don’t like the primary work I’m doing, but I’m not sure what work I want to be doing. I need to write, but have no idea what I need to be writing. I need to do some exploring!