The Patient Writer
Writing is not a get rich quick endeavor. I’ve been a committed writer for seven years. Though I have published a children’s book, I haven’t made lots of money from the sales. I’ve been working on a novel for four years. Before that it took me two or three years to write a memoir that I decided not to publish. The blogs I write don’t make me any money. So, why write?
I saw a quote once that said something like, “I write to find out what I’m thinking.” I don’t remember who said it, but it came close to expressing why I write. This is usually what happens to me when I sit at the computer to write. Someplace deep inside, I have a feeling that I want to write about. I have no clear ideas only feelings. So I sit down and write until the words express what I’m feeling.
This process started long ago when I was twenty-four. I was having a rough time in college, I started my college career when I was twenty-two. I went there to expand my mind, but was confronted with situations that helped me develop my emotional intelligence as well. Someone suggested I begin keeping a journal. That was one of the best things that could have happened at that time. As I began to write, I discovered all kinds of things about myself, and I healed.
For years that was the extent of my writing. I was involved in theatre, which helped fulfill my desire to tell stories. But, I had the writing bug. In graduate school, I took playwrighting classes and I was hooked. As an actor you follow what’s already on the page and create your character from the clues the playwright gives you. As the writer, I could control not just one character, but all of them. Not to mention, I could create the plot as well. I liked that!
Jumping the tracks of one life path to get on another isn’t easy, especially when one path supports you financially, and the other takes years before you see a penny. Eventually however the voice in my head became too loud to ignore. The transition hasn’t been easy, but it’s been rewarding in ways that money can’t buy. I love having a reason to get up in the morning after all those years of dragging myself out of bed to go to work. Now my work is just a few feet from my bedroom. I look forward to each new day and writing adventure.
Soon I’ll be publishing my first novel, *The Space Between Time*. Writing it these last four years has been one of the most rewarding times of my life. I’ve learned so much about myself working on it every day. I may not make millions, or even hundreds of dollars after I publish it, but I still say the work was worth it. I’ll be a patient writer and continue to work everyday, because when I write, I find out more about who I am, and what I’m feeling. That in itself is a huge contribution to the world.
Lucinda Sage-Midgorden © 2014
I saw a quote once that said something like, “I write to find out what I’m thinking.” I don’t remember who said it, but it came close to expressing why I write. This is usually what happens to me when I sit at the computer to write. Someplace deep inside, I have a feeling that I want to write about. I have no clear ideas only feelings. So I sit down and write until the words express what I’m feeling.
This process started long ago when I was twenty-four. I was having a rough time in college, I started my college career when I was twenty-two. I went there to expand my mind, but was confronted with situations that helped me develop my emotional intelligence as well. Someone suggested I begin keeping a journal. That was one of the best things that could have happened at that time. As I began to write, I discovered all kinds of things about myself, and I healed.
For years that was the extent of my writing. I was involved in theatre, which helped fulfill my desire to tell stories. But, I had the writing bug. In graduate school, I took playwrighting classes and I was hooked. As an actor you follow what’s already on the page and create your character from the clues the playwright gives you. As the writer, I could control not just one character, but all of them. Not to mention, I could create the plot as well. I liked that!
Jumping the tracks of one life path to get on another isn’t easy, especially when one path supports you financially, and the other takes years before you see a penny. Eventually however the voice in my head became too loud to ignore. The transition hasn’t been easy, but it’s been rewarding in ways that money can’t buy. I love having a reason to get up in the morning after all those years of dragging myself out of bed to go to work. Now my work is just a few feet from my bedroom. I look forward to each new day and writing adventure.
Soon I’ll be publishing my first novel, *The Space Between Time*. Writing it these last four years has been one of the most rewarding times of my life. I’ve learned so much about myself working on it every day. I may not make millions, or even hundreds of dollars after I publish it, but I still say the work was worth it. I’ll be a patient writer and continue to work everyday, because when I write, I find out more about who I am, and what I’m feeling. That in itself is a huge contribution to the world.
Lucinda Sage-Midgorden © 2014
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