Letters

How are you doing today?
In this newsletter is a challenge and a tool
Challenge
If you like poetry and would love a writing challenge you should sign up for The Poetry Marathon Challenge.
The goal is to write a poem every hour.
The challenge broken down into two
Full Marathon 24 hours
Half marathon 12 hours
Check the poetry marathon website for more details.
I will be participating in the challenge this year.
This year’s Poetry Marathon is fast approaching. It officially starts on September…

Are you learning to write on your own?
I have been there . Yes I haven’t figured it out but it would have been faster if not for these mistakes I made.
Over the last five years while learning to write I have made these mistakes that slowed me down and almost discouraged me from ever trying to write.
Mistake 1 Postponing writing until you are good.
While learning to write . Watching videos.
Taking courses I did not write because I felt I should become better before I write.
It is only looking…

When will you be ready to write?
Done is better than perfect. you can only do so much as your skill permits for now.
When I look back at what I wrote five years ago I am shocked to see that I would write such trash. My eyes have opened.
When you write consistently you track your progress. You begin to see how your work changes over time.
I had this feeling (as stupid as it sounds ) that one day out of nowhere the stories would come rushing down and I would write in impeccable English.
So I…

Update
I went through some of the poems and stories I wrote during the April Daily writing challenge.
The writing is crap but there is glitter of light in them . With editing I can make that light shine.
Lesson learnt: You can never edit a blank page.
Experiments
I have been stagnant for too long around my writing. I want to hone my craft to the extent where I can boldly say I am a writer and have my works to show for it. ( Published or Not)
I am going into a custom writing challenge.
I call…

I have been following my own advice from last week newsletter on keeping a journal for story inspiration. The approach I use is writing the things that happened in the day as highlights.
Kind of memory triggers.
At the end of the week I use them to write a short fiction in one sitting.
I find that for short fiction if it takes more than one sitting it changes it becomes another story.
I use the Grid Diary app to journal for now.
On Writing Schedule
While everyone is not the same and the path…

What is the use of writing?
At a point we ask what is the use of writing.
Especially for writing like journalling and creative writing that is not necessary for a commodity.
What I see in the face of Ai is like the game of chess. The chess AI plays better than humans but we compete with ourselves .
Five years ago. Wait two years ago we discard the thought of robots writing literature now the argument has changed.
One thing is that the landscape of writing is changing .
People are bridging…

What makes writing good enough?
Personal Update
I have been writing my tests in school. Preparing for exams.
What makes writing great?
As a beginner when I read great writing it resonates and I love it.
But when it comes to writing mine there is that missing link. It is like an empty drum.
What is missing I don’t know. If I knew, my writing would be great.
One of the challenges of a beginner is that we don’t know what we don’t know.
I have been thinking ” how can I know the missing link”.
I…

The courage you need to write
At first when I started writing I thought it was because I didn’t know that much about the techniques that’s why I was scared. Until I realized that other pro writers where scared.
With every passing day I write . My admiration for the writers that show up to write grows.
Writing is an act of courage. Everyday I have to muster the courage to show up and write.
Quote
You need a certain amount of nerve to be a writer – Margaret Atwood.
I write in terror. I have to…

Quote
You fail only if you stop writing.” Ray Bradbury
Progress
Last week I told you about starting Small as a writer. I have consistently been writing for ten minutes everyday.
When I feel tired and overwhelmed, the goal is to show up as a writer and it is not necessary to write a “great” or “perfect” . Doing this reduces the pressure.
I feel more like a writer.
Ray Bradbury
One of Ray Bradbury Advice for young writers and beginners is to start writing a short story every week. I am taking…