Confidence

Image is from: edutechgeek.files.wordpress.com

Lately, I've spread my writing wings a bit beyond genre fiction and blogging. I've got one and one-half short stories written, a food memoir, a report on an event and even a deposition for a court case. I'm also looking forward to writing and delivering a humorous Toastmaster's speech.

What is remarkable is this: these days when I sit down to write anything, I have the confidence that I can do the writing, both first and subsequent drafts and that it will be at least acceptable. How did it get from my cybercrime sleuth to Jill of all trades?

Plant butt in chair is the big advice for writers. In other words, sit down and write. And yanno, if you do it often enough (5+ novels,umpteen blog entries, this 'n that) eventually you get the hang of it, and you know you can do it. You can produce whatever is needed without blood and tears. Sweat may still be involved, but one out of three isn't bad.

I'm feeling pretty good about this, because it's been a long time coming. When I first started writing, "they" said you had to write half a million words (500,000 for the math dumbos) before you were any good. I did that and more in 5 novels. Probably wrote close to 750,000 with rewrites and so on. In the beginning, that many words sounded impossible, when I had written maybe 75,000. Yikes! And another beginning writing teacher hushed me when I tried to bring this up in class. I believe he thought that it would discourage the "beginners." Dammit ! Ambition should be made of sterner stuff.

Maybe I should thank my blog readers, whoever they are, for reading the blog and keeping me blogging, because "Suck It Up" counts for a words written, too, over the years. And writing with brevity helps the cause.

So thanks. Comments, as always are welcome.

Grapesbot

Then and Now

Today was the last day of my HTML class at a local junior college. Many moons ago, I registered for computer classes at the College of Lake Country in Grayslake, Illinois. After a stint as a young mom and suburban housewife I was setting forth to learn to program mainframe computers. I cannot tell you how scared I was, which was stupid, because I had a degree from one of the best schools in the country. But it was in English. Something about being stuck in the suburbs with kids and zero mental stimulation just saps your confidence.

Back then we were suburban moms, dropouts, school teachers changing professions, battered women in CETA training, a whole gamut of backstories and careers, but we had in common that we wanted to better ourselves. I got over my terror at being out in the wide world and had a respectable career in IT for years, thanks to 3+ semesters and a few hundred dollars. The payback was big.

This time, I had no fears or qualms, with the confidence that I could handle anything HTML threw at me. And I did. The web page is coming along so nicely. Mastery of anything gives one confidence. Even writing novels that don't sell lets the writer know that she can write yet another novel, even better. Confidence helps a speaker relax and talk about the subject with ease. Confidence. Too bad we can't bottle it.

Of course, to some, a confident woman is poison. What the hell does she know? Who does she think she is? Get over it.

Confidence's seatmate is enthusiasm,another Good Thing. It's also contagious., and can even bring forth a job offer. These things I have learned. At the university I learned how to work hard, and that I could master most anything with enough effort, a lesson reinforced in the junior college. Whatever it takes. Gung go, as they say. These are lessons learned over a lifetime. I hardly know that young woman who was so nervous about committing to a few courses at a junior college, but I haven't forgotten her.

So strike forth ready to slay the dragons. They're probably paper.

I'm at a writing conference for the next three days. Have a very fine weekend!

Onward,

Grapeshot