The First Rule of Writing...

To paraphrase what Richard Rhodes calls "The Knickerbocker Rule:"

Apply derriere to chair.

It's as simple as that folks. I've violated that rule all weekend. I've been out and about for a few days, with no work getting done on my projects. I've come to realize that the only way to actually be a writer, is to show up at the page, sit your toukas down in a chair and scribble or type some words. A writer must spend time putting words together, on a regular basis (ideally every day.)

Sometimes you have to find the time to write, carving it out of your busy day. Rising at dawn, staying up late or finding some time to write on weekends and days off from your job. I love the movie "American Splendor." Harvey Pekar was a medical records clerk, lamenting he was a "nobody flunky." Yet he felt driven to create, to leave his mark. So he wrote the comic "American Splendor" after work, or at his desk, whenever he could find the time, and had Bob Crumb and other artists do the drawings.

I offer as Rule Number Two of Writing: (you get that as a bonus today thrown in with Rule Number One: affixing butt to chair and typing away...)

Surround yourself with people who genuinely support your growth as a creative artist. If you don't, it could serious impede your efforts to create. I know, I've been there. You generally know who these people are, in your life. Remember the expression, "Don't go to the hardware store to buy milk?" Don't look for the dream killers in your life, to lift you up and support you. Try to surround yourself with those people who want you to succeed in your goals. Step away from those who would suck the life out of you. Make your commitment to create art, a high priority. Simple as that.

Writing can be hard, lonely, and scary work. It's a bit terrifying to look at that blank page staring back at you, wondering how to fill it up with words. It's scary to present your work for review by editors and readers. It's a lot easier to travel, gather research and talk about the writing you're going to do, than it is to actually sit down and write something.

However, nothing is more satisfying than doing the work, and completing a project. It's that satisfaction and fulfillment, that motivates me to keep writing. I'm going to be posting my writing goals for the month soon (and putting them out there for the world to see should help me stay motivated to reach them.)