This afternoon I am doggy-sitting my daughter’s 7 week-old chihuahua, Bella. At her 6 week checkup she weighed exactly one pound. Bella is a typical puppy–wants everything right now, plays with everything (she grabs her chewy toy and struts about the lawn, looking like an ant with an oversized burden), gnaws on everything, and then stops in mid-gnaw to grab a short nap. The biggest fear we have is that one of us will step on her. In a way, new writers are often similar to puppies. I remember wanting everything right away, playing with all sorts of different styles and writing forms, chewing over rejections or critiques instead of applying their lessons. My biggest fear was of being stepped on by a more experienced or published writer.
You aren’t a chihuahua, but maybe you can relate. You can’t learn fast enough, or make your writing skilled enough to do what you want to do. All the chewy toys in the world can’t replace the one thing you need the most: a byline (preferably a paid byline). Yet you will keep on going because you know it will pay off later.
Writing Tip for Today: Right at this moment, I can barely move because sweet Bella is napping on my lap. When you feel stuck or limited by your own puppy-clumsy writing mistakes, remember that Bella won’t always look like an ant carrying an oversized leaf. She’ll grow up and so will you. Practice improving your craft and you are bound to mature as a writer. Keep writing!