Take Time To Nurture Your Talent

Have a question? Agree, disagree, with me?
Leave me your opinion.

"I don't have time, or a place to

write everyday." You said.

Slip, at least, a couple hours into

writing during the day or night.

Set the alarm, for example, two hours

earlier than usual. Especially, if your

surroundings tend to be busy, noisy.

I have the problem of inner-city living.

It's loud where I live. So, I learned

to concentrate on what I'm writing.

As with anything else, practice for

success, everyday.

Simply, slice away some time to

reach your goal of writing.

The best time for you could be on

a break at work. Use a tape recorder

to take notes on a possible story, or

article.

Scoop-up the there's no time to write

excuse, and turn it into fiction. It

should be no longer than one

thousand words.

It's what writers do, or a large

part of what they do.

"What do writers do?" You asked.

They find time to write, scribble

words down. At a later time, go

back to make corrections.

The more you write, the better

you'll become. You'll develop

an editor's eye to critique

your own work.

Now, that isn't to say, you will

not make mistakes. However,

you acquire the skill to see/correct

them, and that's a plus for writers.

Who knows? It could be something you

do for a fee.

I'm referring to critiquing or teaching

to make extra money.

I believe, it's harder to edit one's own

work. Once the editor's eye is developed,

it can take you down many interesting

paths. If you are able to spot mistakes in

your work then do it for others, for a fee.

Some teens, in my neighborhood, were

making noises on the street I live. I

took notes, on different days:

-teen boys trying to bully

-why?

-who?

-teen boys doing drugs

My observations can roll into fiction

or non-fiction.

"Can you turn it into an essay?" Someone

asked.

My essay start follows.

The teen boys, ages range from twelve to

seventeen, congregate on the same corner,

everyday. The fact that they sell drugs

exposes all of us to more danger. Child

on child crime is common. How sad, but

it's a fact of life, in the city.

Feelings of heightened anxiety...

Let's look at how the same notes are

turned into fiction.

"Tom, what's that white powder 'round

your nose?" Jeff stopped at his front

door.

"Mind ya're biz." Tom rubbed his nose.

"You shoulda cleaned your face before

coming home." Jeff opened the door to

their house. "Seeing that would upset

mom."

Tom pushed Jeff into the door. They

fell to the floor, struggled.

"What's going on here?" Mrs. Balls asked.

"Stop it!"

She ran to the kitchen, returned with a

pitcher of water. She poured it on the

teens. They pulled away from each other.

The few notes supplied many ideas. The

same can hold true for you.

Everywhere you go, material for writing

waits to be plucked, and smoothed into

fiction or non-fiction.

Yes, ideas for writing are everywhere.

Have you unintentionally over-heard a

conversation at the mall? Something funny

or unusual happened at a family get-together?

I sat next to an older lady who was talking

to a teen. I was deciding if I wanted to

visit the chocolate store.

"I don't think you should go." The older

lady protested.

"I never go anywhere." The teen whined.

"They're my family too."

"But they didn't want anything to do with

you. Now, you inherited..."

I quietly left. After all, a

personal conversation.

I jotted down notes at the chocolate

store, but not exact words.

My idea was to have a teen raised by her

grandmother. The parents died, years before,

and the daughter is at an age where she can

receive money left, or claim funds from a

trust.

There are numerous ways to move with it.

At the family get-together pin-down an

idea. What stood out at this gathering?

You will be amazed at the ideas floating

around, and success is yours. You must

believe in yourself.