Teach A Writer to Publish

There's a very old Chinese proverb: "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."

I truly believe that philosophy applies to writers by teaching them how to publish. This time last year, I heard a great deal of the sentiment, "Don't hand me the fucking pole! Just gimme the goddamn fish!"

This year, not so much. Learning the process of what goes into making a story suitable for public consumption has been freeing for so many writers. By understanding the process, they realize the worms aren't so squishy, the hooks not so dangerous. It's a dirty job, but it's fun at the same time. And at the end of the day, there's a certain sense of satisfaction when you share your grilled work with the folks gathered around the campfire.

So grab a pole, my writer friends, and go fish!

Progress

Currently reading - Born of Night - Sherrilyn Kenyon

I love it when I make progress. Of course having a three-day weekend once in a while helps.

Roughly, 1,500 words have been written on the current wip today bringing the total over 22,000. In fact, it's the only fiction writing I've accomplished this week. Finding the time to write lately has been difficult with the packing, not to mention the daily minutia, but the family room has got to be cleaned out in order to install the new door, paint and lay the flooring.

Granted, 1,500 words may not seem like a lot by some people's standards, but every little step forward is a step toward the end of the journey. I think I've finally learned to accept this philosophy. I've been a very competitive person my entire life. Uber-competitive. Like in a AAA personality. Any wonder I had to quit practicing law thanks to extreme high blood pressure?

Understanding your own writing process is one of the hardest things for any writer to learn. It's taken me nearly seven years to develop my process. Have you discover your process and how long did it take you?