Write on Wednesday: Writing Practice

In today’s Write on Wednesday, Becca talks about “practice” (much as one would practice the piano) and asks:

How about you? Do you have a writing practice? What’s it like? How has it helped you become a better writer? If you’re thinking about starting a writing practice, how do you envision it? What would work for you?

I really don’t think I do have a writing practice. Oh, I write all the time – and I rework it. And it certainly has improved by that practice. But I do this because it is my work. When left to my own devices, I’m not terribly regular (though more so now that I write on The
Marmelade Gypsy).

I’ve done this “practice” in the past – following Julia Cameron’s Morning Pages routine, I would brain dump for several pages (Becca mentions doing this, also). And, like Sarah Ban Branach recommends, I’ve kept copious gratitude journals. I liked it well enough, but it didn’t really feel like practicing to be a writer because it was simply a dump, or a list.

So, what would I do differently? Well, in a perfect world, I would do it regularly. Every day would be nice. And midday – when I’m at my best. Not first thing in the morning when I’m in a rush, or late in the day/early evening when I’m wearing down. No, I would do it during the time that would be – if I took one – my lunch hour, or the hour before or after that. I might start with a prompt, or revisit one of the tons of ideas that float about in my head (few of which relate to any of the others!).

And then, because I’m me and I love to edit, I’d go at it!

Interestingly enough, here on my vacation – alone in my little cottage, save the orange boy-cat – I’ve been resoundingly productive. I’ve written an essay to submit to a competition, I’ve been doing art like a crazy woman (you see, for me, writing is probably secondary to the visual art part of me, though I’m not necessarily better at it! Maybe that’s why I need more art practice!), read a book, am halfway through a scarf, and have devoured the political conventions.

I’ve been “practicing” in a way. And I am genuinely adoring it!

Becca gave us a writing prompt, either for a journal or a blog thought. I’m going to contemplate, perhaps even write on this. But for now, I’ll share it with you:

“Write about a time in your life when you were learning a new activity - a musical instrument, a sport, a language - and how you went about practicing it.”