Someone Who Writes.

What is a writer? Someone who writes.

In author Matt Gemmell’s video series on writing a novel, he sets out one of the fundamental roadblocks to becoming a writer: writing, and writing regularly. That’s it. That’s the only qualification that makes you a writer or not. You have to actually get on and write. Doing this consistently though, that’s the challenge. To approach it like work, to sit down and do it even when you don’t feel like it, when you feel stuck or uninspired. Many of us, not just writers, would recognise ourselves in Matt’s honest videos, I imagine, and so I really appreciated Matt’s insightful post on what he’s learned from writing 300 short stories in as many weeks.

When I started writing stories earlier this year, someone recommended Matt as an author to follow, and I’ve been reading his weekly short stories ever since. Many have an element of magic or mystery to them, and I’ve been enjoying reading the diverse tales he weaves from so many different starting points.

When I began, I used to worry that as a writer I only had a finite supply of ideas, and that once I used them up I’d have nothing else to write. Matt points out that, in fact, ideas can come from anywhere:

Having ideas is a state of mind, not an outcome. You choose to have ideas, by viewing your life from the perspective of a writer.

I’ve certainly found this to be true. The more I write, the more ideas I have, it seems, just because I now think like a writer. Even doing something mundane, like the washing up, my brain can start involuntarily spinning a story from what’s in front of me. It really is the case that there are more ideas than can ever be captured.

Matt also talks about being a “planner” — a writer who refines the plot of their story before beginning — versus a “pantster” — someone who just starts writing, without knowing exactly where it will go. I’ve definitely found myself in the latter camp, mainly because I just enjoy writing. Turning on the tap and letting the torrent of words spring forth is, to me, the best way to get the ideas out in the open, give them air and see what they turn into. Sometimes I have a half-formed plot in my head (I almost never write it down beforehand), but lots of my stories have turned out completely different from how I vaguely imagined they would when I started writing them. There is always room for organising and refinement later. It’s validating to know that other authors work in this way too. Again, I had a vague notion that most “serious” authors plan things out.

But, just as with the ideas, as Matt says, it’s about trust:

The thing about pantsing is that you have to trust yourself, and some of that trust comes from instinct and some comes from the subconscious magic of experience; I didn’t have the latter, but I do now.

While I certainly don’t have Matt’s level of experience or accomplishment, I can identify with the point he makes. Writing regularly for the past six months has given me the confidence to trust my own creativity. I am no longer daunted by a blank page.

I absolutely concur with Matt’s conclusion:

...consistent practice of something will invariably bring improvement, but it will certainly bring confidence, and I think that confidence is both more important and probably also the primary means by which the improvement occurs.

I encourage you to read the full article for many more nuggets of wisdom besides the ones I’ve selected here!