My Writing Journey - F.Scott Fitzgerald

My Writing Journey

What is good writing, according to F.Scott Fitzgerald “all good writing is swimming under water and holding your breath.” I must admit for a long time I felt this way every time I got ready to write, as if I were holding my breath, and waiting for ideas to manifest. My writing has evolved over the years and has gotten much easier for me. I guess writing is like anything else in life, the more you do it the better you get; learning is repetition. I remember being up nights staring at the screen praying for the words to come to me, so I could get something on paper. The words wouldn’t come and as I sat there listening to music or tv, I would zone out and eventually wait to the next day. It wasn’t until I started being alone with my own thoughts with no distractions could I get the words to come and fill up the paper. But, writing is more than me being able to get the words on the paper and this is where the challenge of good writing becomes apparent.

Words can be a beautiful tool to describe many things and express yourself. I am an individual that loves words. I was one of those kids that would be in school spelling bees and score high on the vocabulary test. Spelling has always been something I have been good at and as a result I felt I could be a good writer. I use to think writing was just getting the words to flow and make an elegant story; a captivating story. A story that would grab the attention of the reader and have them lost longing for more. I would proofread my stories, which is another strength I have and by it being a strength; I would realize something is keeping this from being a good story. Then, I realized what it is was,  my punctuation.

Writing as I mentioned has not always been a friend to me and one of the reasons why was because as easy as it is for me to put words on paper, it wasn’t’ as easy for me to know what punctuation to use.  I could  be the most prolific and elegant writer ever, but if my writing is filled with errors and run on sentences, who would take it seriously or even enjoy it? No one is the answer and according to chapter 1, “first impressions, especially bad ones, can prevent a reader from ever considering the ideas hidden underneath the surface errors” (Editorial Board, 2014, p.5). No one wants their work not to be taken seriously. This is why I began using tools to improve my writing.