06. Mick, on Writing

Writing about writing, by a self-proclaimed non-writer. This may well be a tedious post, but on a positive note I doubt anything I say on this would be found offensive by anybody, unlike some of my other other postings.  

I know several amazing people who are actually published writers, whether they write novels, columns, technical manuals, non-fiction or whatever. I truly admire these folks and their talents and abilities. I compare writing to any other artistry such as painting or sculpting... finding a story complete with characters, a plot, places, etc buried in the recesses of one's mind is to me incredible, that must be so satisfying to those writers. We are all made up of the same elements, chemicals, and operate by the same biological processes as each other, yet some are capable of inventing an entire world on paper. I could never even attempt such an accomplishment.

As far as my "writing" goes, I'll try to explain the process that this amateurish buffoon uses. I generally write what goes through my head, be it a race or ride report, my thoughts on quotes, friends, religion, or any of the other as yet blank documents I have on file in my Google drive folder. I've heard it said that one should write what one knows, so I fear I will quickly exhaust myself of subject matter. Time will tell.

How exactly do I write? The vast majority of my creations go something like this: As I work in the factory I tune out the world and wander off into my thoughts. (My coworkers think of me as quiet, pensive, and perhaps even unfriendly, but I'm just not mentally present at work.) Some of these random thoughts I find I can expand upon, and so I do. A writing generally begins with a blank document (or sheet of scrap paper and pencil, never pen) on which I will put a working title, and spread several lines apart below, there will be one- or two-word high points of what I'm trying to write about.Think of it at this point as a very vague outline. From this state I revisit the essay many many times, each time adding a few words or sentences, editing and re-editing, seemingly never finding the exact words I need to express that fleeting thought I had in the beginning. Often this will take me a couple weeks of editing in ten minute increments during my breaks at work as I struggle to find a way to translate my thoughts into words that make some sort of sense.

Ironically, back in the educative portion of my life, I loathed to write. If a paper was assigned and had to be done in a certain timeframe I'd procrastinate until it was too late, and then rush through it and turn in a real piece of crap. My English grades reflected those efforts of mine to a tee. Some of the first writing  I did post-education was for our family holiday letters, and to my surprise, I found I enjoyed it! (Yes, we are those people, not content to send a card or photo, we have to bore you with our family's "accomplishments" of the year.) I also penned some ride reports for the local bike club newsletter, after some begging on their part, and now I even have this blog thing!

Why do I write...if you've suffered through the mechanics of how I do this, maybe this will be slightly more entertaining. My writing is largely narcissistic, I do it strictly for myself. Because I enjoy it. I write to preserve memories while they are still fresh in my mind. I don't even consider my audience (as if such a thing exists) while I write, I do it for me. I find writing therapeutic, it helps me vent, it is wonderful for clearing my mind, it relaxes me, it really passes time (often too quickly). One downside: the time I now dedicate to this (remember, I do most of this during my breaks at work) was previously my time for either reading or napping, and I miss them both. Dearly.

A parallel may be easily drawn between my writing and riding. Both leave me happy, satisfied, and looking forward to my next session. They both sometimes can be very difficult and challenging, but I love the way I feel while doing them. It's almost Zen-like. The sense of accomplishment, of having challenged and bettered myself, the feeling of having taken a clean slate and filled it with something is what compels me to do this. I hope that in reading this you didn't find me excessively boring. My attempts to make this interesting, in my mind, fell far short. In the future I'll try to find subject matter that is more interesting. Thanks for reading (both of you!)

Footnote: I began writing this on Jan 27, and on the 30th I took one of those Buzzfeed quizzes to determine something about me. You know, the ones that tell you what breed of dog you are, what Big Bang character you are (Penny?), etc. This quiz told me what career I should have, mine claimed I ought to be a writer!