Category Archives: Writing

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Is Writing a Sprint or a Marathon?

Fast or Slow, and does it really Matter?

IMG_1837 editA SPRINT? There are some prolific writers out there. They wow us with their ability to produce material and to do it rapidly, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. Goodness. They truly amaze. They know how to sprint to the finish line and get the job done in mere seconds (days). They have learned how to do it, hire the babysitters, hire out certain tasks, make connections, get up in the wee hours, make every minute count…yada, yada, yada. It has to take passion and determination to work so hard and do so much and with lots of energy. The quick finishers have an advantage. They get the book done in a hurry, and another, and another.  Doing it well is the challenge, but they have resources that help them. I do believe living a disciplined life is essential for the sprinter. They must know what they are about–translated–the confidence to do it.

A MARATHON? Then there are the rest of us. We are the  marathoners. It takes us a long time to do the job, but we sustain the effort, pace ourselves for the long haul, keep hydrated, and do it and do it well. It’s not just about finishing the race, but it’s about how we run the race. Learning and doing, learning and doing, improvement and application, improvement and application. It just keeps on building, a layer upon another layer until we start gaining ground on our opponents, even winning a race once in awhile. We notice our competitors. There’s the in-born natural talent, and then there’s the hard work variety, sometimes both together.  The marathon writers hone their skills and do whatever it takes to endure to the end, even when the side is aching, the legs are burning, and the mouth is dry.

PREPARATION. It has a lot to do with how you prepare and what you have eaten. Like the athlete, we must keep ourselves current and in shape or the industry will leave us behind. In a sense, I think writing is a marathon for both groups because it is ever changing. Endurance is a required ability for the writer, one that is gained and developed over time. In writing, the person who wants to make it, must be able to improve, learn, and then sustain the effort. When the going gets tough, the tough get going.

PERSISTENCE. Successful writing has a lot to do with purposed endeavor. We won’t get anywhere if we don’t determine to give it the effort it deserves. The other day I was doing some research when I came across a book written by a medical doctor. I started perusing its pages online. The errors were jumping out at me, grammatical errors and errors in syntax were in almost every paragraph, yet I kept reading because I enjoyed the book’s message. It seemed such a shame because the ideas were soundly presented and well thought out. I asked myself, Why are there so many errors? I checked out the author’s bio and found out she was from a non-English speaking country. Ah-ha. Then it made sense. The book must have been self-published or published in her country by other ESL personnel.  I thought of all the books she must have purchased that haven’t sold. She must be disheartened. Looking at the book’s ranking confirmed that it was not doing well. It saddened me.

HURDLES. There are some things you must not compromise or ignore while running the marathon or you will collapse to the ground. A poorly written book will always be a poorly written book. It doesn’t have what it takes to make it shelf-worthy. It was so unnecessary, a wasted effort. There were no positive book reviews posted either. How could there be?  The sad thing is, her book has a credible purpose and positive mission. She was writing in an effort to expose an important idea that funneled out of her medical practice. I wanted to say, “You need to do a revision. I volunteer to edit your book. Let’s make the necessary corrections to make it sing.” I want her to get it right. A major deterrent is that editing is costly (and some publishers are taking advantage, but that’s another story). Editing is a hurdle in the hurdles race! One must expect it in the self-publishing industry.

SPRINT or a MARATHON? Both are great. Prepare, do your best, and do it right.

Happy Writing!
————–
N. L. Brumbaugh, with an author’s perspective

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My Journey as a Writer

To the outside observer, my journey as a writer would seem to be rather recent. That’s only because I self-published a book in 2012. However, the journey probably started when I was in grade school. We all have a natural bent. Mine was, I liked to draw and kind of liked to write. I did enjoy literature, a lot. Miss Elliott in fourth grade helped with that. We spent the whole year reading Tom Sawyer every day after lunch recess. We read out of old green hardbacks that must have been three to four inches thick. They were unabridged volumes. She said they were rare.

In fourth grade I also got to draw a large  mural of a helicopter for the Christmas Program. I remember a lot about fourth grade and the presentations I did and the recognition I received. Miss Elliott must have known how to encourage a timid child. I also learned long division in “new math” that year which wasn’t so glorious.

In sixth grade, Mr. Hibdon, was good at bringing things to life. I learned about grammar from him. It wasn’t out of a textbook or workbook, just from the board with various skill sets. I guess I remember the grammar because it was the lone time when I got the highest score in the class on a test and it happened to be our final grammar test of the year combining all that we had learned from day 1. I even beat out the two Mike’s, the brainy whiz-kids! We also wrote and read poetry that year. I remember writing a poem that rhymed with words ending  with  ___at.

My country report on Ecuador blended two of my better skills. I got to draw several pictures for its contents and I also got to handwrite in blue ink for the report. My cursive wasn’t all that fancy, but I liked writing the report. In sixth grade we learned to identify birds and became birders, even got tested on the birds we could identify while we walked around the school yard.  We learned lots of art and made a portfolio: we learned perspective, shading, still life, patterned imagery, painting. We also were rewarded for doing well in SRA. The reward: We got to read! The book? The Yearling. When we got to a certain level in SRA, then we could read the book. (Pretty darn smart)  A good teacher knows how to make school worth going to … at least in the days before assessments and testing became the hill to climb and end-all!

Throughout the primary grades and through high school I could rely on my writing to a certain degree. I remember entering the Guidepost Magazine scholarship writing contest for high school seniors. My English teacher edited the paper for me. I was hopeful, but the story wasn’t that exceptional. It helps to have a good story to tell!

IMG_0206Writing comes in fairly handy when you need it. In the early 1990s, I decided to write more often. I entered a couple of contests but never got anywhere IMG_0278with them. I was always involved in church ministries so I decided to start writing Christmas plays every other year. I was the director and choir leader so this dovetailed nicely. I’d write the story line in September or October. The nativity scenes would weave in and out of the drama. Then I’d choose what Christmas songs we would add to the scenes. Next would be the task of asking a few people to play the parts, prepare the props, and make sure the costumes were ready. The toddler through sixth grade children all had a part to play and most of them sang in the choir.

I enjoyed creating the story, it would have some humor, a couple of cute sayings, and a thematic message which would build to a climax. I was a stickler for parts being memorized and proper vocal projection. We rarely used microphones. People can do it if you bring it out of them. The ending of the story would have an emotional twist, then the whole cast would come on stage and we would sing a joyful song at its conclusion. That was moment I would wait for, when the audience would collectively sigh then smile then laugh then clap. It was fun! The church would reward me with a beautiful bouquet to take home with me. It added to the Christmas charm in my home.

Besides writing my book (and the ones I have in the works right now), the most challenging writing I have ever done was technical writing for a clinical instruction model which detailed assessments for a practicum while I was finishing up my coursework to become a reading specialist. It was intensive. For months I buried myself in my studies and writing.

The majority of the time was spent at the computer formulating detailed reports about reading evaluations and instructional procedures, documenting the progress and hours of instruction, explaining the various tests I had administered and their results, providing information on the professional meetings with the parents and administrators that I had conducted. My family was on-hold for those few weeks in spring semester.

My writing has improved as I continue to use it in different ways and for various purposes. I like to play with words to make them sound the best I can in a way that sounds intelligent and sharp. It has become almost a challenge with me. It is a standard I have erected for myself.  In conclusion, writing is a craft, a skill, and a communication tool.

In some ways, I wish I had made the decision to write many years ago for I find it pleasurable, rewarding, and stimulating. I’m not sure, though, if it would have paid the bills. The writing I contribute is a little bit different than most. I know this, not because I know this by experience, but I know this by what doesn’t sell or win contests or gain newspaper column space and by the difficulty it has presented in getting my voice heard. Am I discouraged? Once in awhile. But most of the time I am content.

I am doing what I enjoy, sharing the message I’ve been given, learning and learning in all sorts of ways, and meeting lots of interesting people in the process. It’s a joy to do something that brings a person pleasure. That is exactly what my journey as a writer has given to me.

Happy Writing!

N. L. Brumbaugh