Writer Life

I first realized I was a writer in elementary school. I struggled to read until I hit second grade and my teacher, Mrs. Read, began to read out loud to our class the "Little House" books after recess. I loved the stories of living off the land and embraced the homestead way of life. The light turned on and the world of words was opened up to me, overnight.

Part of being a reader is being in love with the written language. This became a love affair that has been my focus nearly as long as I have been a follower of Christ. I have read thousands of books with thousands more in front of me. For me writing just came out of this. It has never been difficult for me to put together thoughts and to write them down. I have kept journals for most of my life and they catalog a lifetime of deep thinking, even if they never see the light of day.

In high school I wrote editorial pieces for the newspaper, and for the first time realized that I did not struggle to turn out papers like many of my friends. If I sat down to write, the words flowed. It became even more apparent that this was a gifting when I began teaching my own students how to write, and I just could not explain how to do it.

That's right, I can't teach writing. My kids all have writing programs and often times meet with outside resource specialists to teach writing. I can teach the grammatical and I can teach the concepts behind a thesis statement and a 5 paragraph essay, but I am unable to articulate what I do for a living.

Exactly how do you write meaningful words? I do not know child, I really don't know.

Now as I complete my masters degree, I have found that I need to learn how to say more with less. My professors do not want to read 20 page papers, they want to read simple concise essays. This means that I have had to change my writing style, to write even more meaningful words, and not just fill pages. As a counselor, my counselee's do not want to hear me talk on and on, they want a short impactful statement that they can take with them.

Say more with less. To do this with finesse and impact is now my goal as a writer. Make each word count.