On Being A Writer

It’s hard to believe that Saturday marks the fifth anniversary of starting this blog!

Seriously, where did the time go?

It was only a couple of weeks ago as I was reflecting on my struggles with writing that I realised this milestone was approaching and I decided that I couldn’t let it go unmarked.

When I set out five years ago, I had no idea what I was doing or where this path would lead, and as I look back over the journey so far I am grateful and encouraged, so I am planning five posts over the next five days to mark this five year anniversary, to reflect on some of the lessons I’ve learned and some of the blessings along the way.

For today’s post, I am going back to where it all began…

I discovered an online study going through the book “On Being A Writer” by Ann Kroeker and Charity Singleton Craig and it seemed like the ideal opportunity.  As well as learning from the book itself, we were encouraged to write a blog post reflecting on each chapter and then to visit others’ posts to read their insights and build community.

It was the perfect start!

As I tentatively shared my writing, I was surprised by the encouraging community I found and the lasting friendships I made.

The book was also incredibly helpful in getting started in writing.  I recently re-read it, and it was interesting to do this five years on – to remember all that I learned the first time round and to gain new insights as I came to it with much more experience of writing.

Whatever stage you are at in your writing life, I would highly recommend this book.  It presents twelve helpful habits to establish as a writer.  Each chapter begins with two short essays – one from each of the authors, in which they share their personal perspectives and a little bit of their story.  Then there are reflection questions and writing exercises to help the reader do the same.  It is full of useful tips and encouragement.

The habits cover a wide range of topics such as identifying as a writer (which is defined not as success but as intent and effort), noticing what is around you and choosing to surround yourself with things that boost your creativity, actually writing, and seeking ways to promote your work and share it with others.

The book talks about habits for “a sustainable writing life,” and five years down the line I would say that it has fulfilled that promise.

It is a helpful book to go through individually, but it is even better to use in a group (either in person or online) with other writers.

The authors have put together a series of videos introducing each chapter and sharing some further insights and this short introductory video shares something of the vision behind the book and how it came about:

You can find the playlist of all the videos in the series here and you can find the book on Amazon at these links: UK, US.

If you’re looking for some more writing inspiration, I’d also recommend you check out Ann Kroeker’s website which has a blog and podcast full of helpful writing tips.

And join me tomorrow for the second post in this five year anniversary series!