Praecedo—March 2012
29 February 2012, 23:17
This one is just sneaking in under the wire. With a little over 40 minutes to go before the editorial is due to go live, I have only just begun to write. You can tell that I was drummed out of the Boy Scouts early on; Be Prepared is not a phrase I live by.
Procrastinating from tasks I know are important is one of an increasingly long list of weaknesses I have. And I lay it before you, for all to see, in order to hold myself accountable and to try to exorcise the grasp it has over me.
This month will be difficult for the writers here. For the past few weeks they have wrestled with the most implacable of opponents—themselves—in order to write searingly honest appraisals of themselves as writers. And now they have to sit back, and watch as they are displayed before the public, warts and all, to be weighed, measured and judged.
It has been a struggle for many. It has been a struggle for me. And it should be a struggle; absolute honesty with oneself is perhaps the hardest, but most necessary, form of self-improvement. Stripping past the false modesty over our achievements, and the false focus upon the “faults-which-are-really-strengths”, to subject ourselves to a forensic analysis of what we as writers truly need to improve, and what things we can truly hold up as a triumph.
Speaking of triumphs, I’d like to point to our Form and Genre Challenge 2012 as being a great triumph. Although only a few weeks into the project, we have seen a spike in traffic, a resurgence in participants in writing prompts, a host of new faces in the comments and some truly terrific writing from the participants. If you haven’t already taken part in the challenge, I strongly urge you to take a look at it, and get stuck in. It is not only a great way to gain exposure to a multitude of genres, but also a way to professionally engage with your fellow writers.
It is a brave thing to come to know yourself, and I applaud every writer here who has taken the time to look deep within their hearts and come to terms with who they are as a writer, both the good and the bad. It takes courage and commitment. As you read the posts this month, I’d like you to begin thinking about your own identity as a writer. Do any of the experiences of the writers strike a chord with you? What are your strengths and weaknesses as a writer. Blog about it, journal it, keep it on a scrap bit of paper hidden in your secret place, but be honest with yourself about who you are and where you are as a writer. From there, you will know how to improve.
29 February 2012, 23:36
Just in time. As bad as my planning and work ethic is, I do have a strength in my ability to respond to deadlines…
