Bob's Write from the Start: Build It & They Will Come

Bob's Write from the Start

Bob’s Write from the Start, a blog sharing the roller coaster ride of this renewing writer’s feelings and actual experiences, began March 2017. That January, I began with a two-sentence contribution to a local Writing Group. I am now a Guest Columnist for a local paper and have contributed to small and online magazines. My comments for new and renewing writers? Start by starting. Join a writing group. You are unique but not alone. Once you start work, you will not be in Kansas anymore.

Saturday, June 24, 2017

Build It & They Will Come

OK, so the title of this blog is a common misquote of "If you build it, he will come", referring to Shoeless Joe Jackson. However, in the movie, Terrance Mann does say, "Ray, people will come Ray. They'll come to Iowa for reasons they can't even fathom."

Mann's pronouncement is a true reflection of the extreme version of the position many writers take. "What you have to say is valuable. If you learn to use your own voice to reveal the truth you carry, then people will be attracted to your writing. Yes, you will need skills and likely help to polish and publish what you produce. Polishing and publishing are usually critical aspects of making your voice heard, but first, you need to discover and hone your true voice. What you do not want to try to do is figure out what people want to read and twist yourself into an unnatural shape to accommodate that. You will likely fail. You almost certainly will be dissatisfied."

The other point of view is quite business-y: "Figure out your target market and how you skills match up. Do that."

It may be that the reality of writing as a blend of some version of these two, but that is seldom clear to the new writer overhearing these debates. The passion on each side makes it sound like either-or.

Whatever you decide is best for you, there are in-between choices I think

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About Me

Name: Bob's Write From The Start

Location: Sarnia, Ontario, Canada

Born, raised and living in Sarnia, Ontario, Bob Boulton began writing poetry, short stories and humorous articles for his high school newspaper in the period just after dinosaurs roamed the earth. His article on the mysteries of the Chess Club was particularly well-received. Bob’s excruciatingly naive teenage sonnet was published with positive mention in the high school yearbook. In University he wrote pretty much indecipherable essays on Existentialism and Phenomenology. Then, early in his working career, Bob also wrote short feature articles in the now-defunct (not his fault) Weston York Times. For this, he was paid $5.00 per article, which didn’t quite cover his transportation and parking costs. Then after a short break of thirty-five or forty years as an executive and leadership coach, Bob reactivated his passion for writing. The alternatives he considered were learning to yodel or trying to play the bagpipes. Bob’s loving and supportive family voted enthusiastically, and quickly, for writing.