The Daily Blog: Write, Write and Write!

I am trying to take seriously the task of blogging more regularly. I don’t know if anybody is actually reading these things, but my platform statistics look good, so thank you. The question becomes: What the heck can I write about every day? 

Blogging is important because it’s a way for me to get back into the practice of writing. Many young people have asked me what it takes to become a writer. Three simple words: Write, write, and write! Daily writing helps a writer to refine the craft and grow. In this modern age, people are so overly busy, being pulled and pushed by too many commitments. There seems to be no time to slow down and breathe. Writing is conducive to healthy reflection. It’s important to take a little time out of our busy-ness and simply think about what we’re doing in life, where we are going, and what we are dreaming and hoping. Even if blogs are simply a record of what we did on a given day, it’s a start. 

Writing can be a form of prayer. Many of the great saints kept a journal of some kind. I’m not saying I’m a saint, by the way. Far from it! But I can appreciate the discipline of sitting down and remembering my thoughts and feelings, my joys and sorrows, my accomplishments and disappointments. After blogging on and off for the past ten years, I can now look back on my life and give thanks to God for both the blessings and the not so great times. 

And I’m not talking about quick tweets on Twitter or status updates on Facebook. If we’re not careful, social media can degenerate into so much venting. Blogging takes a bit more effort, with complete sentences and development of thought. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I enjoy it. 

I once had a friend comment to me that he can always recognize my emails and social media posts because they are so grammatically correct, with no misspellings, abbreviations or shortcuts. I consider that a great compliment. Have you ever read The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White? That little gem of a book was required reading in my Sophomore English class during high school. I remember how my classmates and I bemoaned our professor’s once-a-week focus when he read a portion of the book, commented on it, and had us writing examples of what he lectured on. But I now appreciate Strunk and White’s sage advice, particularly on the importance of conciseness, and I occasionally re-read their classic just to keep my writing focused. 

Another influential writer for me is J.D. Salinger, the lifelong reclusive who essentially only had one major book, The Catcher in the Rye. But sometimes it only takes one classic to put a writer on the map. Catcher would seem to be the complete antithesis of The Elements of Style, with its colloquial and slang-heavy first person narrative that was filled with the seemingly non-sequitur ramblings of its teen protagonist, Holden Caulfield. But what a masterful way to get into the mind of that character! 

As I have mentioned in an earlier blog, John Steinbeck is another writer who has had great influence over me. First, he is one of America’s most prolific novelists who was not afraid to tackle important social issues in an accessible and often entertaining way. Steinbeck had this gift for helping his readers understand the motivations that drove his colorful cast of characters. One of my favorite examples of this is from Travels with Charley, his journal of a road trip across America with his beloved dog. One early morning, after a long night of hard driving, he pulled into a hotel to check in, but the only room available was in messy disarray from the previous guest. The staff had not yet had an opportunity to clean the room, but Steinbeck said it was okay. He just wanted a place to crash into deep slumber; he didn’t care about the condition of the room. 

Steinbeck immediately became preoccupied with the mess left behind by the previous guest, including crumbled newspapers and discarded letters and bills. Based on that small amount of information, the great author wrote a fascinating character sketch on a man whom he had never met! 

So my advice to young aspiring writers – Write, write, and write! – is supplemented by three more words: Read, read, and read! It is only through writing and reading that one becomes a writer. It can be a lonely and reclusive vocation but the task of shaping words and ideas into prose or poetry that inspires readers is richly rewarding. 

And now I have enough substance in this blog for posting. Thank you for reading!