Writing

In the on and off 3 year public writing journey, I have shared many different experiences I have had. I loved recalling the details of the events and getting feedback.

One of those stories was about the 2 years I spent at the Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia. I still call it the best 2 years of my life. After I decided to write a book, I struggled with what aspect to focus on. 

The masterclass with Malcom Gladwell made me think about writing about specific topics after conducting interviews and doing research. It seemed like a more professional way to talk about any topic. I went back and forth about how to proceed. I decided that I didn't want to write an autobiography as I had initially thought about. 

After going through some back and forth, I settled on fiction. I will use events that happened as inspiration and focus on the ideas that I am interested in. So I settled on fiction. Focused on the story, dialogue and concepts. 

This week, I started writing it. 

Draft 1 of - Outline and chapter 1 are done. 

And I hate it. 
Nothing seems as fluid as when I first thought of the idea. 
But this is not my first time hating my first draft. So I will continue. 


I see your greatest struggle in writing being that you try to write to others and please them.

i think when you visciously edit your work you are seeing your work through the eyes of this imagined audience.

the best writing you've done so far i think are just stories that came from your heart. i think if you spent more of your time writing those and less time polishing them you'd discover a lot more.
2021-11-30 14:23:12
I agree. I think too much about my audience and that hinders some of my writing. But I am a firm believer that you have to think about your audience when you create something - at least in the beginning. I am still learning to write in a way that is interesting and engaging. It is hard for me to do that without thinking about the audience at all. 

Maybe seasoned authors can do so but I have a long way to get there. 
2021-12-02 00:28:59