Hello All –

I’m looking to take the leap and really give an honest shot at writing. A few years ago I started what turned out to be a fairly successful Red Sox blog, however, I continually felt like I was just contributing to the great echo that the internet is, and to be honest, writing only about baseball left me wanting more. I changed my format some this past year, and really enjoyed shaping and finding my written voice further. There are some posts that I’m really proud of because of the unique point of view they presented, but fear the lonesome format of the blog may just be perpetuating bad habits of mine.

My biggest hurdle with writing the blog has been that the whole thing, from the design to edit, was all me – with no editing or technical advice from sources other than me. As you can probably tell, I’m far from a trained, and there’s honestly a lot I have to learn about the craft. I’ve been trying to read what I consider Classics and this so far has been my only recent education, and before this run, I read nothing but baseball books for three years strait – what wasted time, but what can you do.

I’ve never had a proper editor for anything I’ve ever written. While I did graduate from college, almost 10 years ago now, I haven’t really had any “proper” training or classes since High School, and I now find myself in a field of technology where, while it’s made me comfortable and is for a great company, my creative itch far from scratched. People look at me with arched eyebrows as I look to get into what some are calling a “dying field” – but screw it, I want to be a writer, and I think the written is an art that is not dying, just possibly melding mediums.

I have stories in me that I’m sure want to get out, and feel I need to be steered in the correct direction, or told I’m crazy – not good enough – or whatever. I just need something, and I want to act before I’m too old or jaded to try, despite what’s on Hank’s grave.

I’ll be signing-up for the Fiction I class at Grub Street this winter, but any of you who are writers who have any advice on what steps to take would be very much appreciated. I wish I changed the course of my studies when I was younger, but the only time I have is now, which is why I’m now lost in this tangent. I have this notion that my dream occupation would to be that of a writer, I’m just not sure if I have the talent to do so, or am entering the game too late, but want to at least throw something against the wall – see if it sticks.

My advanced apologies for the diatribe, and if you’ve read this far into it - thanks, sorry for the bad grammar.

Cheers,

-Derek

It's never too late to become a better writer.  As for people telling you're crazy, noboy can tell who will write the next best seller, and one doesn't even have to be all that good of writer to become a millionaire (based on some recent books).   Grub Street is a great place to learn and will definitely help you find your voice.  I've taken four classes there and hope to take more.

For me, every good thing in my fiction-writing life can be traced back to a single ancestor: Grub Street.And that arched eyebrow you're getting from the non-writers in your life? Forget about it at Grub Street. At Grub you're more likely to get a nurturing combination of cheerleader and constructive critic. My advice is to ignore your doubts and write if you want to write. And try and stay in touch with the writers whose work moves you in your class. One writer friend leads to a second writer friend and before you know it, you have a whole stable of people who will always and forever ask after your writing. Because as solitary as writing is, it's nice to know there are people out there who care about what you're doing. And if you mention your blog in a post, you should absolutely include a link. Because just as it's never to late to start writing, it's never to early to think about how to build an audience.

I have to agree with Cathy.  My work has come so far and it's due to all the people I've worked with at Grub.  Most of the students I've met have day jobs and want to write, so you'll be surrounded by people who understand the challenges of balancing both.

Derek, I hear you about the Red Sox blog (I wrote for yankeessuck.com for a couple of years and still have hope to work with Lefty & Throws Like a Girl to refashion it).  As far as being a writer - I always figured you don't become a writer... you just are.  It's a vocation that many of us are called to along with the rest of our daily lives.  I like to keep a piece of advice in mind all the time to try and silence my inner critic:

Writers write to reveal the fire in their soul.  Editors edit so we can see the flames through the smoke.

Be a writer, not an editor.  Being an editor is an entirely different vocation.   You are a writer, remember that, so if you need to draw a picture of your inner critic and inner editor and lock them up in a box someplace for now, go ahead and do so.  Eventually you'll find a way to balance them all but for now, focus on being a writer.

Thanks to all for the advice, it's very much appreciated. I look forward to hopefully meeting some of you over at Grub Street in January.

Per Cathy's request you can view my blog (it's currentlly in hibernation) here: http://www.sawxblog.com/

Happy Writing and Holidays.

-derek