There's a sub-folder in the My Documents folder on my hard drive simply called Richard's Words. There are more than 570 items in that folder; the majority of which are articles I've written for publication on the web either for my own blog or for other sites. If you count the documents scattered throughout the computer that have been moved into other folders for other projects the number becomes more than 600.
Sitting by itself is another document that's around 340 pages long written during the same period but for another purpose. That file is my attempt at telling a story for other people's pleasure, the same way I've taken pleasure in the writings of others. In fact, each time I sit down to write I set out to entertain, inform, or perhaps amuse, so I can give people some of the same experience I get when I read the people I particularly enjoy.
I used to joke if I wanted to read something I liked I would have to write it myself, which if you think about it, is conceit beyond belief. What I hadn't realized was what a tough audience I can be. Try writing a story you want to read some day and you'll see what I mean.
In theory you'd suppose it would be easy, right? You know what you like to read, what kind of characters you like, what kind of writing you appreciate most, and what you look for in a novel. Well, there be plenty of slip twixt mouth and pen – or something like that anyway.
First, there is a huge difference between reading a story and enjoying it and sitting down to write one. Can I hear a round of Duh from the peanut gallery about now? How about not stating the obvious for a change? But the obvious is sometimes something we miss in the flurry of excitement, believing we've found a solution to a problem.
When you sit down and write the story you would like to read, learning to write it well enough to tell it in the manner you like can turn into a horrendous obstacle. Most of us can't just sit down and produce something that's suitable for more then birdcage lining or fish wrapping at our first go.
Non-fiction, which is what I primarily write on a daily basis (although some might say otherwise about my politics, but that's another thing altogether) is quite a bit easier to write than fiction as long as your goal is to simply inform and provide analysis. Have an opening paragraph to introduce your story, and then tell it in the subsequent paragraphs, citing examples and source material as needed.
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