Amwriting And Daydreaming

What is #amwriting, you ask? It’s a daydream of mine. It’s one of those someday things. That, “If you could be anything when you grow up..?” idea. Some people fantasize over a romanticized notion of what it is to be a best-selling novelist. I’m one of those people.

Coffee and laundry

There I am. In the warm sunlit attic. No, it’s a bookshelf lined home office. Sitting at a wooden desk with a typewriter. Wait, make that a Lazy-boy recliner and a svelte silver laptop. A paper cup of hot Starbucks…I mean a hand-made ceramic mug of French-press brewed from pulverized coffee beans grown in my back-yard…rests on the side table, wafting its nutty aroma of caffeine enticement.

Okay. So actually. I often write on my iPad while it’s propped on top of our dirty clothes hamper. Not romantic but realistic. It gets the job done.

Writing also happens often by just thumb-typing on my iPhone. Hey, it works.

Novel gazing

Being introspective, I think and write. Writing helps me think. Thinking helps me write. And out comes this blog!

But I often gaze into a hazy future where I see myself writing a novella, a real fake story about awesome things expressing some awesome idea. With plot twists, of course. Fiction at its finest. Because blowing people’s minds like the end of The Sixth Sense is awesome.

Side note: Is there irony in the fact that instead of writing a book, I’m writing about writing a book?

Head scratcher, that one.

Grammar police academy

Besides dreaming of authorship and publishing, I sometimes imagine becoming a grammar teacher in school. Because it’s linked to writing. And you know the saying, “Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.” I think I’m just interested in getting better at grammar and word-smithing. Seems like it’d make it easier to bend the rules for prose.

My case is not too weird. There are many people who wish to “someday” write a book. I’ve started two short fiction works, one a fantasy and one a sci-fi. But those attempts fizzed out like a flat soda.

NaNoWriMo

A lot of people quit wishing and start writing and see great success, even if they don’t get published. Every year in November, the amwriting community surges with activity, each aspiring author churning out 50,000 words in a single month! It’s inspiring, and “someday” I think I’ll give it a try.

For now, I’m just trying to keep up with blogging.

There is one small way I stopped dreaming. Instead of only admiring “those studious Scrivener and Ulysses aficionados”, I stepped up my writing game earlier this year by becoming a Ulysses app user myself! I highly recommend it.

Amwriting

So what is #amwriting, you wonder? I thought it stood for “amateur writing.” But I guess I was wrong! I found a great explanation on another blog:

"Amwriting is a Twitter hashtag created by Johanna Harness on August 3, 2009. The hashtag is a shortened version of 'I am writing.'"

– Johanna Harness

The blog explains more of what it means – it’s worth reading. For me, I’ve associated #amwriting with people who aspire to write professionally and are dedicated to the task, learning the trade, and practicing the skills. What I like about it is the openness and struggle people share while striving to become better writers. It’s welcoming and encouraging!

If you daydream of writing an awesome bunch of words that everyone wants to read, then go for it:

• Get good tools like a keyboard or a pencil or a writing app
• Take time to write. Just write, write, write!
• Also take time to read, read, and read. Read books about writing. But mostly just read lots of fiction. Read blogs about writing too.
• Dip your toe in the #amwriting community on Twitter
• Maybe take some writing workshops

Dreams can come true. They often do in fiction stories at the very least, so get to writing one!

Do you like writing? Blogging? Reading? Have you attempted NaNoWriMo?