Writing Class cont.

So more on the writing class i took yesterday. Practical Strategies for New & Would-Be Writers. I took the class to get a writing credit for the CLM (Certified Legal Manager) exam I'm going to take in September. Although the class was not exactly what I wanted, I needed to get the credit and it was approved, so I took it. The other people in the class were interested in writing books or getting articles published and how to go about that. I felt rather like an interloper because I didn't really have an interest in being a "writer". However, that being said, I felt like I got some good things out of it.

First, I really do enjoy writing and I would like to improve my writing. Not sure this class actually helped in that area, but it certainly couldn't hurt. It did encourage me to write. There were 6 people in the class: three other women around my age (though probably slightly older), one about 10 years younger, and one 8th grade boy. They all had ideas of books to write. I just needed the credit. Back to my point, which is that the only way to improve my writing is to write more and not worry about what other people think (i.e., will they like me more more or less because of what I say). Critiques of my writing style or grammar or the like are okay. So, y'all are my sounding board or guinea pigs, thanks!

Second, I can apply some of the things I learned to my job, as well as my blog. One of the things the instructor said was to just write. Frequently, when I'm writing even a two sentence letter, I grapple over what to say. So now, when I have that problem, I'm just going to write down what I want to say without worrying about getting it perfect the first time. I may have to write it and then come back to it later, but that will be so much easier than agonizing over two simple sentences. Now to apply that to my blog, I will write what I'm going to write and then save it and come back to it later to make sure it makes sense and to correct the things that are wrong.

Third, when cleaning the attic I found an old journal I had kept sporadically about 20 years ago. It began before Michael broke his leg and went to a year or so after that. It was really interesting to re-read what was going on. I intend to write more so that I can remember what is going on in my life.

So, all in all, it was a good class for me. I enjoyed it and plan to write more. I promise I won't drag you down with too much depressing stuff. I'll try and keep things upbeat. I want to use this as a place to say what's going on in my life so that the days don't just drift away.