Badassery Magazine February 2018 Issue 21 | Page 43

M
y dearest reader, the essay
you are no doubt about
to peruse with unalloyed
pleasure, marks two significant
milestones in my writing career.
(Significant to me at any rate.)
First, this particular essay rep-
resents precisely one year since I
first began writing for Badassery
Magazine, my first assemblage of
literary litter having appeared in
the February 2017 issue.
The second milestone is more nu-
merical in nature. As of this writing,
I have submitted just over 10,000
words to this eminent and vener-
able publication. Such a profusion
of periphrastic prolixity deserves
at least a small degree of recogni-
tion, and as such I am enjoying a
glass of "vinum optimum" as I pre-
pare this latest magnum opus to be
sprung upon an unsuspecting and
innocent public. I regret nothing.
Writing is a process that many
view as strange and mysterious.
While I cannot deny that many
of the scribblers of belles-lettres
share characteristics that one
would charitably describe as... ec-
centric, the actual craft of writing
requires no arcane knowledge or
erratic behaviour.
Allow me, if I may be so gauche,
and if you would be so groovy, to
share with you a few of the nug-
gets of wisdom I've gathered so far
in my career as manipulator of lin-
gua franca:
Treat writing as a craft.
Steady on dear reader, I know
that words like "craft" have been
usurped and turned into preten-
tious piffle by marketing wonks,
but we can take the word back. A
craft is a task or process that re-
quires care and hands-on atten-
tion. A craftsperson agonizes over
the tiniest details to ensure that the
product is the best it can be. Writ-
ing is no different. Language is one
of the most precious gifts afford-
ed to the human creature, and we
must treat it with care.
Writing must be a daily practice.
The only way to improve as a writ-
er is to write. That simple truth
underpins all others in the writing
profession. Scribble every day,
whether it's a piece for publication
or just for your own benefit. This
constant practice will help you re-
fine your skill as well as your voice.
Trust your own intuition and your
own creativity.
Writer, heal thyself.
While you'll have days when the
words don't flow as well as oth-
ers, practicing the craft on a dai-
ly basis will greatly reduce those
instances. The more you trust in
your intuition, the more freely the
ideas will come. Don't know what
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