- Be willing to make a mess. Writing is not a logical, linear process. It is a creative process like painting or quilting. You can always clean up the mess later if you want to.
- Write as fast as you can. Don’t try to edit as you go. That will only frustrate you and cause you to concentrate on editing rather than writing.
- Be willing to share what you write. That will bring you closer to the people you are writing with. Give only positive feedback.
- Save everything you write. It will mean more to you and to future generations as time goes on.
I don’t know about your house, but at our house, chaos reigns in the family room. Because we spend so much time there reading, talking, playing with pets, working on school projects and doing all sorts of other things, there is usually a lot of clutter in the family room. We don’t stress out about this—we know we can always pick it up later.
Please try to take the same kind of relaxed attitude about the writing activities that you find here. Too many people learn early on to equate good writing with good spelling, punctuation, and vocabulary skills. Sure, those things matter when you’re writing your master’s thesis, but worrying about them as you write can kill off your natural creativity. That's where writer's block comes from.
Try to be casual in the Family Room. You are among friends and family, so it’s safe to be yourself. The writing you will do here is mostly personal, so it’s a good idea to focus on writing that will please you. Don't worry about whether your junior high school English teacher would approve.
