Essentials for a Writer

Welcome to The Learning Curve. I am chronicling my journey as a new writer in hopes of inspiring you to put that bag of chips down, step away from the television, and tell the world a good story.

Essentials for a Writer

A writer has a toolbox that he or she works from. Those of you who have read On Writing by Stephen King or similar books on the subject will recognize the phrase. Our toolboxes contain the basics such as vocabulary and grammar. Eventually we will add style and voice to it, thereby customizing and making the toolbox our own. When we use the tools of our trade frequently, there’s little chance of them becoming rusty.

For some of us, however, it doesn’t matter how shiny the tools are if we don’t have a second box to draw upon. Nearly every writer, at one point or another, will have need of this box. It’s filled with the essential ingredients that inspire us to continue when we want to throw in the towel, to be a better writer, and to help us realize that even though writing is a lonely job, we are not alone. I call it the lunchbox.

The lunchbox is where we draw our nourishment from. It comes in the form of friends, family, and anyone willing to take the time to read our scribbling. Over the past year I’ve met many authors in training. Nearly all of them were chasing the dream of publishing a book. Only a handful of these people are still writing today. Did the dream die? What changed?

The excuses: I can never find time to write, my social life is non-existent and I miss my friends, I’m not very good at it. The list goes on. Every time I heard one of these excuses, I consciously put these folks into one of two categories: a toy box or an empty lunchbox. The toy box people think writing will be quick, easy, and fun. When they realize it isn’t easy, and it actually is a lot of work, they move on to something else. These folks, I let go.

Those with empty lunchboxes are the ones worth salvaging. I honestly hate to see anyone not pursue a dream. It doesn’t matter to me how well developed their toolboxes are; if their lunchboxes are empty, then I feel like it’s my job to try to pack a few essential ingredients for them. Without these, the dream of seeing a manuscript published will eventually die.

The first ingredient is called feedback.

feed-back (noun)
1. Response: comments in the form of opinions about and reactions to something, intended to provide useful information for future decisions and development

I do believe that’s the first and only time I’ve ever plagiarized the dictionary. I even left a period off after the word development, just like they did in the book. If you’re going to steal something, do it right I always say.

However, in this case I think the dictionary definition is lacking. It’s missing a key word. The proper definition should read:

“…comments in the form of honest opinions about and reactions to something…”

Without honest feedback a struggling writer will never grow, evolve, and learn.

The second ingredient is called encouragement.

en-cour-age-ment (noun)
1. Support: it inspires confidence and a will to continue or develop (2) something that encourages: somebody who or something that gives somebody hope, confidence, or courage

Hey, I’m getting pretty good at this plagiarism thing. My spider senses are telling me that I’ll be doing a future article on that topic if I’m not careful. Anyway, back to the mission at hand.

When your own lunchbox runs dry, or nearly empty, where do you go to fill it? Who inspires you to keep writing? Where do you seek feedback and an encouraging word?

In my case there are many people who never fail to fill my lunchbox to overflowing. My wife is my biggest supporter, and chasing this dream would not be possible without her. I am seriously blessed to even know her, let alone call her my better half.

These people—Chris James, Jo-Anne Teal, JD Mader, David Antrobus, Edward Lorn, Audrey Carden, Scott Bury, Rob Guthrie, Donna B. McNicol, the entire staff at Indies Unlimited and many others—all keep me going.

Writing would be a lonely job without a support network. Next month I’ll discuss how to create your own support group. In the meantime, dust off your toolbox and don’t forget to pack a lunch.

Author: K.D. Rush

KD Rush is a South Carolina native currently working on several short stories and his debut novel, The Guild Inc., a supernatural thriller. He documents his writing journey at his blog, and here at Indies Unlimited in a monthly column called The Learning Curve. He also tweets daily at @KD_Rush.

34 thoughts on “Essentials for a Writer”

    1. 😉
      There have been a few lunches in the last year that make up for those days of hunger pains. I am blessed to be surrounded by generous people, including the regulars here at IU. Thanks for the comment Lynne.

    1. Melissa, having access to a support network, for me, has made all the difference in the world. There have been a few times in the last year that, without their encouragement, I may have given up or put the dream on hold.

  4. Oh my friend and writing buddy, excellent post as always. Support and encouragement, and honest feedback are indeed essential. luckily from the ‘get go’, I’ve known I trust all of that from you. I think we’ve both been lucky but also worked at surrounding ourselves with good people we trust, admire and can be supportive of also.

    If you don’t mind, I’ll add one more thing to that toolbox: I think anyone who writes well has a curiousity about the human spirit. It doesn’t matter their genre or if their writing won’t include shades of psychological drama. I believe that to be a good writer with the potential to become a great writer, one has to wonder why we do the things we do. That characteristic can sustain a new writer too; for when the sentences won’t flow, and the words won’t leap onto the page, ‘wonder’ propels us to continue trying.

    Thanks TKD. Right backatcha :))

    1. Jo, thanks my friend. You are one of the most encouraging people I know, and I’m sure there are many others that would agree with me. Your writing style is inspirational, and it raises the bar for my own work.

      Curiosity and wonder are excellent tools for a writer; I couldn’t agree more. They are especially handy when you write a character into a situation that seems impossible to get out of.
      😉

  5. Yep, trying to keep at least a few crumbs in that lunchbox of mine. It’s definitely difficult, but the task has improved immensely since finding a writing group as well as a couple of online critique partners.

    1. Jeri, it’s great to meet you, and thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. I’m happy to hear that you can share your work with both a writing group and critique partners online. Having a support network around you can only help.

      It took a long time for me to share my own writing with people outside of family. I can only imagine how things would be different if I had decided to do that ten years ago.

      By the way, you have an excellent blog. I’ll put it on my blogroll and try to keep up. Good luck with the upcoming books. Let us know how it’s going from time to time. You can reach me on twitter @KD_Rush or on Facebook, my blog, etc…

      Thanks again for stopping by!

    1. Kathy, I can attest to that. There are too many examples to mention, but whether you’re on the receiving end, or the one offering encouragement to someone else, the feeling is the same.

      Thanks for the comment!

  8. A wonderful post as always KD. I appreciate all the support and encouragement you have given me more than words can say. I have only yourself and the Indie community to share with, I always worry about becoming a pest though. I’m so happy you include me in the people who support you, I sat staring at my name on the screen for ages before I could reply. I really, really hope I don’t let you down. My lunch box is well and truly empty because I ate all the pies. 😉 Thank you, all of you. 🙂

    1. Thanks Audrey, I really appreciate the kind words, as always.

      Filling your lunchbox is an easy thing to do. Talented people should be encouraged. The only person you could possibly let down is yourself by not pursuing this talent. I have faith in your writing ability. You should too. Write on sister.

  9. Very nice post, KD, I like that analogy a great deal and will bear it in mind over the next few months. Thanks 🙂

    1. My lunchbox is your lunchbox my friend. I’m really looking forward to Cascade Annihilator and seeing what Lucas Hunter has been up to. Thanks for taking the time out of your schedule to stop by and leave a comment!
      😉

        1. He’s joking folks. The Evil Mastermind does not let us have the yellow M&Ms. I believe those are collected for recruitment purposes.
          😉

  10. Well rounded post. The writer’s toolbox is unique and contains the tools only he or she can fill it with. The lunchbox is a hodgepodge of so many different things that I don’t believe any two can be the same. When I run into a problem I take a break, open the lunchbox and pull out whichever author I know will have the answer or support. The Indie Author community is so wonderful – I am glad to be part of it!

    1. L., I couldn’t agree more. The indie community, especially here at IU, are some of the most talented, encouraging people I’ve met in my life. I couldn’t imagine walking this journey without them.

      Thank you for the comment!

  11. What a wonderful post…got to share this with everyone. I feel truly blessed to be mentioned AND to have you as a writing friend. I’ve gotten so much encouragement from you and others in the last ten months, my toolbox may be limited but my lunchbox overflows!

    1. Donna, what a perfect line – “My toolbox may be limited but my lunchbox overflows!”

      I may have to steal that. Dang, there goes the plagiarism bell again. Thank you so much for stopping by. You my friend are an inspiration on every level. Write on sister.

  14. You are indeed one of nature’s gentlemen, KD. Being a bit of a lone wolf, I have to admit to going it alone for a long time before IU; except, that is, for my muse whom I met and married about ten years ago, and who was the only nourishment in my lunchbox until IU. It does make a difference, KD.

    Excellent post, my friend, excellent post!

    1. Thanks T.D., much appreciated sir. The Indies Unlimited site is a great tool, and a wonderful community.

      Having the support of a spouse is expected. Getting support, encouragement, and feedback from friends and new faces in a public venue such as this borders on amazing.

      Part of the indie spirit, at least for me, is helping people achieve their dreams and goals. If this column inspires just one person to pursue, or continue writing, then my time has been well spent.

      Thanks again for the comment and kind words mate.

  15. I’m looking for your post on building a support group. I’m empty in that area, but based on the comments here, you are a master, so I look forward to learning from you.

    1. Krista, that made me smile. 😉

      Spoiler Alert: The article for next month can be summed up in one word; communication. Putting together a support group, while not difficult, does take time. It also takes a fair amount of communication. The investment in time pays off with a solid force of support behind you.

      I’m looking forward to sharing some tips with you. In the meantime, you are already on the right track. IU is a great place to be. Thanks for the kind comment!
      😉

  17. Great pep talk. Thank you. I wrote off and on for about ten years because I didn’t have a lunchbox. Now I have one and you’ve even given it a name. 🙂

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