Sometimes I get frustrated when I don’t have much time to write fictional stories, but there are other opportunities available for writing that I should take advantage of.
Emails are part of my everyday life, especially at work. At first glance, it would seem that they aren’t of any significance, but that isn’t true. My messages should be conveying thoughts clearly, with just the right words. I don’t want to use the gibberish syntax of instant messaging or send a message that comes across as confusing. Why write an email that doesn't communicate effectively?
Letter writing is quite strange for me, but I have done it from time to time. Our society as a whole has lost touch a bit with reality with all of our emails floating around. It’s good to actually sit down and put pen to paper, to show that I think so much of a person that I would painstakingly draw my words onto a page. It also forces me to think very carefully about what I would say (especially since my hand starts hurting after a couple of paragraphs).
Blogs and journals are another category that I find my writing in. It’s within these that I can let my inhibitions go and express how I truly think and feel. Again, it isn’t the same as writing fiction, but it does exercise similar “muscles” (for lack of a better term).
My point is simply this: rather than becoming frustrated by how little I write fiction, I need to look at all of the opportunities that are before me and write well in each area. Emails, blogs, journals and letters all use the same principles of writing, and if I strive for excellence in each setting, I will be increasing my writing skills as a whole.
