What does it mean to be a natural writer?

Post Reply New Topic

I am not sure of the answer to that, but i know there are a lot of aspie writers, and introverted people often make great writers, so I thought here would be a good place to ask.

People have often told me that I should be a writer, but I dont know, it is almost like they sort of pigeonhole me as a "writer" because I look sort of confused and daydreamy, and they think such a person should be a writer.

Also I can have a child-like manner and people say I should write children's books. Sometimes I feel a little insulted at that, like they think Im a child or something.

The problem is when I sit down to write I often cant think of anything to write. I dont know what to say, and what to say about it.

I can talk spontaneously, just eject hours of facts and things into the audial world, but when it comes to writing I actually find it very hard to express myself.

Also I have always had fine dyspraxia in my hands which makes writing or typing uncomfortable and difficult.

So this is why I find it confusing, to be told I should write. Write what? I dont think I am a natural introvert, I have poor focus, and ever since I tried to learn social skills I no longer express myself in the way I would like for fear of weirding out or offending others. I also dont have any ideas about what to write- no inspiration.

Anyway thx for reading the post and I would welcome any thoughts you may have on it, about writing, writer's block, how you know you are a natural writer, or any other thoughts.

Hi Zen Mistress!

For me the desire to write comes in the same "package" as the desire to play music and act and make movies and draw pictures and even design miniature dioramas. I just want to do anything that tells a story and leads to new emotions and new thoughts.

If you don't want to write, obviously, you shouldn't write! But if you do want to write and don't know where to start, here is a process I might follow (if I were you):

Ask yourself:

1. Is it necessarily writing I want to do? Or is is a broader goal that could be accomplished in other ways? For example maybe you want to collect a large and thorough body of information on a single topic. You could then be a journalist or a photographer or a collector and cataloguer of a specific type of thing.

2. If you do want to write, do you want to write nonfiction or fiction? You don't have to decide of course, it could be some special blend of both. But if you're more a fact-finder and -treasurer than a feeling/idea-explorer, it seems like nonfiction is the more natural route (unless you're doing something like extremely accurate historical fiction).

3. Writer's block. I am going to be completely honest, the only thing that has cured writer's block for me (after 7+ years of pretty much full-time attempts) was taking an antidepressant and a high enough level of it. No antidepressant, or the antidepressant but not enough of it, leaves me unproductive. I always had the desire to write stuff and ideas for what to write but I could never finish until I got on a high dose of the medicine I'm on. That sounds ridiculous but there you have it.

By the way, there's nothing wrong with children's stories! It does take a very special kind of thinker to write books that are actually compelling to kids. And I think the best children's books are compelling to people of every age. I think of them as very succinct and poetic and visual novels.

By the way I am a complete amateur but I love writing and I wanted to help if I could (not sure if this was of any help whatsoever, but anyway) and I hope you are able to write if that's what you want to do or find the thing you want to do if it turns out to not be writing!

A writer is a person for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.
Thomas Mann

I see. Well I realized after I listed photography as a possible outlet for your energy that you have a flickr page - your photographs of sheep and other subjects are completely gorgeous! They have an artistic quality to them, I would say.

I don't suppose it's strange at all to not have a leaning toward doing any particular thing. In fact when no one can know everything that's in the world until they've seen and experienced everything (which would take forever), it's kind of intuitive that you wouldn't just choose one thing and stick with it. That would be like picking the one meal you were going to eat every day for a long time before you had seen all your potential choices.

There is a book specifically written for people who used to have a creative drive but who had it driven out of them by a world that's hostile to artistry and creativity. It's called The Artist's Way. I've only looked through it but it might be helpful to you!

If you're not depressed to start with, medicine probably wouldn't have the effect for you it had for me. Anyway, even with medicine, writing half the time looks to me like drudgery and I have to get started by literally just typing out song lyrics (to songs created by bands/musicians who are definitely not me), and I kind of feel I'm borrowing their creative energy to get me started because I'm at least dealing in the components that a story is written in (written language) and a song written down is half a poem without its intended music. Then I have the urge to create something as beautiful as the song I've just typed the lyrics to, something that doesn't even need music to sound beautiful. I make that my challenge..

Anyway that was pretty hazy stuff that I just wrote, sorry, but at times in my life I've really not enjoyed writing at all but at others, like now, it's a joy just to sit down and challenge myself to string words together in such a way that it increases the value of the paper (or Word document) it's written on even just a little bit. If you set the bar that low you're almost certain to be relaxed enough to way exceed it. You kind of have to NEED to write for whatever reason, even if it feels like drudgery to you, and it sounds like your reason could be monetary but maybe it could also be to fulfill the stifled creative drive you have latent in you. If you just open a document and start typing whatever, even a string of nouns that makes no sense (Like sheep sheep sheep mountain beauty picture), if you do this often enough and force yourself to do this simple task you'll eventually bore yourself out of meaingless writing and into meaningful writing, almost as if you're stuck in a room by yourself and invent an imaginary friend to talk to. That's why I write I guess, to fulfil the need for someone to hear all the burning questions that I don't think any other human being is wise enough to answer to my satisfaction (and certainly I'm not wise enough either. But language itself is wise and it leads you on a path as you string words together, it leads you to an answer of some sort so you are no longer completely bewildered).

Hopefully that was not too deranged-sounding and impractical - I meant it as practical advice!

I find that I am inspired when something emotional happens when I am feeling strong emotions. I find it easier to write how I feel. It also helps to read alot so you can broaden your range of knowledge and ideas. Writting is an ongoing thing which like any talent or interest needs practice and effort. The more you write the better you get at it.
This is just something I wrote, I like poetry.
Hope
when I feel myself slipping low

some words of wisdom come to me

give it time, let it be

cherish the time you have to be young

when I feel hopeless

I hear the words that help me remember

everything will be alright

when I feel worthless

I remember that your worth

is in how many lives you've enriched

how many smiles

you've brought to other faces

the lives you've changed

your worth is not in you

but in everything you do

and how you do it

sometimes slip so far

I almost lose my grasp

my hope

I will never give up

as long as somebody loves me

my friends, family, me

to have no love is to have no hope

So I will pick up the broken pieces again

move on

I wanna be needed by someone right

I deserve someone as good as him

because out of everyone in school

he was the best

in my eyes.

The only opinions that matter

are the ones of those who know you truly

the opinions of those who love you,

and want the best for you.

He deserves the best and

I'm sure he feels the same for me.

time to learn, to grow, into something beautiful

to know I was cared for by one of the best

and that I only deserve better

left with hope, always hope

love, you are loved

Be happy, you are worth it :' )

~Dedicated to the people who matter most~



.

I am a writer, professionally and as a hobby, and many people say I have a talent for it. I don't know whether that makes me a natural or not. Sometimes it's a painstakingly slow process. I have found myself spending hours grinding out a piece that people will read in under a minute. Other times, as Tarralikitak said, I feel inspired or emotional, and the words just flow. Those usually turn out the best, but you can't plan it that way.

As to the question of "write what?" - start with what deeply interests or excites you. If you feel passionate about a topic and feel you have something unique to say about it, you should write about it. Then, once it's written, ask yourself if it will interest others, and if you think so, share it. If not, keep it for yourself. I write mostly about Asperger's and my own experience, since I mainly view my life through that lens nowadays. Sometimes I get writer's block - either I stop getting ideas, or they're not good enough to share. In that case, I just stop, keep reading what others write, and wait for something to inspire me again. Inevitably, a topic will "choose" me again.

Thank you, Purchase, yes I used to live with those lovely sheep and goats but I am not there anymore (relationship break up) and I miss them so much.

I guess I just photographed them as they were posing, I noticed that some of the animals I photographed posed very naturally whereas others were nervous of the camera or tried to walk away from it.. it is like people really, there are people who love their photo taken and people who hate it...

It was really nice to get photos of them in a natural setting, while they were going about their daily business, walking around, eating grass or hay, or rock climbing. I also like photographing plants too.

Thank you for the good advice. Perhaps i should just do it and see what comes about from it.

I just skimmed the thread, so I don't know if my advice will be applicable or not... but...

Why don't you try recording yourself for a bit each day? If you are better at processing information in an auditory manner, that might work out for you. You or someone else can always transfer it into writing later.

The thing with writing, as with art, is that if you don't have a lot to say or talk about, it's hard. I'd say don't push it. But like art, you can always work on your "technical" skills if you think you'd want to be a writer in the future. Also, keep in mind that writers come in all forms. Maybe you'd excel at something like blogging or journalism? Maybe fiction isn't really your thing.

Another thing to try... why don't you keep a journal and record some funny stories in it? Once again, you can always tape your voice and put it into actual words later.

Anyhow, just a thought. I hope you figure out what you're looking for.

Thank you I am glad u liked it. I hope I helped a little.