Writing

A young man came up to our table during the signing session at the mall on Friday to talk awhile. He was originally from California but his family moved here a few years ago and he went to school at Bevill.
He said he started cutting a few classes and before he knew it he was behind with his grades. He decided to drop out to keep his GPA which have been rather high, from taking a hit. He said he thought he'd sit out the semester and get back on the ball the next term but he never went back.
He got a job at one of the local bingo halls but when they shut down, he hasn't managed to find another job.
He seemed really interesting in my book. He said that he really enjoyed writing and asked how I got started. I told him about the songwriting and the DoraHighSchool.com website. I told him that I've been writing daily since December 1st 2005. I realized as I said that, that this December, I will have been making daily entries in my blog for 5 years.
I went on to say that the columns and the book flowed from the work I've done on this blog.
He listened and said that he fretted that he didn't have anything fresh to say. I listened to him for awhile. He's right. I too fret about not having fresh ideas. But I encouraged him to continue writing, but focus on things he knows and loves. It's true that not everything will be profound, but writing is like playing a guitar, or any other skill, it takes practice.
You cannot go from point A to point B without focus and practice. I know there are some truly gifted writers out there, but I believe that most good writers would agree. Study, read good stuff, and write every day.
I hope my new friend finds his way and does something remarkable.