The Write Way

Sometimes, I miss school. In the past few days, I have assisted a friend with a few school papers (college level, not elementary!). She had the body and subject matter, but asked me to tweak it and edit it..."polish the turd" so to speak. Although polishing turds doesn't really sound appealing to me, the writing part does. While I was reading her essays, with my editor's cap on and my imaginary red pen, I felt excited! I felt transformed as I changed words, added quotes/references, rearranged sentences, corrected grammar...I was in my zone. I felt productive, like I had accomplished something, and I helped a dear friend out. Sometimes you need a second set of eyeballs to look over your work. Then I realized, I was more excited to be editing, rather than writing my own essays from scratch. Perhaps it's easier to edit rather than do all the legwork and research myself.

I remember back in high school, every time a paper was due, I always seemed to have a few peers approach me and ask me to look over their paper. Even the mean girl, who shall remain nameless. But, Karma comes around, and in my senior yearbook, she wrote something to the effect of "thank you for always helping me out and being nice, even when I was mean to you." That alone was worth looking over her terrible essays.

Someday, I may consider going back to school, time and money pending. Until then, I have this blog. I may write a book, but about what remains a mystery. I am all over the place when I write. It might have to be just as random, informal, and blunt as this blog. Until then, perhaps I can be a writing consultant. Writing/Editing guru? Technical Engineer of Writing Compilation? Oh, that sounds fancy!

Writing is an outlet, and has always been my favorite kind of outlet. I write poetry (not as much as I used to), jot down ideas in the middle of the night, and sometimes journal. Journaling was my best friend during and right after my divorce. Now, I read those journals and they take me right back to where I was, but in a healthy way. At times, I would get so upset and worked up, I wouldn't remember everything that I said or what happened unless I wrote it down immediately. I suppose writing is a way to get my brain to quiet down. It can be like a game of ping pong in there sometimes. I am notorious for having an active mind that never slows down, worries all the time, and over thinks things.

I'll put a reference to Charlie Sheen here. Since his train wreck of a public mental breakdown is attracting the attention of millions, it's difficult to restrain. To modify one of his recent quotes, I'd like to say this: "Yes, I'm on a drug. It's called writing."

His real quote was this: "I am on a drug. It's called Charlie Sheen. It's not available. If you try it once, you will die. Your face will melt off and your children will weep over your exploded body."

Maybe he should be a writer! I can be his editor. Or maybe not...