I Forgot That!!!!

Today I'm assembling the notes from five sessions I participated in at the Tulsa Night Writer's, The Thrill of Writing Conference, this past Saturday.

I've mentioned before that writing was something I had not thought of doing for the majority of my life. But, life changes, we change, and for the last twenty years I have passionately scribbled words on page, trying to paint images of lives not my own.

I've also mentioned that my skill set was horrific. I have diligently worked on that, but yet today, as I write this, spelling mistakes appear. Auto-correct screams at me, and I understand, the clarity of my thoughts is not being conveyed to the page. (Any competent grammarian out there is 'not so silently' correcting this as you read it.)

But I have learned. I am much better. I also have learned to rely on certain tools to point me in a better direction. But this conference brutally reminded me that I forget. Fading from memory, the most basic aspects of writing had faded. Therefore, I once more plunge into study, to show myself improved, not perfected.

The thought, 'if you don't use it, you lose it,' is whacking me between the eyes. Good thing I have a thick skull.

This is why community is important, why shared interest enables, where isolation snuffs out.

Becoming better is not the easy path, but it is the most rewarding path. Do the work, reap the reward, even if it's just the person in the mirror smiling back at you. It's worth it!