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To write or not to write? That is the question

Let's get down to business about writing. There are many, many people out there who try their hand at writing. While some are decent, others not so much.

I'll be honest. I'm always hunting for good stories. Sometimes, I find hidden gems. But there are those times I find stories that make me want to beat my head against the wall.

So, this begs the question. To write or not to write?

Let me give some background information about myself before we dive into it. I started writing when I was twelve. My mom suggested it since it was summer break, and I needed a hobby. My parents discovered that I had a natural talent for bringing words to life and took after my paternal grandmother, who was a published writer through a traditional publishing company. You can't find her books since they are out of print. I tried.

I also excelled at English in school, and it was my favorite subject. I took a creative writing course in college. And I could write a 17 page paper on blackmail and extortion like no one else's business in five hours, with all proper citations. Yes, I write fast. It took me three hours to type it for class.

I've also wrote my first novel at 12 and wrote five more each year. Landview was one of the novels. All these were written by hand since I didn't own a computer at that age. I bought a computer later when I could afford it.

Now, I've been writing consistently since 2017 when I published my first book on Wattpad and started self-publishing in 2018 with a lot of missteps since I had no guidance whatsoever. Now, I can self publish with my eyes closed since I do it so frequently.

Now that we have my writing background out of the way, let's get to business.

Should you or shouldn't you write? The answer is yes. But does that make you a writer? No. Why? Because not everyone can write. This is reality.

If you sat down and wrote a book with over 50,000 words and submitted it to a publisher, chances are they will reject it, or it will go into a slush pile. Why? Because it's not what they're looking for or needs a lot of editing. I won't go into all the details because there is a lot, and it would bore you.

With that said, I've come across some decent books while others are downright atrocious. Harsh? Perhaps, but I'm spending my time, which is valuable, to read someone's story. If the formatting and syntax is terrible, I'll skip through it to read the ending. Why waste time on poor quality writing? I've already wasted my time on bad writing.

Then there is the other side of the coin with authors taking offense to readers writing negative reviews. The authors will go on the attack, trying to defend themselves to the reader. We've all been guilty of this, including myself. I've had to learn that not everyone will like my writing style or stories. But then again, many others will.

Listen, if it's a few readers that aren't happy with your writing, that's one thing. But if it's several, you need to reevaluate your work. Telling people not to leave negative reviews or feedback doesn't help your case. It tells reader that you can't handed constructive feedback. (Notice how I didn't say constructive criticism because it doesn't exist. Hello, logic.) However, it's one thing for a reader to dislike a story, it's another to attack the author personally. Never attack a writer personally. I've had this happen to me. A few readers assumed inaccurate information about me and made personal comments. I pull from different aspects of my personal life when I'm writing to give the stories a more realistic point of view.

And what in the world is with the numerous sex scenes and chapters in a book? Granted, sex is part of a relationship, but not all of it. While it can add to the storyline, it can also detract from it as well. I've skipped through many chapters in a book because of the constant, detailed sex scenes, trying to get to the meat of the story. Unless it's an erotica, it's completely unnecessary.

I've had readers get miffed because I didn't detail sex scenes enough for their liking. First, I don't write smut. Second, I'm here to tell a story. Third, I'm a humor writer who writes mostly about dysfunctional families.

Now, here's another key factor: writing about the United States without actually living here. Buckle up. I'm about to go full throttle on this key point.

Let me point out a few things. If you write about an American, learn about our states and cultures. We are a vast melting pot with ancestors that came from other countries. They had American offspring, who had American offspring, and so on and so forth. I'm a mutt with my ancestors.

Learn our language. We have different accents, depending on which state you live in. Michigan has two distinct accents. The yoopers and the lower peninsula. Yes, I live on a peninsula surrounded by four Great Lakes with beaches. Yes, we do have beaches contrary to what people think. Some are big while others are tiny. If you set a story in my home state, I will correct you if you're wrong. That's a guarantee. Michiganders are quite proud of their state even if the Lions blew it in the playoffs.

Understand we speak proper English and slang. Even if English isn't your first language, you can still write proper English. There are many books that help with this area. Just like people from other countries take offense when we miswrite a foreign language, so do we. Don't use Google translate. It screws the pooch every time with translation. I use Ginger Writer. It's more accurate.  Also understand there are two forms of English used—the American and the UK. I tend to use both.

Honestly, I've come across hidden gems with stories and others that have potential. With some editing and advice, any story can reach its potential.