You now know I have a passion for music.

I have admitted that much previously in this space.

You may want to know that I also have a slightly more elevated passion for words.

I am truly lucky.

I get the chance to combine my two passions into one big passion in this space. My third passion would be learning about writing. I can’t get enough of it. I have said before that journalism is about the story.

The story is about words, and getting the words on a page is one of the hardest tasks a person can undertake. I mean, physically it’s not really all that tough. One either picks up a pencil or pen a and starts jotting words onto a page, or one sits behind a computer or smart pad and begins typing words onto a virtual page. That is not the hard part. The hard part is choosing the right word or words. Some people hang on every word while others will not.

I have known some poets that bring cut-up, small pieces of papers with them everywhere they travel, so in case something catches their interests, they will be able to record their thoughts. If it one or two words, only they will know the meaning behind them when they begin to compose their poem. I love poetry, but I don’t write too many poems. I am more of a fiction guy. But when I do write poems, I usually write my thoughts, my words, on 4-inch by 6-inch index cards. And usually I prefer to write with the card in portrait, not landscape. It’s just me, but I think I can get more words on a page. I have no concrete knowledge of that though. I will hand write my poems before I transfer them electronically to my computer.

You are probably wondering why I hand write my poems, and not just skip that step, start typing right away. My answer would be because when I hand write a poem, it gives it time to breathe, and I if I need to change a word or line or stanza, I can. Then the finished poem gets typed in, and I choose the font that I think best suits the poem.

It’s the complete opposite when I write fiction.

Rarely do I use index cards when I am writing fiction. Some computer writing software packages do, but I find it more of a distraction than an aid. But that’s just me. I will type on my desktop, laptop or iPad. I have, though, used different colors when writing fiction. I will color-code different chapters, and when writing fiction, I use the courier new font. I grew up learning how to type on a manual typewriter, so courier new reminds me of punching the keys. The color-coding thing helps me with the progress of my writing. I know that can use one color for chapter one and a different color for chapter two, and so on. Although when I print out my pages, I print them in good old black and white. The colors just come out as a shade of gray.

But for a fiction writer, getting words on a page can be just as challenging as for the poet. Some people will say they are writing a book, but they can’t get beyond the first part of the writing process. The first part of the process is brainstorming or prewriting. People will write down words they want to put on the page and they will go no farther. They don’t get to experience the other parts such as writing a rough draft, revising and editing, and finally publishing where they can share their ideas.

Writing can be like a sport or playing a musical instrument. One has to practice his craft again and again before he is ready to be published.

I love writing, and the writing process, and I love learning as much as I can about the process, and learning about writing. When writing, don’t be afraid to ask for help, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes, because one can edit the mistakes. One should take time to hone one’s craft.

Great writing becomes great literature.