Advice Assignment - Feature Writing 2019

Dear Junior Feature Writer,

First off, I'd like to say, I’m no expert. Most of the time I feel like I don't know what I’m doing and what I do manage to write could probably be done better by someone more experienced. If you feel this way right now too, know that this feeling probably won’t go away for a while, or ever. But this is normal. If you weren't feeling this way I’d say you’re doing the wrong thing with your life. The most impactful thing I’ve learned from my feature writing class is that when you really care about something you’re scared of not doing a good job. It’s harder to do something when you're trying to be the best. Dr. Peter’s used the analogy of Tiger Woods and golf, and how it’s harder for him to play the game rather than your everyday golfer, because he is trying to be the best at it. They always say that when something scares you, you should run towards it head on. The all-knowing, inconspicuous “they.” But they have a point. The thought of writing something scares me to no end. I’m always worried I won’t relay the message I want people to read, or that I don’t have the creativity to write something how I want. As much as it scares me, as soon as I get started I remember why I love writing so much. The words start spilling out faster than I thought they would and sometimes I’m able to articulate things better than I could have imagined. So take it from me, feeling this way is a good thing. If there’s anything I learned, it’s that someone will be waiting to cross out your whole first page if it’s a load of crap, so we’ve got that covered. My point is, write everything that starts coming out because there will always be a time to edit and perfect it. Its most important to get everything out on paper because you never know where your mind could take you. My advice to you is to go ahead and be scared of writing, but let that motivate you. You’re doing better than you think, and only getting better.

Happy writing,

Amanda Regan

Certified Has-Been