A while back Shawn at Letters to my Daughters tagged me with a double meme. I did the reading part of that already and then everyone at our house got sick and my brain went off on a Peter Pan tangent. Now I'm coming back around to the remainder: offering three tips on writing.

Now I have to admit, I'm not a big fan of tips. In part, that's because I'm not good at taking advice, nor can I seem to find a comfortable way to give it. But in part, it's because good tips are hard to write. They have to be generic enough to be relevant to many people while not suggesting something so obvious that everyone has either accepted or discarded it already. My brain tends to skim tip lists saying "Tried that -- NEXT! Tried that too -- NEXT! Doing that already -- NEXT!" So like any good writer, rather than doing a great job answering the question I'm given, I'm going to change the question and admit that I don't know what works. But I will tell you three things that make me happy as a writer.

1. Changing the Question
   Ha! I do this one all the time. Being a good writer doesn't mean I'm good at writing on every topic or writing in every style. Have you watched politicians speak? They don't answer the questions they're given; they stretch the question and push it around until they can use it as a platform to address their talking points. If someone gives me a topic, I try to find a way to make it my own and take it where I want it go. I did this with college admissions essays when I was a teenager and it's been making me happy ever since.

2. Forgetting the Audience
   A good writer and a good speaker is supposed to know their audience and tailor the material to them. I find I'm terribly self-conscious when I think about all of you all sitting out there reading. I do write for an audience, but my pretend audience is a version of me that laughs at all my jokes. Unfortunately, they don't go over as well in real life, but I still win because I've entertained myself.
3. Forgetting about Publication
   I used to want so much to be published, and while I wouldn't say no if something fell into my lap (you agents out there, call me!) I've been much happier as a writer since I've taken that pressure off of myself. I do look for ways to get paid as a writer, but (see #1 above) it doesn't have to be all about my name in a byline or on the spine of a book. (In fact, the writing I've had published as a blogger hasn't even been in my own name. Here I am bringing glory to a crazy pseudonym I picked for myself while looking for an available Blogger username.) The publishing process is not fun. Writing is fun. I write what I like. I make money how I can. Good times!

I'm supposed to tag people now, but I'm out of writing time because it's almost time for my daughter to be getting out of school. Tag yourself if you want to tell me how you do the writing thing (and maybe how I should too).