Jim Murray on Writing

I regard Jim Murray as a doyen of writing and blogging. He writes in a straight forward and easy conversational way, which hides the true craftsmanship, depth and quality of his work. There is much that I learn from him. 

Jim's pieces include long form posts, short form posts, memes, poems and various collaborative pieces. Few have done as much to introduce and market BeBee on social media platforms. He posts on beBee almost daily; testimony to his remarkable discipline and a lesson that writing well requires consistent effort. 

Recently he reached a milestone of 1000 long form posts: Post 1000. For Better or Worse. He says: "Writers need to write. It’s not a choice. It’s an obsession and a passion. Sometimes an affliction. But in order to keep from burning out, one always needs to keep the long game in mind. My long game wasn’t to get to 1000 posts. My long game is nowhere near completing itself. Because I can do this shit for as long as I still have a couple of brain cells to rub together."

Jim continues to give and contribute; his experience, his views and his impressions of the writing life. Looking at a few recent posts of his (and he has been blogging for years), I find these quotes and phrases particularly striking; on what it is to be a writer, and on how to write better. 

"Your personal agendas are the keys to being understood in the world. And heaven knows we can never get enough understanding. So stay true to those agendas, sharpen them, and embrace the agendas of others you encounter. If you do, then your trip here will have been worth the time and effort."

"The journey you are on as a writer is directly linked to the journey you are on as a reader. 1. If you want to be credible as a writer you need to learn the craft of writing from the technical and aesthetic points of view. 2. If you want to be persuasive and effective as a writer, you need to keep an open mind, and understand that things are not always the way they seem on the surface or from the first information you acquired. 3. In order to keep an open mind you need to read opinions from all sides of whatever it is you’re writing about. And that is relatively easy with all the resources on the Internet. 4. Repeat steps 1-3 ad infinitum or until you decide to stop writing and or reading."

"The Only Blogging Rule Is That There Are No Rules: Some blogs are all words and really long. Some are all words and really short. Some have lots of pictures. Others have lots of diagrams and business info. Still others are all pictures or videos. And every permutation in between. The only things that matter about blogs are that they are interesting, informative and that they reflect the personality of the blogger."

"The Symptoms Of Real Writer-itis

The way you find out if you're a real writer is if you exhibit any or all of these symptoms:

1. You write every day and write as much as you can.

2. You read a lot, preferably the work of other real writers.

3. You have found your passion and are not freaked if it's more than one thing.

4. You understand that if you're not enjoying yourself, you should quit before you become depressed.

5. You accept the fact that you will repeat Steps 1 and 2...till your time is up. No retirement allowed.

6. You always end whatever you are writing when you have said all you want to say.

Like I am doing now."

The long and (very) short of posting. Jim summarizes: "Analyze the situation…Get an idea...Think…Think some more…Organize your thoughts…Then write…Then clean it up as best you can…Then publish." I find it telling that of the eight steps mentioned, four are about thinking - before one starts to commit anything to paper. 

"The very best business to be in these days is the helping business. Being in the helping business is, of course, more about attitudes than it is about any specific occupation. Be generous with your advice and counsel. Don’t always make it about dollars, because a lot of times it’s not about that. Get known as someone who is willing to help, and you will find that is the best door opener ever."

"In today’s world, writing is a core skill that everybody needs to have. But for some it’s simply what they were born to do. They would, and often do it for nothing but the pure unbridled joy and sometimes gestalt, of self-expression."

"I write a lot of posts here about my experience as a writer. Sometimes it’s philosophical. Sometimes it critical. Sometimes it’s about sharing insights. Sometimes it’s self promotional. But is it original? I have never labored under that delusion. But what I have worked hard at is making it human. Because if we, as writers, are in fact a part of the continuum of thought, it’s extremely important that we make sure that our humanity is at the core of it."

That, to me, is Jim Murray on BeBee.

(Image Credit: J.M. himself)