Are you a writer in action, a builder of stories?

Sometimes, no matter where you are in life, you need a helping hand to get over a hurdle, to make a little progress, or reach a goal. Even when you think you have outgrown something, there is always something new to learn, a bit of enjoyment in reconnecting with your earlier self. 

The boys discovered their old stroller in my car trunk, and well, I could have said, "Absolutely not." Instead, I said, "Why not?" 

They had a so much fun pushing one another up and down the driveway. Five-year-old Alex used all his might to push his eight-year-old brother Liam. Alex gleefully rejoiced when he was able to propel his brother back up the incline. He felt a certain degree of success. "I did it!"

It was easier to push four-year-old Charlie, who squealed with delight at getting a free ride.

Liam became the brains and brawn of this operation, explaining the physics, the reasoning as to why something would or wouldn't work as well, this way or that... sharing knowledge he has already gained about the brakes and motion. Alex liked being in charge, but Liam supervised.

It's the same with writers. Some prefer to sit back, coast, and leisurely learn, let someone else lead. They may require a little push.

 Others zoom headlong into monthly meetings wanting to gain as much information as possible. 

More experienced writers may sit one out, feel they don't need to attend a meeting because they know a lot about the topic. Nobody knows all there is to know.

Are you a generous writer? Do you share your expertise with the inexperienced? Do you pay it forward? Do you help propel others along the road to success? 

The boys discovered a surprise last week. They had a great time creating with Lincoln Logs. Liam, who is heading back to school, built a fabulous building but couldn't figure out how to make windows. It was all I could do to sit back and observe. Sometimes trial and error and experience are the best teachers. When he was finished, I showed him how to incorporate the smaller building logs to make openings. But first he tried his way. Despite his initial disappoinment that his structure did not have windows, he was proud of his accomplishment.

Alex is mechanically inclined and built with great fervor, designing on a smaller scale but adding his entire structure into Liam's as a garage.

Charlie is into tornadoes and is a whirlwind himself. He simply manipulated the materials, telling us a tornado knocked his down. If unsupervised, I can tell you his brothers' buildings would have met with destruction. He is just learning the basics, the fundamentals of stacking, interlocking etc.

Writers are builders, too. We pile one word onto another to create one sentence, and then our sentences become paragraphs... until we have an essay, article, chapter, or book. We go back and revise to make our work stronger. Sometimes we destroy our own work. It's all part of learning. 

Write on, readers! Write for your self. Write for others. Write for posterity or publication, but WRITE. Writers write; they don't just talk about writing.