Get writing

These are some of the words that I can hear some days from my husband/business partner.

I normally hear these words "Get writing" when I am talking about my writing total for the day and I am saying that I haven’t got as much done as I would have liked. I can also hear these same words when I have let him know that my writing has been really good and I am happy with what I have accomplished. The words “get writing” aren’t done in a negative way because I normally am getting the writing done that I want to write.

“Get Writing” is normally done with a big smile on his face because he know that for me my writing is something that I really enjoy doing. Writing to me is an escape from the rest of the world sometimes. There are things that I write for fun and then there are the things that I write professionally. Yes there are times that the writing is a blend of both fun and professional.

What makes people laugh is when I say that I enjoy writing how to manuals and policies and procedures. Yes, a lot of people find these to be such a challenge and to me they are a means of assisting others in understand what they should be doing. In IT, when you say to someone you should document that you get those looks (normally a glare) because the individual doesn’t want to sit down and figure out how to word it. Being able to communicate to others a task can be a challenge but it can also be very rewarding. If someone says they don’t want to write a document, I will let them know that all they need to do is get the basic information down and then I will take it and make sure it makes sense. Maybe what gets a lot of people is they figure that when you say document it you mean it needs to be perfect right away. A lot of documents have to go through quite a few edits before they are at the final stage and that is when normally happens. Getting your thoughts down first is the key part that needs to be done and then making sure all the other information is where can be done after that.

Writing the how to manuals or policies and procedures can be a challenge to ensure that you get the information correctly communicated but that is why you get a few people to read it before you make it public. Manuals in some cases are going to be used for a short people of time and then the task will be learned and the manual will be put on a shelf and forgotten. Policies and procedures are something that people will look at from time to time if they need to verify something. Making sure that both of these types of documents communicate accurately what you are saying is very important.

Get writing in so many ways for me is now something that makes me smile. Yes, I write quite a bit of my day and I enjoy it. Being able to love what I do is very important and it also helps me know that in some of my writing I am helping others as well.

It is now time for me to “Get writing” and see what else I can accomplish today.