Contact Information:

Debra Traverso
P.O. Box 4842
Hagerstown, MD 21742-4872
240-782-4218

Those who know me well know that — as a writing coach and instructor — I tend to liken just about everything to the craft of writing (I mean, writing, life...where does one end and the other begin?) So, it should come as no surprise that I recently gleaned new lessons in writing while helping my son research the settling of the American West.

But first, some background: When the settlers trekked west, they carefully planned their journey so that they didn't have to cross water until the end of any given day. This way, they could cross the water, immediately build fires on the other side to dry off over night, then forge ahead comfy and dry the next morning. Seems like good sense. The Native Americans, on the other hand, approached the same task differently. Unlike the settlers, they didn't let a little thing like water stop them. They didn't backtrack, sidetrack, skirt around or avoid water at all. When they came to water, they forged straight through, regardless of the time of day. If that meant crossing the water in the morning and being wet the entire day, then that's what they did.

Okay Deb, you ask, so what does this have to do with writing? Let me answer that in the form of another question: How many of us, like the settlers, avoid the water (the writing) and opt instead to agonizingly take the longer trail to avoid the water (tweak the outline for the hundredth time, research more than necessary, worry about how to get started, feel guilt that we're not typing away)? We writers should be more like the Native Americans and wade right into the water when the trail we're blazing demands it. Let's not go miles out of our way to avoid the inevitable, as the settlers did. There's a certain comfort that comes with being completely drenched, submerged in our writing.

Another lesson? Initially I thought that the act of crossing the water at night seemed like a very symbolic analogy for seeing a task through to completion while simultaneously targeting a fresh (and dry) start each day. Upon further pondering, I realized that the Native Americans' approach would serve to make us all better writers. They stopped short of crossing the water the night before and chose instead to start their day with the discomfort of getting wet. As writers, we often have trouble getting started each day. To overcome the fear that comes with a blank sheet of paper, we should leave the water to cross in the morning. In other words, today, stop just short of finishing that page, that paragraph or that sentence. This way, when you again sit down to write tomorrow, you will have the unfinished thought in mind, and can immediately begin writing and accomplishing. The mere act of writing will get your momentum going and you'll probably find that your writing will flow much more smoothly.

Oh, and one more thing: happy trails to you on your writing journey.

© 2002 Debra Koontz Traverso

Debra Koontz Traverso, M.A., is a creative and commercial writer, public speaker and consultant, having published several books and hundreds of articles. She also serves as a guest instructor at Harvard University and as adjunct faculty at her local community college. She can be reached at Debra@DebraTraverso.com.

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