Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Write Now

There’s no better time to write about something than when you’re in the trenches doing it. I used to didn’t think that. I had the idea that it would be better to write about it after having had the experience and at a time when you could look back at all you mistakes with 20/20 vision. But now, I’ve decided that isn’t the case.

A few years ago, I was the chairman of a committee at church. It was the first time I had been the chairman on a committee and I had all these ideas of how I should handle it. Overall, I was successful at it. After two years, I went off the committee and I forgot about. During the time that I thought would be the ideal time to write about something like that, it wasn’t important to me. I’ve served on other committees, but I didn’t have to be concerned with the job of a chairman—until this year. This year, I was elected to the position of chairman on another committee. All those ideas about how a chairman should handle the job have come rushing back to me. If I were to write a book on the subject, now would be the time to do it. That’s not to say I’ve got it all figured out or that I won’t make mistakes while I hold that position, only that things are never so clear as when you are right in the middle of it.

As authors, we may choose to write about many things. We may be tempted to wait until we have all the answers. No one has all the answers. The time to write is now. Then, when you’ve learned from your mistakes, write again.