It took me years to realize writing and math had something in common.

I was good at math. Really good. In high school, I happily gave up two hours of sport each week to study university-level math. The more complicated the equation, the happier I was.

Writing had always appealed to me, but I never seriously considered it. My grammar wasn't great. In fact, I distinctly remember a self-paced grammar exercise in Year 6 where we were supposed to mark our own answers as we worked through different coloured levels.

Let's just say... I wasn't always honest.

For years, I assumed that because grammar wasn't my strength, I had no business calling myself a writer. Then it dawned on me. I'd been comparing the wrong things.

What I loved about math was solving problems. Looking at something complicated, breaking it apart and figuring out how all the pieces fit together.

Writing is no different: Building characters; weaving together storylines; solving plot problems; finding the one thread that pulls everything together.

My “aha” moment came during my MBA. Accounting drove me insane. Debits and credits never clicked for me. I realized accounting was to math what grammar is to storytelling.

If I can hire an accountant for the side of math I struggle with, I can hire an editor for my writing.

Looking back, I'm glad I stopped believing I had to be great at grammar before I was allowed to write. Because if I’d waited… I might never have started.

posted by Sandra L. Rostirolla on July, 14