I claim to be a writer, so I write. (Next, I'll tell you milk is white.) I've navel-gazed enough about why I write, so I'll meander now about how I write.

Specifically, how much effort do I put into this? I don't re-write my stories. I know I should, but I lack the discipline for that.

Writing is work. Successful writing is disciplined work. Writing may be work, but it's enjoyable work. However, even enjoyment has some point of diminishing returns.

I enjoy the act of writing, but I enjoy more the aftereffects. I like the quiet feeling of satisfaction for having finished my piece. I enjoy the feedback (who doesn't?) and I look forward to rereading some particularly effective offering.

Even blog entries vary. My Pundiocy posts are pretty much spleen-venting. I write what I do to get things out in the open, to help me focus my thoughts, and to give you all an opportunity to sanity-check my opinions.

Elsewhere takes a little more work. The act of trying to determine why a particular piece of fiction (usually the visual medium, because I'm too drained to really read a book) works or doesn't work takes work. I'm used to just enjoying a piece or not enjoying it. Why I do requires me to introspect, which is not a natural act when it comes to an avocation.

FlashFic Attemtpts take the most work. Much of it is overcoming my own mental hurdles. I know I'm a good writer, but not a great one. I'm not in a familiar form - I like deeper stories, wider vistas and more words.

However, we're moving more and more toward twitter.fic, ever-shorter stories to match our ever-shorter attention spans. My secret dream to write the great american novel will need to be set aside.

Surprisingly, less words take more work. I believe history holds Lincoln to have once penned, "apologies for writing such a long letter, I didn't not have enough time to write a shorter one." At the surface, it is fallacious, but when you think about the amount of honing and focus it takes, the constrained form would indeed be harder.

Anyhow, that's pretty much all the naval-gazing I have on effort. Your thoughts are, as always, welcome.