I'm taking an "Introduction to Guitar" class this semester at USC. I've always wanted to play the guitar, and I thought I would take advantage of being in college with an extra 2 units to spare and *go for it*! Well, don't let the name fool you -- "Intro to Guitar" ended up being my most difficult class this semster. Everything is new: I'd never read music before, never held a guitar in my arms, never tapped out a rhythm with my foot on the floor as I tried to decide where the chords changed in a song. It was like learning a new language -- everything was so completely and utterly foreign. And do you know what? As difficult as the class is, I LOVE it! It is probably my most favorite class this semester, too. I am proud to report that my guitar playing is improving by the day (how could it not?) and I even got a blister on one of my fingers from practicing -- it made me feel like a true musician! :)
How does this relate to writing? I want to encourage everyone out there to try something completely new to them this year. Pick something you have never done before, maybe because you were afraid
of failure, and just go for it! The biggest thing I've learned in the first four weeks of "Intro to Guitar" (which, by the way, has people in it who have played the guitar for four and six and even eight years!) is that it's an amazing feeling to push your boundaries in new directions. This applies to pushing your writing boundaries by trying to write in a new medium -- for example, try poetry if you typically write novels, or leap into a short story if you usually pen nonfiction, etc. Also, by pushing your boundaries in other arenas of your life, you will have more amazing life experiences to write about! Get out there and *live*!
Now, if you'll exuse me, I'm going to go practice guitar. "Mary Had a Little Lamb" has never before seemed such a wonderful song as when I played it for the first time on my guitar! Now I'm on to "Amazing Grace." Woo-hoo!
