Hello, my fellow
aspiring writers, poets and playwrights! First I want to thank all of
you for the incredible support that you have given me in my writing
and blogging. I have been writing most of my life but only recently
decided to go pro. Many of you have decided the same thing. It's a
rough road but we can take it. We are tough. It is always helpful (at
least it is to me) when others with more experience or just some good
ideas share what they know with the rest of us, so here I go with my
little bit.
Here are 10 quick
tips on writing that I have found to be really helpful to learn.
1. Write like a
demon! Ignore the format of the page, all of the little writing rules
and every bit of writing tips you have been forced to swallow and
just write! Let the words flow out like a busted fire hydrant. That
first draft is the most important, even with its type-o's, grammar
snaffoos and plot holes. It is the heart of any writing process and
you can't let over thinking get in your way.
2. Ditch your inner
critic. Again this regards that first draft of anything you write.
The best piece of advice I ever got, and I really wish I remembered
who told me this, is Write First, Edit Later. We lose sight of what
we are writing when we are worried about how we write instead of what
we write.
3. Write it down.
Have a plan? Then grab that pen. Not a planner? No problem. This
regards pantsters, too. You have an idea. Don't just let it sit in
your head where it might get lost amongst the shopping list you were
determined to remember and the appointment with the cable guy. So
many ideas get forgotten in such a short amount of time that
masterpieces are never written.
4. Now this one
might sound odd but bare with my madness for a moment. Keep all of
your rejection letters. Yep, I said it. I framed my first reject. It
reminds me that I still have work to do and that that guy is an
idiot. Lol. No, actually he had it right and I learned so much from
that first letter. I am a good writer and there will be tons of
rejections in my future. Morbid? Maybe, but keeping track of these
rejections has helped keep me focused on the big picture. I am still
learning. I also love that some of these places actually tell me in
detail why I was rejected. It gives me more to work with than “It
isn't what we are looking for”. Even when they say that, I smile
and say “Someone is looking for it” and carry on with confidence.
5. Keep a notepad
handy. I keep one by my bedside, next to my living room chair, in the
car console and a flip pad in my back pocket. Those ideas are crazier
than I am and do not keep a schedule as to when they want to invade
my time. I doubt yours are any more considerate. Also, the thing with
us writers is that ideas won't stop coming simply because we already
have a W.I.P. (work in progress). I have seen on my social media
pages where writers ask if its OK to have two projects going at a
time. That is up to you, but in my experience, I have found that
writing those ideas down so I won't forget them when its that story's
turn saves me a lot of heartache later.
6. Use writing
prompts like a virus that just won't go away. There are many
resources for writing prompts on the web and many of our writing
groups give them out at random. It also helps to ask on your page if
anyone has a writing prompt for you to use right then. The ideas will
fill the page!
7. Writing groups
are wonderful. Please, use them. Whenever I find a writing group on
Facebook or Google+ I jump in to join. The ideas and the inspiration
help me so much, and the camaraderie between both veteran and novice
writers proves that we are all equals in this profession. No one,
that I have seen, has ever been told “better stick to your day
job”. We help each other. Do not be afraid to ask questions, even
if you think it's dumb. There are no dumb questions. Ask for prompts,
as I said before. Encourage other writers as they encourage you.
8. Read your work
out loud. When you finish writing a piece and you read it to
yourself, things are oftentimes overlooked. We listen better than we
read aloud. Hearing your voice read what you write can point out flow
problems you couldn't see when you read it. It also helps you by
making you the outsider. Isn't that why we turn to beta-readers? That
outsider point of view gives a different perspective, and reading
your work aloud does that in droves.
9. Create a
platform. Sounds like something some professional or businessman
should do, right? Exactly! You are a business. Your writing is a
commodity. You need to sell that commodity and advertise your
business to make it. No, I am not asking you to flood Facebook with
sales pitches for your writing, although it helps. What I am saying
is to get yourself out there. Facebook, Cafemom, Google+, LinkedIn,
the choices are endless nowadays. Make posts, leave comments, and
best of all, make friends. Make it where you are no longer invisible.
You have to sell you before you can sell a single page of your
writing.
10. This has to be
the biggest and most important piece of advice I can ever give you.
Ready for it?Make writing a habit. You already brush your teeth.
Good, good habit. You keep your keys in a certain spot so you can
find them (well, most of the time). Great habit. Now, just write.
Even if you have to write a paragraph about how the cat just knocked
over your coffee. Hey, it is something. You need to write every day
in some form or fashion. If you have to, set a timer. Better yet,
keep a notepad near your coffee pot. Start the coffee. When it
finishes, you do, too. It doesn't take a lot of time to write
something. Anything. If all you have is 15 minutes in the morning
between “I am ready to go” and “Time to leave” then you will
be surprised how much can get written in that amount of time. Habits
can be formed in just a week's time. I am curious at how you will
integrate this new habit in your life.
Thanks for listening
to me. Many of these things I learned from other writers and I would
not have kept writing without your support.
Thank you for the info.
ReplyDeleteThank you for that. I always want to help and touch the lives of others with my words.
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