If you want to be a writer then welcome to the club. The club of writers. We are many. But there is always room for more. This world needs the written word. You don’t have to write the best selling book on day one of your writing career.
You may not be up to that yet. But everyone needs a place to start. Every famous writer started from the beginning. When you are at the beginning of your writing you may feel insecure. A lot of writers call this the imposter syndrome. Even well-known writers feel this at one time or another in their writing career.
But that’s OK. This is understandable. If you wish to be a writer this article will give you a few tips to help you on your way to following your dream.
- Keep a Writing Journal.
Most writers will tell you to keep a writing journal. Whether you keep it in a notebook with a pen, or electronically on your phone. Keeping a journal is very important to have a writing career. It is a good place for you to keep ideas, quotes, snippets of conversation. You can even write a short description of a scene or character. By keeping a journal it will help you to keep track of ideas. It is a very valuable writer’s tool.
I keep my journal of sorts on my phone and computer. I have different aps that I use to keep different things on. I use note pads on my phone. I use Evernote so that I can use my notes not only on my phone but also on my laptop. I use MS Word on my phone and on my laptop.
This week I discovered a new writing program that I have been using on my phone. I even downloaded a free trial on my laptop. This program? IA Writer. It comes with a 14-day free trial and then only costs $20 for the program. The ap for your phone is free. It has a day mode and a night mode. It even allows you to focus on one paragraph or one sentence at a time. It highlights the sentence that you’re writing while the rest fades out a little. I am finding this program pretty interesting to use.
Unlike scrivener where you are focusing on a book or novel. This program focuses on shorter pieces of work like a blog article. If you want to check it out I would suggest that you do so.
- Read a lot
If you want to be a great writer you need to spend time reading. Reading is very important. It helps you to learn how other writers spin their craft. It shows you how to write dialogue and how to describe scenes. Reading can even give you ideas to write about. Sometimes we all need an idea to write about.
When you read you will want to read the type of books and articles that you want to write about. Do you want to write poems? Read a lot of poetry. Read books on how to write poetry. Do you want to write fantasy? Read a lot of fantasy books to get an idea of how they are written and what ideas the authors come up with. This will help you to write your own fantasy stories and novels.
- Write something every day
Many writers will tell you that you need to write every day. This is true you should write every day. Most people will counter with: I don’t have time to write every day. So this is what I ask. Do you have 5 minutes here and there through the day that you may have free? Your in the doctor’s office waiting for your appointment. Your waiting in line at the grocery store. You carry your phone everywhere you go. This gives you the opportunity to get a few minutes of writing in while your waiting.
By utilizing these little pockets of time you can get much more writing in than you expected. Not everyone can spend hours a day writing. There are families to raise. There are Jobs to go to. Even I can’t always find long spans of time to write. I have a job that I have to go to every day. So I use my phone and write in these pockets of time. Breaks and lunches. I get up 2 or 3 hours early to go into work and sit in the break room or the subway there. So I can do some writing and marketing before work.
- Set small achievable writing goals
When you begin writing you want to set some goals. But the goals you set should be small goals to start out with. You don’t want to have too big of goals. When your goals are too big in the beginning you are setting yourself up for failure. That is not what you want. You want to succeed in your writing career.
The only way to do this is to set small achievable goals to start with. When you set small goals they are easier to do than it would be to set a large goal in the beginning. It’s like learning to ride a bike. When starting out you are using training wheels to help you balance. When you get a little better then you can take the training wheels off. Then you begin practicing riding your bike without the help of those extra wheels.
Writing is the same way. You start out setting a small goal. Then you work at accomplishing that goal. Then you set a bigger goal. Then working to do that one too. You keep doing this as you work on your writing career. Always making the new goal a little bigger each time.
- First drafts are always crap
Don’t worry too much about making your first draft perfect. There is no perfect first draft. That is why it is the first draft is called the first draft. All first drafts are crap and need more work. In fact usually, in writing, you may go through many different drafts as you edit and polish your work.
You don’t publish the first draft. First drafts are for your eyes only. They are not meant for anyone else to see them but you. So don’t be afraid to make it as crazy or as long as you want. The time for editing that first draft will come later.
- Try writing in different types of writing mediums.
When you start out writing try writing different types. Write poetry and fiction try writing some nonfiction. Write some large pieces and some small pieces too. Don’t stick with one type of a writing medium or one length. You want to explore the different types until you find the one that speaks to you.
When I write I write a lot of nonfiction. But that is not all. I occasionally write short stories of fiction. Sometimes I will even write out a poem that I become inspired to write. I even will write in a personal essay journal on my phone sometimes. The point is I write a little of everything.
In doing this, I have learned that I am no good at writing full-length fiction novels. But I don’t do to bad at writing short stories. Although most of my writing is nonfiction books and articles.
- Stop calling yourself an aspiring writer
If you want to be a writer then call yourself a writer. You shouldn’t call yourself an aspiring writer. Not if you are serious about it anyways. If you go to school to become a doctor you don’t call yourself an aspiring doctor. No. You call yourself a doctor. You practice being a doctor. You are paid to be a doctor. You are a doctor.
The same is when you want to be a writer. You practice writing. You write whenever you have the opportunity to write. Then you are a writer. Not an aspiring writer. So stop calling yourself one.
Conclusion:
When starting out as a writer it is good to have a place to start. You should always start from the beginning. Don’t be afraid to write. don’t let fear get in your way of being a writer. If you follow these tips that I have offered in this article you will do fine.
Everyone has to start somewhere. I did. Steven King did. And every other writer on this planet has. So do you. So where do you start? Start with these tips and watch your career soar. It may take time for it to get anywhere. But eventually, your writing will take off to greater heights.
Go Forth And Write!
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