Most writers, including myself, have offered the following
tidbits of advice to aspiring and new writers: never give up, just write, write
about what you know, write the book you want to read, and more such platitudes.
Each suggestion has merit, but each one falls short of the kind of guidance
most new writers need. This week’s post may sound callous —this is going to be
as real as it gets.
First of all be honest with yourself WHY you want to write.
If you want to write because you feel you are going to get rich from it, forget
it. Writing is rarely a lucrative “job”. There are the FEW who do get rich and
famous like Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, Faye Kellerman, and Danielle Steele;
most writers, even if they manage a steady income, still need to hold “other”
jobs to pay the bills. If you want to be a writer because writing feels as
necessary as breathing then it is the right reason. If you have passion for
what you are doing that passion will become energy and energy can be powerful.
Readers will feel your energy and it will make your writing come alive for
them.
Feeling the need to write and enjoying it to the point of
passion is only the beginning. Never give
up — know the difference between stubbornness and perseverance. Stubbornness
will make you keep pushing the issue even if it doesn’t, and won’t, work; perseverance
will keep you working at it AND modifying until it works. Successful writers
will always be writing, thinking about writing, editing writing and producing
the written word. It takes discipline to meet deadlines, produce content, fill
blank pages and market yourself. Write
the book you want to read — also write for a target audience. Study the
market, read the genre, and understand what people are buying. Be original, but
not so far from the market that people might not be interested. Learn what the “rules”
are before you break them. Believe in
yourself — even when you know that you are “that good”, be willing to learn
from others, cooperate with editors, and always strive to do better.
If you are an “aspiring” writer, you are NOT a writer, the
status as “aspiring” should last only as long as it takes to pick up a pen and
start writing. Get an idea and begin writing; there are many variations of
basic stories (such as Romeo and Juliet, and West Side Story) so don’t talk
yourself out of writing yet another, just try to keep the treatment unique and
original. Successful writers become part of a community; they surround
themselves with other writers, creativity can be infectious. Build a reputation
as a dependable writer, one that meets deadlines, produces a steady supply of
work, and cooperates with an editor’s guidelines. Read whenever you are not
writing and don’t limit yourself to a specific genre no matter how much you
like or dislike it. Practice writing genres you don’t normally produce to
stretch and hone your skills. Most importantly, finish what you start and that
includes all of the “business stuff” that comes AFTER you type the words “The
End”.
Writing Exercise: Find your most recent grocery shopping list
(or make one up). Write a short story about the shopping trip, include a
description of the store and people the shopper meets, and plans for
cooking/preparing the dishes.
Writing Prompt: List, in order of preference, the five top
genres you like to read. Then list the five top genres that you feel you are
qualified to write and include the reasons why for each.
Writing Challenge: What room are you currently sitting in?
Choose three to five inanimate objects and give each a distinct voice (for
instance a Queen Anne chair might have the personality of a dowager queen). Write
a short story where these objects participate as characters in retelling some
of the memorable events that took place in that room. Aim to write a minimum of
1200-1500 words and edit the story to a finished product.
