Three easy steps for the writer in all of us.
Do you want to be a writer? Do you feel you can make a difference or tell a story through the written word? Do you feel ready to make that commitment with the written word?
The task seems daunting. The amount of resources available for the wanna-be writer can be overwhelming. How is it possible to start or even succeed as a writer?
Here is the easy answer: Anyone can do it.
There is no one magic formula to bring out the writer in all of us, but there is a writer within each of us. But there are three simple steps which, if taken, will set you on the path to success.
Write
Write every day. Start by getting a notebook. Buy an expensive, leather-bound journal at your local bookstore or grab a seventeen cent, college-ruled spiral notebook at Wal-Mart. If it strikes your fancy and makes you want to open the cover, then use it. But write every day.
If you have a thought for a story or plot, then write it down. If a turn-of-phrase catches your ear, then add it to the notebook. Document a dream, write a list of anything, rehash a conversation, or make up a conversation.
The more you write, the easier it gets, and then…the more you will write.
Just think about it: This very blog entry began as a line in a ratty, cast-off spiral notebook.
Find a Style Guide
Eventually, you will have grammar, punctuation, and usage questions. This is the natural process of wanting to become better at what you do. Style resources abound.
Many writers and publishing companies use The Chicago Manual of Style as their go-to writer and editor resource. Buy the latest copy, or use the online version at www.chicagomanualofstyle.org.
GrammarGirl, at http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/grammar-girl, is a great online resource with quirky methods for remembering those stodgy grammar rules that we all learned in school but pledged to forget as soon as possible.
Grammar perfection is at the tip of your fingers, literally, when you utilize the free and premium grammar tools at www.grammarly.com .
Read
Read…And read and read and read. You get the idea. Read novels, poetry, any well-written magazine you can get your hands on, newspapers—either print or online—manuals, information on boxes, etc. The more you read, the more you know. The more you know, the more you can apply to your own writing.
Reading well-written material builds a framework in your mind for creating your own well-written material.
Don’t know where to start? Find a favorite fiction book series to read. Then read another series.
Grab an online or print subscription to The New Yorker magazine, Wired magazine or The New York Times.
Find a topic that interests you and read non-fiction works related to that topic. For example, if you want to know more about the struggles of women in Afghanistan, read We Are Afghan Women: Voices of Hope. Conduct some searches, and you will find countless more books about the people, culture, history, and wars in Afghanistan.
Complete these three easy steps. Then repeat. And repeat again and again. Your journey as a writer has just begun.
