Your dream is possible! It is achievable, and don’t let anyone tell you that it’s not. Writing can be hard, but it can also be very fulfilling. It encourages you to use your imagination and put words together in a way that builds worlds and forms characters with feelings. Writing can be an outlet for so many people, and if it is for you, it’s important to cherish that. People will say that writing isn’t a career or that it isn’t sustainable, but life is too short not to do what you love, and there will always be a need in the world for more literature.
You may not enjoy this one, but from my experience, it’s most beneficial. I love writing fiction, but I’ve written nonfiction stories and poetry as well. Each genre offers different skills and outlooks that can help you in your own writing process and give you tools to build with in the future. It may be hard at first, but with all things, practice is important, and making sure you write often helps ingrain those skills into your writing. Who knows, you may even find a new love for a different genre!
This may be a little self-explanatory, but write as often as you can, in any form, whether that be storytelling, journaling, reporting, essays, etc. The best way to gain confidence, find your process, and learn your style is to write as often as possible. Try a 30-day writing challenge with prompts for each day. I personally love setting a timer and writing nonstop for 10 minutes. This allows me to write whatever I’m thinking about and doesn’t give me time to worry about being perfect. Whichever method you choose, stick to it. Just like with any other skill, the more you do it, the better you will get at it.
If you have a favorite author, genre, or style of writing, it’s really great to immerse yourself in that. Reading is one of the best ways to learn how to write. You don’t even have to deeply analyze an entire piece of work to gain inspiration from it, pay attention to your favorite parts of a story, and learn about why and how an author made that part work. What choices did they make, how did they build up to that point, and how was it executed?
This is very important to me: it’s okay to be stuck! It happens, it’s normal, but it will pass! Don’t beat yourself up over not being able to write one long story in one go; these things take time, and your brain is working diligently to come up with brand-new ideas worthy of being expressed. Take time away from your writing if you’re stuck. Staring at a blinking line on a screen will only frustrate you more. Do another activity, clean, eat, take a walk, talk to someone, read a book, literally anything! It’s all a part of the writing process! You are not a failure.
This is the hardest thing I’ve had to learn as a writer and a perfectionist. I have spent hours staring at a screen, writing and rewriting scenes, deleting words, rephrasing sentences, starting all over, and each time, my first draft has always been just that, a first draft. That is why it’s called the first, not the final. The best thing I can do and say is to just write. Don’t think too hard about the first draft, because it’s meant to eventually be edited and messed with, but you can’t edit something that hasn’t been written. Your first draft is the beginning of something wonderful!
Everyone’s process for writing is different. Don’t compare your process to someone else’s. For me, writing is sacred, and the way I go about it is something I cherish because it’s mine and it works well for me. I’ve seen other people’s processes, and I can’t imagine doing it their way, and that’s okay! Writing is for the writer first and foremost, not everyone else. Write for yourself, write something you can be proud of, and write in the way that makes you feel fulfilled. Writing often, trying different styles, and reading can help you figure out your process. It may take time, but once you do, nothing can stop you!
Have writing advice of your own? Share it with us! We love learning new things and gaining new opportunities to grow as writers!
Bryanna Thompson, Pine Reads Review Writer