It can be so daunting to start; there is no doubt about that. But having the desire to write, to share your story with others, that’s the first step.
I think in Ireland the art of storytelling, of weaving a tale mixed with both truth and fiction is ingrained into our very psyche. We are a nation of seanchai’s! But many find that finding the creative idea for a great story is the easy part. It is the actual plotting and placement of those words from your mind, into structured sentences that in turn are pleasing to read, that can prove to be difficult.
In no particular order, here are my top tips to help you achieve your writing potential.
- Read
So many people forget to read when they are in the middle of writing their masterpiece. In truth, I was one of those people; telling myself that I didn’t have the time to read and also that I didn’t want to be influenced by other writers. I wanted my own work to be unique. But then I read some advice from Stephen King that struck a chord with me.
“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”
So now I set aside one evening per week for reading. TV, laptop and iPad is switched off and I dedicate myself to whatever book is in my hands. And you know what I discovered? That apart from enjoying the words in front of me, I was inspired to do better with my own writing. Every book I read teaches me something new.
- Practise
Over the past couple of years since I made the decision to make writing my career, as opposed to my hobby, there is no doubt that my writing has improved dramatically month on month. This is of course because I now write every day and like any skill the more you practise, the better you will become. I find that I no longer make the mistakes I used to make in the early days (mixing up of tenses!) switching from third to first person, repeating words and many more mistakes that newbie writers make. So try to write something every single day, even if it is only a few hundred words.
Pick a word at random and then challenge yourself to write a piece of flash fiction with no more than 99 words based on that word. Change genres with each challenge and you will soon see which genre sits best with your voice. Why not ask your family to pick a word for you, so that they are all involved in this creative task.
Perhaps you should think about blogging as a way to ensure that you write actively every week. You can blog about any subject, pick one that is close to your heart. Do you love Downton Abbey? Why not start a blog all about that series. Are you a keen gardener or have an allotment?
- Find a support network
I cannot stress how important this is.To lay your soul bare through words is a daunting thing. To do this alone without the support of family, friends and other writers is going to be very lonely indeed.
One regret I have is that I never joined a writing group years ago. Maybe had I done so, I wouldn’t have waited until I was 40 to start writing full time. Writers groups come in many formats so you can one that suits you best. I host an online writing group, with approximately 30 members and the support and encouragement found in that one group is incredible.
- Be informed
There are so many wonderful resources available that provide so much information to aspiring writers. One of my favourites is www.writing.ie where you will find interviews and articles by published authors, tips on how to write and details of writing competitions worldwide.
Social media while not for all is a great tool to easily access both writers and publishers with relative ease. Follow your favourite authors and publishers that are in the genre you plan to write in, like their Facebook pages and be brave and interact with them.
Trust me, we authors love to hear from both readers and other writers and in the main I have found the network of support amongst the literary community to be invaluable.
- Just Write
I have bought many books over the years that are self-help guides on ‘how to write a bestseller.’ They will give you great advice on how to plot your story or write character biographies. And of course this is excellent advice, but for many writers who are starting out, they get so caught up in trying to follow the steps that are outlined in said self-help books, that they get lost in the ‘rules’ and don’t actually end up getting anywhere.
So my advice is once you have an idea on what to write and a general idea on where it is going, then just get cracking and start getting your thoughts down on paper.
When I started Beyond Graces Rainbow, I knew the basic story that I wanted to write, but a lot of the details were hazy and the characters undefined. For example I didn’t know if Liam, Grace’s love interest, would be a goodie or baddie until I got halfway through the story. His character took on a life of its own as the story moved on.
Also, Gerry only got his quirk of quoting movies in the second draft of Beyond Graces Rainbow, which brought his character to life for me. I also usually change characters names over and over while I write. I start off calling someone X but they seem more like a Y when I get to the end.
So just start writing and see where the story brings you!
- Connect with your readers
Your ultimate aim when writing is to make a connection with the reader. You want to evoke emotion within them, whether that’s a smile, nostalgia, recognition, anger or even sadness, as long as the reader feels something, well you have done your job. And in my opinion the best way to write with passion is to feel passion about the subject you are writing. So choose your story carefully. I know some writers decide upon a subject matter for their novel because they feel it is popular and sure while this has some merit and makes commercial sense, in my opinion if you don’t feel strongly about the topic you writing about, then that will show in your finished book.
I hope that the above tips help a little, but honestly, the very best advice I can give to any aspiring writer is simply this – just write.
Stop making excuses, put your creative side first and write. And don’t stop until you type these two words – The End.
You can do it.
Adding a link to writing.ie here with an article that I wrote about writing dialogue! Bookmark this site if you’ve not done so already, it’s got bucket loads of advice from writers and publishing experts!
