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Five Things I've Learned From Being A Writer

Monday, July 21, 2014

 



Now.  I've never published ANYTHING.  I've never won a writing contest, and I've never even written so much as an e-book. 

But I'm still a writer.  I've written two complete un-published books, both terrible flops but they're twelve chapters long and I couldn't be prouder! I've also written a plethora of poems, short stories, and articles.  I've started a countless number of novels, and I'm writing one as we speak.  (hehe.  more like majorly procrastinating by finding out nit-picky things about my characters like favorite color when she was two or how she likes her oatmeal at three in the morning)

Does that make me a writer? HECK YAH!!!! 

So #1 in what I've learned- You don't have to be published to be considered a Writer or an Author or a Novelist (or whatever you wish to call yourself).  You could even come up with a pen name if it makes you feel more spy-like and professional. 



#2.  (We're going obvious here, but I never said these were new insights!) Wanna get better? WRITE ALL THE TIME!!!  I'm the biggest hypocrite when it comes to writing all the time.  I like to say that writing a blog post is my writing time for the day, which is okay if I do that on occasion. Except I don't.  ^_^ I try to use that excuse at least three times a week, when it should be like once every two weeks.  My goal this year is to get much more consistent at writing at least a little every day.  If I have time for a Facebook stalking session, I definitely have time for writing for fifteen minutes!

#3. Don't get caught up in all that writing advice out there.  Yah, yah, I'm kinda giving you writing advice right now.  *guilty*  But notice I didn't say all the BAD writing advice.  Let me tell you, there is fantastic writing advice out there in the form of blogs, books, and sites.  I only caution you not to place too much emphasis on the rules of writing 101. 

I know for myself, if I read too much writing advice and tips and how-tos and the no-fail outlines, I lose sight of how much I simply love to write.  Instead of writing for my own enjoyment, I start to write to meet these other professional writer's expectations and rules.  People pleaser much?! 
Now you personally might really benefit from these, and that's great.  But I'm just sharing what I've learned and what works specifically for moi.



#4. Each character believes he is the hero of this story.  Have you heard Tom Hiddleston's quote "Every villain is a hero in his own mind"? Well, that's true for even the most minor of characters too.  I've found that if I start out with a specific goal or dream for pretty much any character I write, I can relate with them so much better.
If you have a scene where your MC (main character) is interacting with friends at the cafeteria during lunch, and the girl sitting beside the MC (we'll call this random girl Sally) joins in on the conversation, use some subtle hints to show what Sally desires.  If they're talking about the MC's dog, you could make her sound wistful and say something about how her parents would never let her have a dog.  Boom!  There's Sally's desire.  It may not be her main one, or it may not be even important to her, but it's a desire and it makes her seem at least a bit more relatable.  Goodness, I know I've wanted a dog for forever myself!

#5. Make sure you know how your story ends!!!!!  Oh my gosh I can't overstate this enough.  Another one of the traps I fall into is believing that "oh I'll figure out an ending some time or another but I really love this story idea so I'm gonna start it now!!" LIES.  Please please please at least give it a day of thought before you start.  With both of the novels I wrote I plunged in with no knowledge of how the climax or anything after that was going to play out, and ended up settling for a cheap and predictable finish because I was so bored with the story idea.



And there ya have it.  Five of the (MANY) things I've learned from trial and error when it comes to writing. 

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6 comments

  1. Great ideas! I awarded you - http://autumnreadsandwritesallday.blogspot.com/2014/07/liebster-award_21.html
    ♥ Autumn

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    1. Thanks so much for the reward Autumn! Much appreciated;)

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  2. AMAZING POST <3 I cannot tell you how much I needed #3.

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    1. You're so welcome Sam. #3 is still a work in progress for me too:)

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  3. I love that Tom Hiddleston quote<3
    And #4 was amazing. lIke wow. I never thought of that. I'm going to be keeping that one in mind. I love that perspective. Very cool.
    Thanks for sharing!

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  4. <3 it!! (I love your blog too) Miss you soooo much!!

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