Find a way to take notes and record your observations of the world around you! This may be through a set of notebooks. I've kept a set of three notebooks respectively labeled "Interesting Things that have Happened to Me,""Funny and Fascinating," and "Quotes" to capture moments in my everyday life that could serve as fodder for future writing and stories.
Read a lot! We all become better writers through reading good writing. Read books of all genres (fantasy, sci-fi, realistic fiction, auto-biographies, nonfiction, poetry). Remember to read both classic works and contemporary pieces. The more you read, the more you'll learn what works and what doesn't, what stands out, what you want to emulate in your own writing.
Establish a writing routine. Try to make writing a daily habit. I've tried to sit down and write each day for at least 15 minutes. Even if you hate what you write on a particular day, at least you wrote something! And the next day, you might come back to it and find that you love it, or that it inspires you to write something else! By making writing a daily or regular habit, you are consistently exercising your creativity and self-expression "muscles" through creating new work.
Think reader first. They are the ones who will be reading your writing. Keep them invested and intrigued every step of the way in your work. Captivate their attention, and don't let it go.
Start calling yourself a writer! No, you don't need to wait until you've finished or published a book. Do you write? If you do, you're a writer.
Comments