Five Things For First Time Writers To Consider
Getting into writing for the first time can be a daunting task. Any seasoned writer will tell you the blank page can stop inspiration in its tracks. It can be that much more intimidating for someone writing creatively for the first time. Have no fear, the first step into writing is not as big a deal as it might feel, and jumping in is absolutely the best way to go. Read on for some to get started and then, start!
Word jumbles
Open up a blank document or pull out a sheet of paper or word document on your computer. Now write out everything that comes to mind when you think of creative writing. This might be snippets of dialogue, setting descriptions, a list of writing prompts, or a loose plot. It might be really terrible, incoherent, and not useful, but you’ve just done two things, cleared your mind and filled up that document a little. Now you wont be starting with a blank page.
Find your Reason
Why do you want to write? If you just want a way to get rich quick, bad news. Not only will you lose motivation quickly, but it’s incredibly rare to land a huge book deal right off the bat. Why do you want to write? Do you have a story that feels special and important? Do you want to call attention to a voice or experience? Think of your reason and let that propel you forward and keep you going on this writing journey.
Save everything
Whether you think it’s awful or you simply fall out of love with a story, hold on to it! Not only will you want to look back on how you’ve improved, you never know when inspiration will hit or you find a missing piece to a new story hidden in the old.
Get Comfortable with being uncomfortable
If you’re only writing for yourself and for the sake of enjoying the process then don’t worry about this step. However, if you intend to publish your work one day, you need to get used to feeling like you’re a little bad at writing. In order to get published you need to write a rough draft, that realistically will sound pretty bad. Then you need to share it with others which is the painful part. Beta readers and critique partners are there to gently tell you when something doesn’t work or where something could be better. Sometimes those parts are your favorite parts. Writing is a constant process of putting together and pulling apart.
Prompts
If after your word jumble you’re still not sure where to start, try a prompt! Try several prompts! Just because you begin writing a story doesn’t mean you have to write it until it's finished. Every bit of writing is great practice. Some stories are meant to be half-written. You can learn a great deal about writing by starting and stopping when it feels right to move on to something else. Plus, since you’re saving all your work anyway, you can come back to it when the time is right. For now, find every exciting prompt that gets your creativity flowing and start putting words to paper.
These are five things a beginner writer should keep in mind that isn’t grammar and planning advice. Want more tips? Different kinds of advice? Join a circle on StoryForge and chat with other writers like you! When you’re ready, share your stories with your circle or the entire StoryForge community. We can’t wait to see you there!
