If you’ve decided to write, it can be difficult to know how to make a start.
Here’s the first of a two-parter to get you off the ground.
1. Be yourself
This is the foundation from which you’ll grow and nurture your writing practice.
People want to read an author whose voice is unique: the topic you’re dealing with might have been done a million times before, but it’s the way you’ll write about it that’s different and makes them want to follow your words.
So, find your voice. Understand from the outset that the mould’s already been broken by the authors you might be looking to emulate. Forget trying to be the next Orwell or Hemingway, because they’ve already been there, got the T-shirt and received international acclaim for it.
Plough your own furrow – it’ll be far more rewarding in the long run!
2. Practice makes perfect
This is about getting – and keeping – going. At first, just give yourself permission to play: write small pieces, fragments, get anything down you want to write about or feel at the time.
The topic doesn’t matter, and the piece doesn’t have to be pristine or fully formed. This is just about getting your creative juices flowing, and yourself into the habit of writing.
I freely admit: I’m not keen on the regime advocated by books such as The Artist’s Way, which stem from Dorothea Brande’s seminal 1930s writing bible, Becoming a Writer.
Both books have a great deal to offer in terms of creative practice, but committing to a fixed time every single morning (yes, it really does have to be in the morning, as soon as you get up!), when you must produce X number of pages or sit down to write for Y minutes, might work for some as a brain dump or creative exercise – but not everyone.
Modern life isn’t always conducive to being regimented by that kind of routine. Plus people actually have lives, kids and other important personal commitments to attend to first thing in the day.
My own creative temperament certainly isn’t: I work regular hours as an editor, and client projects come first. If you’re in a full-time job, a carer or running your own business, no doubt you’re in the same boat.
It’s about finding when’s best for you, then committing to showing up for that.
It could be a few paragraphs squeezed in after the school run and before the rest of your day, or getting up an hour earlier to put hand to keyboard. Maybe you can write longhand or tap away at your laptop in a quiet carriage on your commute to work.
Perhaps you’re a night owl and feel more energised in the evening, or more open to creative flow on weekends?
Don’t agonise over how or when you write – just do it when and where is best for you. You’ll see quick results and sow the seed for even more creativity which, when you start to feel it, can be a real boost.
3. Read all about it
There are acres of books and resources out there which can guide you in pretty much any genre and writing form you want. While they’re incredibly useful, sometimes they can be daunting to the new writer because they’re quite technical.
If you aren’t conversant with the art of literature or journalism yet, tackling a book on how to plot a novel or pitch that long investigative article to a broadsheet isn’t necessarily the best place to start.
Listen to yourself first: tap into your own inner process, get writing, then seek out the learning you need to craft your work. Then you’re in a good position to work in your chosen medium.
Part of this process is to read other writers – as many as you can. Look at their language and style. Ask yourself what you like or dislike about it, what draws you to it and why.
Be eclectic: try to experience lots of different writers in different media, so you can see what they do and how they do it.
4. Go exploring
Willingness to experience internal spirit of adventure is a fundamental aspect of writing, but you don’t necessarily have to ‘sail away from the safe harbor’, as Mark Twain said – at least not at the outset!
Writing is a personal voyage, but taking baby steps towards your destination is absolutely fine.
Being open to inspiration, willing to try new things, is all grist to the creative mill – one of the easiest ways you can do it is to start a blog.
Writing regularly is good, because it exercises your creative muscles and helps you form disciplined habits.
At a Guardian masterclass on feature writing I attended, a magazine editor advised us that every writer should have a blog. It’s a great place to explore story ideas and test out your writing.
Short pieces like blog posts aren’t taxing to put together time-wise – a few hours at most – but they can actually take more skill to produce than longform, because there’s less space to cover your topic.
Short form is excellent training because it encourages you to really hone your text, drill down on structure, content and message, and look at what is or isn’t working.
What blog posts should not be is unfocused mind-spill. (Only the Beat Poets did stream of consciousness well, and even then it isn’t always that digestible!)
The key is: be prepared. Always carry a notebook or notetaking app on your phone to record ideas and thoughts, anything that occurs to you. Apps like Notion, Pocket or Evernote are really useful for this.
Make sure you do it at the time, as ideas are best captured when they’re fresh – it’s important not to lose them, as you invariably might during a busy day! Then, expand and test them out later in a blog post.
The next four will follow soon. Stay tuned, and happy writing!
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Lisa Cordaro Publishing Services 