Get that Pen! Ready, Set, Write!
Being a writer is a world of different facets If you love to write, it doesn’t seem like a necessary chore. It is merely a way to create a story that does not yet exist. Taking your imagination to the next level and putting pen to paper.
There’s no one in the world who can tell the story quite like you can, or bring characters to life the way you see fit.
Chances are you’ve had ideas for years that you wanted to embellish upon and see how the plot unfolds.
Or, perhaps you have a real story to tell—one that reflects your own life—and want to share with the world for a chance to help them. It’s feasible they will relate, and might see a little bit of themselves in your own life story.
Either way, there’s a creative side to you that you want to embrace.
If you’re ready to take your own challenge, there’s certain points that can help get you started.
1. When writing, don’t stress about what you THINK the world wants to hear. Write your story you way. Make your own rules. If you write according to how you think others want to read it, it will appear forced and might not flow correctly. Of course, you want it to be interesting, but if people enjoy it, they will enjoy it because you wrote it in your own style, using your own creative voice.
2. Some of us have the WANT to write, but can’t find the time. This is the caveat of living. Life simply gets busy. However, if you can even find fifteen minutes of the day to jot down a sentence, paragraph— or on a good day, maybe even a chapter—then take those fifteen minutes and jot down a little.
3..Sometimes we DO have the time, but just not the motivation, energy, flowchart of events, etc., etc. There are millions of excuses. If this is what is stopping you, think of it this way—pretend you have a deadline. Go ahead and pretend you have a boss that is waiting for this project and you have to get it done. You’re creative! Of course you can imagine this scenario to be real. Sometimes if we have to do things to satisfy our own needs, we don’t do them. However, if a boss tells us to do something, we know we need to get it done or we don’t get a paycheck (and in some cases, we lose our jobs). So, there ya go, give your boss a fake name, set the deadline and get started. Heck, you can even make this imaginary boss part of your story!
4. Set the mood. For my day job, I work from home. The same home office with the same decorations and the same view each and every day. While it’s fine for a work atmosphere, it leaves little for the imagination in a creative aspect. When I write, I have to leave that home office and go elsewhere, even if it is a few feet away into my living room. Some people put on classical music. Others have the television on low. Some of my most creative ideas came from taking a hike up the mountain, or people watching on a train (which is actually a book I am working on)! If wine is your thing, treat yourself to a glass, get in your comfy chair (but not too comfy- you don’t want to fall asleep) and create your characters. Build your plot!
5. Carry a notebook. You never know when a storyline is going to spark. I’ve walked on the beach, strolled through museums, explored old buildings, hiked up mountains and...out of nowhere, I’d get an idea. I’ve met people in random places who, whether I liked them or not, made an interesting character and although I may not have written about them yet, the memory of them stays in my mind! There’s nothing like being in the moment and describing the scene you want to add to your book. Cell phones are great to take notes in as well, but I find notebooks sort of set the right mood for writing ideas down. When I use the notes feature of a cell phone, I get distracted by a message that pops up, or an email, or social media and it takes me away from what I really wanted to do, which was simply write down an idea!!! Find what works best for you. You never know what you’ll see.
6. Important, steer away from distractions on the computer. This means Facebook, Twitter, email, phones. One tweet or Facebook post can easily drag you away from writing for minutes or even hours!
7. Don’t worry so much about publishing, or if you will make money or not. If you love writing, write. If you make money, great! If not, you’ll have a story that YOU wrote, that you can read and re-read any time you want. You will be pleasantly surprised that sometimes you add your own twists and turns that shock even YOU! Been there and done that! I’ve written books with one idea completely on one path, only to switch gears and go a completely different direction half-way through. Even I was curious about how it would end!
It’s important to have fun while writing. If you stress over the “what if’s,” it is no longer enjoyable. It becomes more of a tedious chore, rather than what it should be, fun-filled creative venture!
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