Nothing to write home about

For K.

You know you want to write,
so take the plunge

1. Don’t wait the big idea to strike you. Just write something.
2. Get hold of a good writing book - Writing down the bones by Natalie Goldberg is a good example, and use it for writing prompts. Or choose a word at random and write a paragraph on that.
3. However it turns out, keep what you’ve written, so you can come back to it in the years ahead and see where you began.
4. Keep writing, every day. Soon you will get the big idea and find yourself writing a whole story.
5. When you’ve finished your story, read it through and forget about it for a while.
6. When you’re feeling brave enough, give it to someone you trust. Your best friend, if she’s not a writer, or your mum. Choose someone who will be encouraging and supportive. At this stage you probably won’t want the detailed feedback another writer will give. You want the courage to go on.
7. If you think the story is ready, send it out. Most editors don’t have time to give feedback, so the worst you’re likely to get is no.
8. Now is a good time to thicken up your skin. Remember, if they say no, it could be that they just don’t like it - you can’t do anything about that. But it might not be good enough, and you can do something about that. Appraise feedback carefully - see what you can learn from it, but don’t change anything that you know in your heart must stay in your story.
9. Start learning about writing. Read some books, take a course if you like (but check out the creditentials of the teacher - there are plenty of wannabe writers setting themselves up as professionals - avoid them like the plague.) An online course, a good book can also be a teacher.
10. When you are ready, give your work to others to critique, but again, choose wisely. Many writers are supportive, encouraging and good to be around. Others can be bad for your health.