Five How To's for Those Who Dream of Becoming a Writer
I am often asked what it takes to become a writer or "How can I
do what you do?" The answer is not complicated. Anyone can
write. Even if you were never a contestant for your eighth grade
spelling bee, there is spell check. It is a marvelous invention.
All of us have access to a dictionary, a thesaurus and a myriad
of books and articles on how to write. The following are some
tips to get you started.
Pay attention to what you tell yourself, in your sleep. I often
think that I have written a bestseller, on the nights, when I do
not get up and write down my thoughts. I keep a pad of paper by
my bed. When I get that eureka moment, in my sleep, I get up and
jot it down. Some nights, I go right back to sleep. Other
nights, I can't wait to put my thoughts on paper and am off and
running.
The early riser gets the article written. I am often awake
before anyone else in my household. In the quiet of the early
morning, ideas for articles or often the entire article, will
come to me. Of course, this can play havoc with a social life.
If I don't retire at a reasonable hour, I am an irritable writer.
Read. There is no one person that is an authority on everything.
What you don't know, find out. Read everything pertaining to
your field of interest that you can get your hands on. If you
want to be a writer of fiction, read what you love. My interest
and love, is a search for balance in life and helping others to
achieve it. I try to read, talk and breathe balance. If we
recognize that we are all a part of this human race, why not
love it?
Talk and listen to others. I try and engage others in
conversation as much as possible, in the grocery store, the
mall, the post office, etc. Yes. I am one of those annoyingly
interested people. I am interested in everything and will talk
to you about anything. I also listen. By listening, which is
also a part of the conversational gambit, I learn about others
interests, needs and loves. Writers, write best, when they write
what they know.
Writers, write. This is probably the most important part of
writing. It separates the ones that want to be writers from the
ones that succeed. If you feel that you have something important
to say, put it on paper. It doesn't matter if your initial draft
is intelligible. That is what the re-write is for, to hone your
thoughts.
Take an interest in life. Successful writers write about topics
that inform, entertain, uplift or in some way fill the needs
which we, as a human race, carry in our minds and hearts. When I
began writing, I read a quote from Erma Bombeck, a humorist,
syndicated columnist and successful author for many years. She
said," Not a day goes by that I don't hear from aspiring writers
who have questions. "What if I fail?" ("What if you succeed?")."
If you want to be a writer, begin today. Sit down and put pencil
to paper or fingers to keyboard. I wish you much success.