How To Write
Man, I am not even a full sentence in and this already feels pretentious. So I guess I better start with a disclaimer; I am inexperienced. That is especially true when it comes to publishing. So I want to give a few suggestions that I find helpful, but please take what I say with a grain of salt, and please feel free to comment and share your own ideas.
Words on the Page:
It seems like most people who want to write have brilliant ideas, the problem is that those ideas are inaccessible when they are locked in your brain. Believe it or not, in order to be a writer you have to actually write. I also see that in most forums where people ask for help writing that the number one piece of advice that they will get is “put the pen on the paper and get words down”. While I do think this is great advice, it also can be difficult. Here are ways I find to make it easier:
Create the environment. Write in a place, and time, that is going to make it easier to write. Maybe that is at a park, coffee shop, library, or (most likely) a place in your home. I find writing sitting on a couch with my lap top on my lap absolutely horrible. I like sitting at a table or desk. I also cannot think straight when my kids are around me. Nothing against them, but I just prefer to interact with my children, and they are toddlers so ‘staying alive’ is not high on their skill set just yet. So either they have to be in bed, or my wife has them so I can be alone. I also find that I do not write well when I am procrastinating other things. If I want my best quality work I need to have my job, family, and even other forms of recreation in a safe holding pattern.
Warm up. Diving right into my story can sometimes end in a frustrating spot because I know my writing is garbage and I hate it. Just like playing a sport, though hopefully with less sweat, doing a twenty minute warm up writing exercise can get your juices flowing so that when you turn to your story you are in a more creative mental space. For me, these warm ups are things I am ok with being terrible. I will do a stream of thought journal (literally writing every thought that comes to mind), I will google writing prompts and follow those instructions. I have heard of people trying to write a dramatized version of a news article. Google writing exercises and I promise you will find something to keep you busy.
Actually writing. This can look completely different for every writer. I know people who swear by outlines, I know people who think an outline is unartistic. Some people need character maps or a document for their world building (which are both just fancy ways of outlining, if we are being honest). I had a professor in college who would write, than find random moments in his life and force himself to include that in his story (for example he would record conversations and say that those conversations happened between his characters, which can dramatically change a story). Some people want actual pen and paper, some use only electronic documents. I use a combination of both (outlines and such I usually write with pen and paper). Each author needs to write in a way that works best for them. This takes immense practice, just like any skill. The more frequently you practice, the more faster you will improve. Just food for thought: I don’t know any professional athlete that plays their sport of choice only once a week, and certainly not less than that.
After:
Once your words are on the page, you might be a quarter of the way done. I know a lot of writers that get discouraged at this point because from here on there is a lot of critiquing, either from yourself or an outside source. Here is the thing: when we embrace the rest of this process head on our writing goes from bad to good, from cute to extraordinary, from full of potential to works of art. Please do not shy away, embrace this process.
Editing. A good writer is a good editor, simple as that. If we want to put out quality work we need to edit our garbage so that it is no longer garbage. This is why people say to just get thoughts down onto paper, because we can always go back and edit them. What I like to do is leave whatever I write for a week or two, long enough that I forget all the small details about what I was trying to do. That way when I do go back it is with fresh, objective eyes. I also read out loud in the most monotone voice I can. I am not a grammar fanatic, but this really helps me see and hear what my writing is doing. I catch so many mistakes when I hear myself say it rather than reading in my head. If you want to go a step further have someone else read it out loud to you, the number of times you will cringe as this person stutters and stumbles over your work can be discouraging, but it will turn out a better writing. With all do respect, if you do not carve up your first draft like a butcher trimming fat you are probably not doing good enough.
Spread the word. Once we have our stories down it is paramount that we share it with others. I guess this part is a little subjective because there is nothing wrong with writing just for ourselves, but I also think most of us would like to share what we have. So don’t be afraid to start a blog, send a few copies to friends, and try to get published. I think most authors need to hear both that their writing is good, and that it can use improvement. I know we just left the editing step, but chances are that after you share your work you will want to edit it again. I think it is important to let people know what you want from them when you share you writing. Do you want feedback? Are you only looking for positive reviews? Can you handle someone laughing at your super serious teenage drama because they misunderstood your tone? This is probably the scariest part, but we will not improve as writers if we don’t share. (again, it is totally ok to write for yourself. If that is your goal, than keep it up, do not force yourself to share something meant for your eyes only just because I say so.)
Publishing
This is where I am the least experienced. There are so many levels, like finding an agent, comparing self publishing to standard publishing, taking literal months to hear back from a publisher, and knowing if this is the right place for your work. It is very confusing. First I will say this: you do not need a literary agent to publish your book. I don’t have one (but I am not against finding one, if you know of anybody). My best advice is to be bold. Send in your work, send that follow up email, be that guy. Listen to their feedback, but no one will be more excited about your book than you are. So if you are lukewarm your reception will be frigid. You need to believe that literally thousands and thousands- no, that millions and millions of people will read your book. Sure be humble, but being humble never means doubting yourself. Yes, this process can be long and grueling, but enjoy the ride.
Thank you for reading! As always, please follow my social media (please give my twitter some love!) and I will try and make your day better. All of my links are at the top of the page, but you can find me at @l0stturkey on instagram, facebook, and twitter.
No please excuse me as I read this essay out loud to make sure I don’t sound too silly.