Mar
11
Oh! I’ve Always Wanted to Do That!
Amy

Is almost unanimously the first thing I hear when I tell people that I’m a writer. My thought then is, well, why aren’t you? With more frequency I seem to be having that conversation with people and the crux of it is: they don’t know how. So here are some tips I’ve learned along the way to get you started. These apply whether you want to write novels, poems, or screenplays. This post was a request from a reader; I hope it is of use to you!

Pick a very specific time and day each week when you only write. This can be M-F 8pm-9pm or every other day. Just so long as it is realistic and you stick to it. That may not seem like much but we all start somewhere. I finished several novellas that way, so I feel it works.

Give yourself a “weekend”. Pick two days when you WON’T write. Yup, two days a week, just like with any job, they don’t have to be right next to each other, but everyone deserves a weekend. I thank my script consultant for that gem!

Enroll in some classes. I am a big believer in Writer’s University. You can take online classes from incredible people who will teach you how to “Write Dialogue for Emotional Impact” all the way up to “Pitch and Presentation” (which is also a great class for learning how to summarize your story).

READ. Not just books about writing, but also books you enjoy, screenplays, poetry, anything that draws YOU in. Note which genre/s you lean towards and what pushes you away. You will find that this is invaluable to developing your own skills as a writer.

Find a support network. I recently connected with a woman, who has her first finished screenplay and had never shown it to ANYONE. I can promise you that if you never show anyone your work they will never have anything to get excited about. Allow fellow writers (not just family) to support you. We, the writers, get the whole, ‘inner critic’ and ‘megalomania’ that come with being a writer. A quick Google search will help you find writers groups in your area if you are not sure who to start with. I started my first group right out of Kathie’s Pitch and Presentation class.

Are you a writer? What tips would you give those who want to write but just feel overwhelmed by the idea?

As always, thanks for reading and keep writing!

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  • michaelbrent
    Glad you liked, Amy. I posted my note (and hyperlinked your blog) in a note on the Michaelbrent Collings fan page on Facebook. Thanks for providing the inspiration on an insomniacical (yes, it IS a word. I know because I just made it up) night. ;o)
  • michaelbrent
    Couple more tips for people who are "just starting":

    1) It's NOT brain surgery. No one dies if you make a mistake. In fact, some "mistakes" will lead you on wonderful journeys you never would have intentionally thought of. So don't be self-critical. This is the secret to NEVER (and I do mean NEVER) having writer's block: just write. Some of it will be crap. That's fine. You'll fix it up on the rewrite. Don't listen to the voice inside you that insists every sentence and every word has to be "perfect" - there's no such thing.

    2) That being said, don't force it. ENJOY it. You have an idea, you don't know where to go with it... well aren't you the LUCKY ONE?! Walk around the park, go to the mall, pretend to sleep... let the idea roll around in your brain and ENJOY IT. You'll be surprised how many things start popping in. "Well what if she WASN'T a fairy, she was a GHOST? Or even better, the GHOST OF A FAIRY?!" (I smell Nobel prizes here.) Seriously. Part of the fun (one of the best parts) of being a writer is letting an idea percolate until it's just... that... time... Then BOOM. An explosion of creativity. But don't confuse this waiting time with writer's block. It's part of writing: you are planning, the same way an architect plans a house out in general outlines in his head before ever setting pen to paper on a drafting table.

    3) This is a biggie: KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE! If this is something you are doing for you, and you alone, then most blessed among humans are you. Because what you write will be for you, and since you know what you want to say, you will have the perfect audience. If, however, you want your audience to be bigger - be it merely sharing a story with your friends or be it hopes of writing the great American novel - then you will have to accept a few things. One of them is that you ARE going to have to change what you write. Doesn't mean what you did was bad, it just means that you're trying to communicate in such a way that as many people as possible understand your intent. Another thing you'll have to accept is, try as you might, MOST PEOPLE WON'T LOVE YOUR WORK AS MUCH AS YOU WOULD LIKE THEM TO. Sometimes this will be because you haven't acquired the practice and skills yet. But even when you have honed your skills and talents to a razor edge, simple statistics say that most people won't like your work. Think of it: if you can get one person in 1,000 to like your work enough to pay $10 for it, then you've got one of the best-selling first novels of all time, with 6.5 million sold. But it also means that 999 people won't like it that much. And that brings me to my last thing:

    4) Finally (AND MOST IMPORTANT): You are what you do. Writers write. You want to be a writer, THEN WRITE SOMETHING. Write a blog, write a novel, write a flippin' haiku on a napkin, but WRITE. If you do not do this, then no matter how much you wish, no matter how pure your heart, no matter how thick and lustrous your hair, YOU ARE NOT A WRITER.

    So why are you still reading this thing? WRITE SOMETHING, DAMMIT!

    PS To add to my street cred so you'll take me seriously: I've published dozens of articles on several continents, optioned and rewritten screenplays for Hollywood, and have two books being published this year. I know a little about this stuff. Now seriously, start writing something. ;o)
  • Michael - what a great reply! All of the above are excellent points, although, my favorite is:

    "No one dies if you make a mistake. In fact, some "mistakes" will lead you on wonderful journeys you never would have intentionally thought of."

    I think that's easy to forget even once you get going.

    Super thanks for taking the time here. Also, congratulations on those book deals; I can't wait to find out more about them. :)

    Haha, now I better get back to 'writing something'!

    MWUAH!
  • Cindy - thanks! I think that is a great point! I actually have a post about that very topic (spoiler alert, I agree with you) http://www.amylaurel.com/are-you-a-writer-or-an-aspiring-writer/ ;there are some interesting comments from a lot of writers.

    IMHO, the key is to know what you are working on, if you aren't published. So that when asked it's not a random "oh ya know, just stuff n' things..." When asked what you have done with your writing simply answer "I'm writing a novel about..." rather than let the nervous person hop out, share how excited you are and people will respond with respect to that.

    Thanks again, Cindy! Mindset is key!
  • Amy - I think you covered it all very well. I think all writers follow a similar path. You really need to be consistent and this is something I still struggle with every day.

    One problem I don't think anyone ever addresses is your mindset.

    My pet peeve, when someone says, "I'm an aspiring writer." Really? What does that mean? If you write, you're a writer.

    People get trapped in the mindset that because they are not Stephen King or Martha Grimes that they are not a writer. I'm a writer. It's what I do for a living and a novelist (said novel hasn't been published yet), but I am a writer.

    Be proud, own it, "I'm a writer."

    Keep saying it and the more you do the more comfortable it feels. One of the writer's in my group is embarrased to say, "I'm a writer." Why? Cause people laugh? Cause you're not published? So. All writers have to start somewhere.

    She is telling herself and friends and family she is a writer. Guess what? She's written more in the first 3 months of the year than she did all of last year.

    Thank you for your tips.
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