I’ve only just begun seeing myself as a writer, even though I’ve been doing this since eighth grade. Why was that? A combination of factors — insecurity, rooted in comparing myself to other, more prolific writers like J.K. Rowling and Stephen King. Perfectionism, in that I set unrealistic writing standards for myself, saying that unless I reached those standards, I was a fraud. Oh, and a lack of steady income from writing itself.
In reality, I became a writer the second I attempted creating a work so many years ago, before I even knew how to read. That simple act of trying catapulted me into the realm of writer-dom. Though I didn’t know my alphabet, I had a story to tell, and so do you.
I’ll admit I still don’t know everything about writing, and I doubt I ever will. It’s a craft, which means that I’ll be improving it until the end of my life. Am I better than I was last year? Yes. Am I better than I was yesterday? Also yes. Every day, I get closer to recognizing my voice, my own personal style, but with each step, I also realize there is still so much to explore. One simply has to begin, and the hardest part is over.
Are there rules? Well, yes, just as there are rules in any realm of learning. But just as with any art, once one knows the rules, they can break them. To learn said rules, I recommend reading Stephen King’s “On Writing” (it’s about 300 pages, so if you commit, you could get through it in one day) and “Elements of Style” by Strunk and White (could also be read in one day). Just reading these two books will catapult one’s writing to the next level (it did for mine).
Of course, there are so many other components one must consider, such as character development, pacing, point-of-view, conversation, and the list goes on. But the only way one can improve these additional areas is to write, every day. Although, if you’re not able to write every day, that’s fine, too. I realize we live in a time in which most people have full-time jobs and can’t devote three hours a day to a novel. So my advice is this — write A LITTLE BIT every day, IF YOU CAN. If that’s not possible, write at least three days a week, even if it’s just a paragraph here and there about what you did that day.
I’m not one of those people who prescribe to the “YOU MUST WRITE EVERY DAY” dogma. It’s not practical. I don’t write every day, but I’m about to finish my third full-length manuscript — at 26! Not everyone can say that.
I’d say that’s a good foundation for now. In the next blog, I’ll go more in-depth with some of these concepts, providing personal anecdotes for how I stopped overusing adverbs, as well as how I pinpointed my own writing style. Until then, keep writing. Kisses!
