10 things to remember about writing
A little like snowflakes, no two writers are ever quite the same. We all have our own ways of going about it, but there are still a few universal truths that apply. Here are 10 things to remember about writing, and please feel free to share your own in the comments.
1) Editing is a large part of writing. In fact, editing might be most of writing. The first draft of something is only the beginning.
2) It doesn’t always come easily. No matter how long you have been writing, no matter how successful you are as a writer, there will be days when everything you write stinks. But that’s OK, because there are also good days. And there are biscuits.
3) Writing is something to be enjoyed. When you’re stuck in the middle of your third draft and have lost sight of your initial utopian thinking with regards to your novel, it might not be the best time you have ever had. However, the good times will come again. There is nothing quite like a writing session that is going well.
4) Not everyone will like what you write. You can’t write a novel that is completely to everyone’s tastes. The best you can do is write a novel that you love and hope that some other people will quite like it too.
5) You shouldn’t limit or constrain yourself in what you write. It can be easy to accidentally shoehorn yourself into a particular genre or style of writing, but never forget that there is a whole world of different stuff out there. There’s nothing that says you can’t try different things.
6) The first draft will never be perfect.
7) You should do it because you love it. Writing can be a slog, and it’s something that requires commitment and passion. We do it because it’s a vocation.
8) There are always new ways to use language. We might make a complete mess when we try something new, but equally, we might make something wonderful
9) There is no right or wrong. There is only what feels right or wrong for you.
10) It is a continual learning process, and there is always something new to explore.
