For Aspiring Writers

One of my goals as an author is to hopefully inspire others, especially young people. Whenever I give a Book Talk at a high school I always try to end the session with a few helpful writing tips, and one of my main pointers I make is telling the students to practice DESCRIBING mundane things and objects as they go through their daily routine. For example, as you walk pass the street poles and lamp posts in your neighborhood think about the different words or phrases in which you could use to describe one of them, especially the wooden ones. It’s somewhat easy to write a description of a car (red, dents, ect.), but I like to get the students to practice on more mundane things because you can surprise yourself sometimes by coming up with an unusual or unique word or phrase that’s rarely heard or seen in print. The use of these interesting-but-different adjectives will make your story stand out and give you your unique voice as a writer. To give you a hint in describing the mundane street pole, just take a closer look and see if there are any rusty nails or staples still protruding along the side or if there are any weathered pieces left from an old yard sale sign. And remember, to become an author you must write, write, and write! – R. Camp

Randolph Randy Camp