Why, why, oh why do YOU want to be a writer? Why do you want to be a writer? This, surely, is a question that any serious aspiring writer should ask him or herself. Before you can answer this question clearly to yourself, you are going to stumble around the typewriter blindly. The natural answer should be 'Because I have something to tell the world.' Somewhere inside you, there should be a story that you want to tell to others, ideas that you want to explore and know that you can only do so if you put them down on paper. I do not think that any writer will write purely for the pleasure of writing. Nobody is going to write a novel and then hide it from the world. At least they shouldn't. A writer must, at some time or another, take his or her audience into consideration.
Once you understand why you want to write, you can get over some of the other hurdles that might be keeping you from penning that first award winning novel. Here are some of the things you might face in your writing career.
* Procrastination - the thief of time. Remember, if you had started writing when you first thought about it, your novel would probably have been finished by now. So tonight, set aside two hours and then sit behind your keyboard for those two hours and start writing. Once that is done, you are two hours into your new career as a writer. Congratulate yourself, have a coffee or a glass of wine to celebrate. * Fear of failure - Yes, you cannot fail if you don't start, but by not starting you have already failed. So face your fear of failure head on and remember the mantra - 'You lose out on one hundred percent of the opportunities that you do not take.' * Dealing with competition - Here's the truth - there is no competition. Huh, what? Remember, it is not a contest, it is just your chance to share your story with others. If you are afraid that other writers will be better than you, and that the public will rather buy their work, then here's an idea - decide today that you will give your first book away for free. There you go, no more competition. But now your book will be read. That does not mean you do not have to do a professional job on it, because your next novel is going to cost the readers money, and your first book is your great advertisement. * Writer's block - There are ways to get over writer's block. Read what other author's have to say about writer's block. Goodreads Author pages have excellent answers to this question. * Distractions etc. Get rid of them. Let the family know that you do not want to be bothered. Leave your phone off or with the family.
Every new challenge we face brings anxieties. Learning to drive, dive or draw, everything takes a bit of time to get used to. Start writing today, because you WANT to tell a story.
Why do you want to be a writer? This, surely, is a question that any serious aspiring writer should ask him or herself. Before you can answer this question clearly to yourself, you are going to stumble around the typewriter blindly.
The natural answer should be 'Because I have something to tell the world.'
Somewhere inside you, there should be a story that you want to tell to others, ideas that you want to explore and know that you can only do so if you put them down on paper.
I do not think that any writer will write purely for the pleasure of writing. Nobody is going to write a novel and then hide it from the world. At least they shouldn't. A writer must, at some time or another, take his or her audience into consideration.
Once you understand why you want to write, you can get over some of the other hurdles that might be keeping you from penning that first award winning novel. Here are some of the things you might face in your writing career.
* Procrastination - the thief of time. Remember, if you had started writing when you first thought about it, your novel would probably have been finished by now. So tonight, set aside two hours and then sit behind your keyboard for those two hours and start writing. Once that is done, you are two hours into your new career as a writer. Congratulate yourself, have a coffee or a glass of wine to celebrate.
* Fear of failure - Yes, you cannot fail if you don't start, but by not starting you have already failed. So face your fear of failure head on and remember the mantra - 'You lose out on one hundred percent of the opportunities that you do not take.'
* Dealing with competition - Here's the truth - there is no competition. Huh, what? Remember, it is not a contest, it is just your chance to share your story with others. If you are afraid that other writers will be better than you, and that the public will rather buy their work, then here's an idea - decide today that you will give your first book away for free. There you go, no more competition. But now your book will be read. That does not mean you do not have to do a professional job on it, because your next novel is going to cost the readers money, and your first book is your great advertisement.
* Writer's block - There are ways to get over writer's block. Read what other author's have to say about writer's block. Goodreads Author pages have excellent answers to this question.
* Distractions etc. Get rid of them. Let the family know that you do not want to be bothered. Leave your phone off or with the family.
Every new challenge we face brings anxieties. Learning to drive, dive or draw, everything takes a bit of time to get used to. Start writing today, because you WANT to tell a story.