Some years ago I created a workshop titled What Every Beginning Writer Needs to Know. I’ve used a few of the main ideas for this blog and added/modified others.
1. How do I become a writer?
I become a writer by writing
Some people write every day without fail. If you can do that, great. If not, do the best you can. Try your hand at various types of writing to see what interests you most.
I become a writer by reading
Read what others write. Study their use of language, of technique, of style. Read for fun but also train yourself to read analytically.
I become a writer by connecting with other writers
One of the best ways to connect, as a newbie writer, is to find a writing group near you. Ask questions about their purpose, their schedule, their skill levels. Most groups are open to new people and willing to share and help one another.
I become a writer by continuing to learn
Besides a local writing group, there are usually workshops and conferences you can attend where you can meet other writers and learn with and from them. Online courses are everywhere on the web, so check into those as well.
I become a writer by setting writing goals and establishing priorities
How badly do you want to write? Ask yourself the difficult questions and decide how much time and effort you are willing and able to set aside for this. Be committed.
I become a writer by listening to the Spirit of God within me
Perhaps you feel a call or at least a draw into the writing world. Listen to God’s Spirit within you and obey. God will lead you if you are willing to step out and follow.
2. Begin with a Plan
I worked through Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way and thoroughly enjoyed and benefitted from this excellent resource. It’s a stretching experience that can help draw us out of our respective shells. If you’re looking for a strictly Christian workbook of similar purpose, try The Creative Call by Janice Elsheimer.
3. What and how do I write?
What do you like to read? Research that particular genre and try it out.
Here’s a fun exercise: Write the Cinderella story in your genre of choice (romance, news story, mystery, fashion column, etc.)
4. Â Organize your work
Some people need outlines, charts, timelines, maps and other methods to organize their writing. I do. Others keep a lot of things in their heads then forge ahead to see what happens. Experiment to see which category you fit into, or how you can combine the ideas to work best for you.
5. Use Available Resources
There are countless writing books that can help a newbie writer. Browse through the Writer’s Digest Books for a sample. Some of my favorites are:
Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell
Scene & Structure by Jack M. Bickham
Plot by Ansen Dibell
Characters & Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card
Beginnings, Middles & Ends by Nancy Kress
Conflict, Action & Suspense by William Noble
Revision & Self-Editing by James Scott Bell
6. Use Social Media
This point was not in my original workshop! I didn’t know anything about social media then, and I don’t know very much about it now, but I am learning. If I can do it, so can you. There’s no getting around the fact that social media is necessary for writers today. When you consider it, social media sites help you to write, to read, to connect, to learn, to set goals and priorities, and even to be encouraged spiritually. We can hide or we can use this resource for the glory of God through our writing.
* Special tip: I’ve been learning how wonderful social media is for an introvert. I can meet new people and not have to go out, dress up or speak off the cuff. I can also promote and support other writers, which brings me immediate response and recognition. It’s a win-win situation.
7. Keep a Balanced Perspective
We all start somewhere. There will always be those who write better than we do, and there will always be those who are not as advanced as we are. As long as we allow our Creator to teach us about creativity, we will remember that it is not of ourselves, it is a gift.
Happy Writing!
Thanks for the advice/mini workshop! Do you ever offer editing services and if so how much do you charge?
Sure. We can talk about the rest, just send me a text or email.
P.S. Love seeing your FB posts to see what you’re doing and where you are.
Janice thanks for sharing the books and other resources you’ve found helpful. I’ve added them to my wish/reading list.
They are like helpful friends sitting on the shelf above my computer desk.
I like that image 🙂 Great friends to have!
Thanks so much for the valuable information!!!!!
You’re welcome, Patti. Also enjoyed your post.
Thanks for the tips. Its interesting that so many people are focusing on very similar advice – these must be important!!
You’re right. If the same things keep coming up, they must be key elements to the process.
All great advice! I wish I had this list when I first started out, as I suspect most “seasoned” writers feel.
-RB
No kidding. Sometimes the things we learn the hard way impact us more, but I am grateful to all the people who share helpful hints with me along the way.
Great, well-laid out advice Janice. I can see that taking your workshop would be extremely valuable, not just for a new writer, but for all of us. Thank you for sharing.
These elements have always been important to me. I love sharing them because so many people have also shared helpful tips with me.
I too used the Artist’s Way and enjoyed it very much. Some great book recommendations that I haven’t read. Thanks for this, Janice.
Yeah, I like my comfortable routines, but this book forced me to look at things from new perspectives.
Thanks for sharing this for all of us newbies. I look forward to watching for more tips and suggestions from you and others, “who have been there”. I am beginning my writing pursuits with writing out my story of “Learning to Lean on God–A Survivor’s Story, first thru a short two part testimony found here: http//networkedblogs.comU66F2 (as a guest blog) and later hope to make it into a book. I also have a childrens fiction designed to help and encourage young girls who have been molested (I know–a tough genre for a newbie, but I feel lead…please pray) After that I will be waiting for God to lead me in the direction I should go next. Again thank you and please keep me in your prayers.
Vicki
All the best with your writing, Vicki. Follow God’s voice.
It’s interesting how basic pieces of advice are being repeated from blog to blog this week. The repetition only underlines how important these foundational things are. Your workshop sounds like it was an interesting one.
Thanks for commenting, Violet. This whole blogging thing is getting more interesting all the time.
Janis thanks for talking about listening to the Holy Spirit and setting goals. Those two things are so important. They should be the foundation of our writing. God’s been speaking to me a lot today through some of the posts I’ve been reading.
Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Sometimes we remind ourselves of important things when we write these posts.
I agree with all of your thoughts…especially the reading!
I also agree that connecting with other writers is important. The kindness and encouragement I’ve found with authors i amazing. It is not about competition. It is about making the world better through our writing.
You said it, Leanne. The more we help others, the more we learn and grow ourselves. BTW, I assumed from your blog image that you are a reader! It’s a lovely addiction.
Wow, lots of great advice here! It’s easy to be overwhelmed when you’re new at it. All this stuff will come when you tackle it a day at a time, and follow God’s prompting. Happy writing!
You’re right, one day at a time. Just looking at your blog; very nice.
Janice, thanks for this post. Have you ever considered giving a web-based version of your workshop?
I suppose I could do that, I.O. I’m hanging on by my fingernails to the bumper of the car of technology, and I’m not about to let go, but with every new idea, the car seems to pick up speed. Thanks for the suggestion. Hmm, it’s already rumbling around in my brain.
Excellent advice, Janice. Your comments are clear and well-organized. I’d love to attend one of your workshops!
Thanks, Kathleen. I enjoy presenting workshops when I have the opportunity.
Hmmm… a few people have noted how key bits of advice are showing up in so many of these posts, and that reminds me of another piece of advice:
When you let some trusted people read your best draft and they (always!) have suggestions/feedback on how to make it better: if you get the same piece of advice from multiple people, pay more attention to it. That doesn’t mean you have to follow it, but it tells you something isn’t working. If you don’t like the suggested “fix” then find another one that still solves the problem. Often it’s just a matter of something not being clear enough. We tend to assume people know what we mean to say 🙂
Great tips, Janice, and I see another book to add to my to-read pile. Most of your “friends” have clones sitting on my shelf.
Janet, I started my Writer’s Digest collection at TWG conferences, one or two at a time. They are so user-friendly.
thanks for listing those writing resources. i think i’ll check them out. 🙂
They’re great books. Hope you find them as helpful as I do.
Great advice! Thanks for the links as well.
It’s fun to include interactive elements in the blogs. I’m learning as I go, using ideas I like from the blogs of others.