The Need to Put Words on Paper
The Need to Write-the fire inside is embedded deeply within me. It found its place gradually as I began consuming books. Pity the fool who has not read a book.
An opinion only, but be forewarned. Books are one of humanity’s greatest inventions, and until Gutenberg found a method to reproduce them efficiently they were a rare commodity. Monks and scholars would sit for years, in natural light, or by candlelight, and copy by hand, these precious volumes of knowledge.
I began reading books at a very young age, thanks to my mother.
Today, my love of books has not diminished. In fact, books and reading have become as important to me, as food is for my stomach. Many people feel the same way as I do and my journey into reading has evolved into writing. It appeared to be an easy task, and it is. Writing is easy. Writing well is much more difficult. Writing pages, and creating stories, to fill the pages of a book that people want to read, is a story in itself.
This is my journey into the world of words.
I’ve Always Wanted to Write
Whenever I tell someone that I write, they say things like, “Gee, I’ve always wanted to write, but I’m not sure on how to get started,” or “I love writing, and I write in my journal every day.” I’m seldom surprised by their answers. Many people maintain a daily journal for varying reasons. Some use their journals for business, and others use journals to contain their creative writing fix. I tell them that it’s easy to get started. Staying motivated and producing consistent results is another matter.
Within a short conversation, I find that these people are writing almost every day. Many of them have journals and/or are struggling to write a story or begin their book. Many writers comment quite regularly on social media to get their writing warm-ups. A few days ago, I had an enjoyable chat with Jennifer, her real name, I’m throwing in a plug for this budding writer. When she reads my post, she’ll smile and appreciate the plug.
Learn by Doing
Writing is a skill or an art. Pick the one you want. Like all skills, they improve with practice. First of all, get in the habit of writing every day, whenever possible. Few writers, actually write every day, and I find it hard to believe that anyone can write every day of their life, but for me, I do write on average, five to six days a week. Some weeks I write seven out of seven days, but that doesn’t happen every week.
Choose a time that’s convenient for you, and sit down with your pen and paper, or at your computer screen and start writing.
Write about your day. Write about your crazy boss. Write about why you want to become a writer. Begin by writing 100 words on a topic of your choice, then bump it up to 200 and 300 words. Once you get comfortable at this and you can write 500 to 1000 words a day, … you’re off to the races.
Let’s not forget that we’re talking about writing that makes sense, something that a reader would want to read. Babbling on and on, about silly garbage, is not going to gain you a large readership, but it is a beginning. Try your writing on close friends or on the web to see how it rates.
Now it’s time to lay out a plan for that novel that’s been brewing inside of you, all these years.
It’s easy to Get Started
An even easier approach to get started writing is writing your own blog, on your very own website.
This is how I do it! You can learn how I started writing years ago. Like you, I had always wanted to write, and I had scribblers and notebooks, full of pages and stories, that were scattered about in piles and boxes. If you’re only writing or scribbling notes to no one in particular, then it gets hard to stay motivated and focused, and most of all, … organized.
Imagine for a moment, that you had a blog, your blog, on your website, a website that you created, in a niche that you felt passionate about. How easy would that be to stay motivated to write nearly every day?
Getting back to Jennifer’s story, she showed me the pages and pages of journaling she had produced this year alone. Jennifer is passionate about life. She’s always involved in some project or other because she just can’t sit still and let life pass her by. Now that she’s exploring the possibility of writing her own blog, she is more motivated than ever.
Find your Niche, The Need to Write.
Jennifer is now concentrating her efforts on the concept of a niche that she can focus on. She’s narrowed it down to three subject areas, and we’ve agreed that she has only 7 days to reach a decision. She’s keeping it a secret, but she tells me she’s got her niche and is ready to get started. We’ve agreed to do it like this because I wanted to know if she was really sure of this, and it appears that she is.
Building a website for herself is the easy part. She’s already involved in her 7-day free trial and is eagerly exploring every facet of the program that I started 4 years ago. Tons of information to learn along the way, and an excellent support team to offer a helping hand when you get stuck. I suggested that she explore the program fully, for the full 7-day free trial.
Then she’ll know for sure, what it’s about and how it works. We share many of the same philosophies, and we both want to make sure that life doesn’t pass us by. I love passionate people, it’s a pleasure to be in their company. It gets me motivated and keeps me away from the energy vampires that suck the life out of everything they come in contact with.
Information Galore
These days, it’s so easy to get involved in anything your heart desires. The Internet is replete with information, directions, and guidance, on how to do just about anything your imagination can conjure. If you want to start writing, this is the easiest way to get going on it. Stop procrastinating and do it now. After all, is said and done, it’s YOUR life you’re dealing with, and in the end, it’s your responsibility.
Good habits lead to better results.
Achievers maintain routines that are the result of proper habits. Stop listening to the naysayers. They don’t want you to succeed. They are bitter and resentful, and they want to drag you down into the sh!! holes they live in.
Runaway from them, as you would run away from the plague.
If you have any comments, tips, or suggestions, that could serve to make me a better writer, I would love to hear from you!