So You Want To Be A Writer

Every journey begins with the first step. If your shoelaces are tied together, the first step may result in a tumble, injury, and a lifetime of medical bills. Tied shoelaces are not the best way to begin a journey.

So, you want to be a writer. Where do you begin? How do you keep from tripping over your own feet?

Think of the word write as a noun (I’m a writer!) and then as a verb (I write).

The Writer:

• must have tools. Pen and paper, laptop, something. Get your tools together, because now you’re a writer.

Now Write:

• something
• anything
• and you shouldn’t care what you write
• but write your pea-pickin’ heart out
• until you actually can pen/type without looking at the paper/keyboard
• but don’t edit

Writing is a bit like jogging. Your first run may feel a bit more elegant than it looks to the observer. Who cares? Write.

Then do it again the next day.

And the next.

The point isn’t to be good at writing. Because here’s a secret—there’s no perfect writer. Even Hemingway needed improvement.

The key to being a successful writer/storyteller is that you are getting better.

Here’s where Idahope can help. Your shoelaces will become knots of epic clumps and you’ll want to give up the entire journey. However, this is a shoe problem, not a journey problem. You just need a bit of help with the knots.

You may want to quit writing, but it’s usually an editing or plot problem and has nothing to do with whether you should stop your journey. You need fellowship with other writers to help with any issues that pop up in your work. Every writer needs community—even Hemingway.

There will be moments when other writers will put arms around you and help you overcome problems. At other times, they will grab your ankles and pull you across goal lines. Either way, you must not make this journey alone.

The first step is to write. The second step is to join Idahope.

See you soon.

About this post: Beliefs represented by individual authors are not necessarily shared by all members of ICW.