1. Write, It’s As Easy As That
This will end your “aspirations” and make you an actual writer. The fact is you are either writing or you are not writing. There is no in-between. It’s kind of like being pregnant. Either you are or you aren’t. Stop talking about writing and being a writer and be one. Pick up a pen or tap the keys and make something happen. It doesn’t matter if you want to write the great American novel or an article for a trade publication. Write. That is all that matters. Seriously. Stop reading this and write. Then come back and finish reading this because there is more advice to be had.
2. Shut Up & Aim
Yes, I mean shut up. Stop talking. Stop telling everyone your story idea and write it instead. Use all that excitement and energy that is compelling you to speak and aim it toward the page instead. Why waste that momentum on something other than the story? If you write it instead then everyone will be able to read your idea and share it while you move on to the next idea burning a hole in your head. Remember to aim your energy at the right target—the page not the ear.
3. Improve
Improve your skills and knowledge. No matter where you are in your journey as a writer, you can always learn something. Find inspiration and fundamentals where and when you can. Find classes, mentors, teachers, books, articles, blogs, videos—whatever works for you. Keep working on your craft because there is so much to learn and master. Read, but read critically. Note what works and what doesn’t. But also recognize that reading is not writing and will never teach you what you need to know if you don’t practice.
4. Be Curious
Stretch outside of your comfort zone and learn bizarre and unusual things. Learn things you avoided in school. It’s funny how much you can learn about subjects contained in buildings you never entered into in college. Explore knowledge when and where you can. Ask why and how as often as you can. Follow up on loose bits of knowledge. I don’t know about you, but I hate when I’m watching or reading something and they say something like, “This is the third most popular dish…” and then stop. What were the first two? Why didn’t they mention them? Why leave me hanging? It always forces me into grabbing my phone to discover what they didn’t tell me. Be curious. You never know where some new bit of information will spark a new idea. It might be something mundane and ordinary. It might be a surprising fact you can’t get out of your head.
5. Be Open
Don’t be so locked into your ideas you can’t accept new ones. Don’t cling to a genre so hard if it doesn’t work for you. I remember hearing Joan Hess, a mystery writer, saying she started out writing romances because a friend of hers told her to try it. She’d just gone through a nasty divorced and realized after writing several drafts that every romance she wrote ended up with a dead hero. She let go of romance and started writing mysteries. It worked for her. It wasn’t what she’d intended to write, but it suited her attitude at the time and she succeeded. Be open. Always.
The list will continue next week…