6 Tips for beginning writers
- As a beginning writer, where do I start? If you are motivated to write, the first thing you want to do is “start.” To learn, you must begin. Sit down and write something. To do that, chose a topic or subject of interest. Write a paragraph or two or three about it. Then go to step two.
- How do I analyze what I have written? Review what you have written. Ask these three questions: is it about one subject or topic? (Read it aloud.) How does it sound when verbalized? (The sound should flow smoothly.) Does the grammar make sense? (Check for basic components: subject, verb, adjective, adverb, prepositions, etc.)
- What is the purpose of what I am writing? The reader should understand the meaning of what you have written. Many times what we think, when written, is not always what others will understand. Few words in the English language have only one meaning. Most have several meanings. The reader will “see” a word and use his most common definition of it. Sometimes simple statements carry the clearest intent and purpose.
- Who is my audience? The quicker you find your intended audience and what they want, the quicker your writing will have meaning. The content of what you write must be meaningful to your audience. It must make sense to your readers and it must fulfill a need that they have. This rule will apply whether you write fiction or non-fiction.
- Share your writing with someone in your basic audience. Feedback cannot be underestimated. When you share, listen! You must become your reader and fill the need the reader has. In short: know need, know message or otherwise no need, no message.
- Write something every day. For the serious writer, his craft must become his driving force. The serious, dedicated writer will write something every day. When the writer does this, this practice will become a habit. Exercise is good for the body. Writing daily is a writer’s mental exercise. It develops mental muscle. It exercises the brain into the regimen of putting thoughts into action. That is what every serious writer does: he develops the habit of writing.