Today's guest blog post is perfect for anyone who is thinking about writing (and a good read for established writers too!). Lizzy is a talented writer and part of the Abingdon Writer's set. I am certain you will be reading one of her novels in the not too distant future!
Finding your Feet:
Ten Tips for New Writers
So you’ve decided to take writing seriously. Maybe you’re a
young person hoping to start a writing career, or a not-so-young person who’s
ready to let writing out of that safe little box labelled “hobby”. Whatever
your background, getting started is no simple task. Besides the actual act of
getting words on the page, there are a whole host of other challenges you’re
going to encounter, so here are some (hopefully) helpful tips.
·
Work at
it, don’t play at it. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with writing for fun
– it can be a really rewarding hobby. If, however, you plan on taking it
seriously, you need to prioritise it. Don’t bother cleaning the oven when
there’s writing to be done – no-one ever looks in there anyway. Try not to
write for five minutes, then watch fifty-seven funny cat videos on YouTube,
then blame your real job/kids/dog for taking up all your time.
·
Find a
balance. That being said, don’t work so hard that writing becomes nothing
but a chore. If you feel you’re in danger of burning out, take a break. A
change can be as good as a rest, so put down the historical novel and write a
short crime story or some poetry or Doctor Who fanfiction. Anything that breaks
the monotony will help get the creative juices flowing.
·
Try not
to go crazy with isolation. If you devote a lot of time to writing, it’s
likely that your social life will suffer and your friends may not take kindly
to being rejected in favour of fictional characters. Saying “What do you
expect? I’m working on a novel” does not have the same effect as “What do you
expect? I have two toddlers.”
However, there are ways of using writing to socialise. Joining a writers’
group is a way of connecting with other writers and getting your work critiqued
at the same time. You could even arrange a “writing date” with another writer
(get together at a café or pub, do some writing, drink/natter and repeat), and
of course there are plenty of online forums for writers.
·
Self-doubt
is perfectly normal and does not mean your writing sucks. Even if it does
suck, that’s OK. You’re allowed to be terrible at first. Unfortunately,
self-doubt tends to linger, so that when you experience any kind of success,
you feel like a massive con artist who is days away from being found out and
sent to prison. Take a deep breath. Remember that you deserve any success that
comes your way – chances are you’ve worked your arse off for it. Also, nobody
goes to prison for bad writing.
·
Jealousy
is normal and does not mean you are a despicable person. Let’s face it –
all writers have egos. So it’s only natural that when other writers become
successful, you may experience jealousy and resentment. The only sensible thing
to do is to push it deep down inside you where no-one can see it, smile and
congratulate them. Success in writing never comes easily, so remember how hard
they must have worked. We’re all in this together.
·
Get some
exercise. I’m not saying that in a “Careful you don’t get fat or you’ll
never land a husband” kind of way. But if you have a sedentary job and spend
the whole working day sitting at a desk, then spend large amounts of your free
time sitting at a desk, you are going to feel crappy. Try doing some stretches
at your desk to avoid aches and pains. Go for a walk now and then.
·
Develop a
good bullshit detector. Most of the time, when people critique your work,
they do it out of a genuine desire to be helpful. However, a handful of people
have their own agenda and will either pointlessly bash your work or give you
spectacularly unhelpful “advice”. Often, it is because they don’t agree with
the content of what you are writing rather than the writing itself.
Oh, and ignore that guy you met on a writing course who said you’d never
be a good writer until you got more “life experience”. He is probably going to
try selling you drugs or persuading you to have sex with him in a graveyard or
something. You know, to give you some of that “life experience” you need.
·
Don’t be
held back by writer’s block. To misquote Churchill, “If you’re going
through writer’s block, keep going.” Just keep writing. Ignore your inner
editor and don’t worry if what you’re writing is terrible. Get those words on
the page and sort them out later.
·
Cherish
your first rejection e-mail. Print it out and stick it on the fridge. Maybe
even frame it. In my opinion, this is the moment you become a proper writer.
Chances are, you are going to get rejected a lot so you need to shake off the fear
of it. I’ve received all kinds of rejection e-mails, from the boilerplate kind
to the helpful and encouraging to the strangely poetic. I’ve never received a
mean or spiteful rejection e-mail.
N.B. People talk about
rejection letters but I’m not convinced they still exist. I’ve never seen one…
·
Find your
voice. This is the difficult one. Expressing yourself in the best way you
possibly can will always be a challenge. Developing that special something that
makes your writing unique may be a life-long process, but the rewards can be
immense.
N.B. I am not talking about financial rewards. These will most
likely be puny. I mean rewards like creative fulfilment and a sense of
achievement and all that woolly stuff.
Most people become writers because they are readers. Try to imagine every
feeling, thought and experience you’ve ever had because of something you read.
The ways in which writers can affect people they will never even meet are
phenomenal. At the least, something you write might brighten someone’s day, and
that’s always a worthwhile goal. So let’s get writing!
Lizzy
Huitson is a 28-year-old writer who feels qualified to give writing advice
mostly because she is no longer 23. Her poetry chapbook “The God of Cold Girls
and Cold Places” has been published by Dancing Girl Press, and her poetry has
also been published in journals around the world, including Salamander, Goblin
Fruit and Vine Leaves Literary Journal. She has had short fiction published in
Fiction365 and has recently written her first novel. She lives in Abingdon and
has a proper job in Oxford.