Getting Started With Our Writing.

Becoming A Writer

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Getting Started With Our Writing.

Episode 3 of Becoming A Writer podcast.

Rubina G Gomes

Mar 06, 2024

Transcript

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Hello, my writer friends! Rubina here. For our third conversation, we are going to talk about getting started with our writing.

On the first day of my gap year after graduation, I did what everyone does these days. I asked Google what to do next.

I knew I wanted to learn how to write crime fiction novels but didn’t know where to start. This is where Google came to my rescue.

My initial thought was to learn the basics of the novel – from writing to publishing – and then get to business. What I thought would be a couple of months of research in the world of writing turned into five years of overwhelm, fear, frustration, freeze and crushing self-doubt.

The Internet is an excellent place to find answers. Still, when so many voices present you with so many answers to the same question, you are bound to get confused and disheartened. And none of those answers are wrong because they worked for that person. But when trying to find your answer among them, you'll inevitably be lost in the woods. On top of that, the Internet and the world seem to be changing at such a high speed that by the time you learn one way of going about your writing dream, it becomes redundant.

For the first five years of my writing journey, all I was doing was chasing my own tail.

No wonder I felt ashamed to call myself a writer during that time.

By the fifth year, I had enough. I was done feeling not good enough. I was done feeling frustrated and confused. I was done playing hide and seek with my writer self. I was done being the writer who never wrote.

This time, I kept every advice, tip, trick, lesson, and coaching aside and told myself, “For the love of God, WRITE!”

Within three months, I knew I was meant to do this.

The moment I gave myself permission to write, write anything, I opened the creative floodgates, and all my creativity and subconscious knowledge of writing came rushing through. And I have been having fun riding that wave ever since.

This was when I discovered that wherever I was, was a great place to start my writing journey.

We think that to be taken seriously by the world, we need to publish our words.

That is not true.

It’s okay if you just write for yourself.

We think that to be taken seriously by our family, friends and social group, we must write one fantastic, best-selling book.

That is not true.

Writing an essay, publishing it online and then having no one read it is okay. Your first work doesn’t make or break your writing life.

We think that to be taken seriously by ourselves and others, we need to write 2000 words daily and have a very productive and concrete routine while also taking care of our other responsibilities.

That is not true.

You can write one line daily; and since you wrote it yourself, you are a writer. Then, there will be some days when your writing will need to take a back seat because your responsibilities need your attention, and that is cool, too. That’s life.

We think that to be taken seriously by our readers, we have to write something worthy, something profound, something that will move our readers. And then we think that what we have is not worthy, profound or impactful enough for them.

That is not true.

If you have some words based on experience and introspection and come from a place of love and hope, then what you have is absolutely worth writing and being read by others.

Starting your writing where you are will help get your writing gears churning. That’s what we want – momentum. Once you get your writing into motion, it will stay in motion. Your writing will provide you more to write about. And then, over time, you will learn the skills required to write the way your writer self wants to write. Not what’s working for others, but what’s working for you.

Start by writing small. When I sit down to write, I tell myself I don't have to write a magnum opus in every writing session. I don't put that unnecessary pressure on myself. I now start small - a couple of sentences, a page or two. This is a good enough place to start. Once I get into my writing flow, I’ll automatically write more and better.

Start by writing from your heart. I now only write what speaks to me, what lights me up. And I write with love and passion behind it. When you write what touches you, it will touch you back and also your readers.

Start by writing about your interests. This is one of the easiest ways to write and relate to others. Books, movies, flowers, birds, the Moon, Japanese stationery, coffee - anything and everything (person, place, thing, feeling) under the sun can be written about. And there always will be people who will relate to you because, let's be honest, you can't be the only one interested in Japanese stationery.

Start by writing about what makes you curious. The things that make you wonder. Why did something happen the way it did? How did it happen? What was the result of it? What if we do it differently? When I share these thoughts, something amazing happens. The readers of my thoughts let me know that I am not the only one thinking or feeling that way. Knowing you are not the only one curious about something makes you feel less lonely.

Start by writing about your life experiences. The lessons you have learnt. The mistakes you have made. That unique memory that makes you smile. Or cry. What would you have done differently? Or would you? Writing about your life experiences makes you re-evaluate them from a distance and enriches your life and the lives of those reading them.

Start by writing what you are ready to share. Don't share what you are not prepared to share. I want to write and share about my not-so-fatherly father and how his negative behaviour affected me and my family. Still, I won't do it until I feel safe and secure enough in myself with this topic. Sharing a personal, vulnerable life story is like putting a piece of your heart out there. And you don't want some negative comment or action to trigger a negative feeling in you. First, make peace with those parts of your life, then decide if you wish to share them with others. You don't need to share everything.

Write self-judgement-free. When writing, don't say to yourself, "I shouldn't write that," "What will my family think about this?" or "This is crap. No one will read this." Give yourself the freedom to write judgment free. Any negative thought that stops you from writing prevents you from fully embracing yourself as a writer. We don't want to do that.

Start by writing as if you're writing someone else's story. It helps to write as an observer. Instead of thinking, "This is what happened to me," think, "This is what happened to (your name)." Instead of thinking, "I felt lonely," think, "(your name) felt unloved." Even though your writing is personal, don't take it personally. Seeing and writing it from a third-person view makes writing your thoughts and feelings easy.

Start by writing with belief in yourself. We have spent a long time doubting ourselves and our writing. Society, family, friends and peers, social media, and our own negative self-talk have made us think we're not that special. That we have nothing worth sharing. To that, I say - for a change, believe in yourself and your writing and give it a try. You know what happens when you doubt yourself. Nothing. Nothing happens. So maybe the reverse will work in your favour. Believe, even sceptically, and something good might happen. At least, that's what happened to me, and it worked out satisfactorily.

Well, that's it for today. Next time we meet, we'll talk about believing and identifying as a writer, and why it is important.

Until then, keep writing, my friend.