This Is How You Start Your Writer Life - With Where You Are, What You Have And What You Know.
Art For Art's Sake: Vol 2 Part 2
Many writing dreams get squashed because we don't know where to start.
After consistently writing and publishing my thoughts here for almost 2 years, I now have a helpful answer.
Start where you are, with what you have and with what you know.
This is the simplest and easiest way to get your writer-life ball rolling.
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 to share with them is not worthy, profound or impactful enough.
That is not true.
If you have some words based on experience and introspection and come from a place of love and hope (even the dark matters), then what you have is absolutely worth writing and being read by others.
The question then arises how do we do that. How do you start your writer life - with where you are, what you have and what you know?
Here are some ways I started my writer-life. Whether you write for yourself or share it with others doesn't matter. Or you write fiction or non-fiction. What matters is that you write, and these points can help you.
Write small.
You don't have to write a magnum opus every time you sit down to write. Don't put that unnecessary pressure on yourself.
Start small - a couple of sentences, a page or two. This is a good enough place to start. Once you get into your writing flow, you'll automatically write more and better.
Write from your heart.
Write what speaks to you, what lights you up. And write with love and passion behind it. When you write what touches you, it'll touch you back and also your readers.
Write about your interests.
This is one of the easiest ways to write and be related to by 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 be people who will relate to you because, let's be honest, you can't be the only one interested in Japanese stationery.
Write about what makes you curious.
Then there will be things that make you wonder. Why something happened the way it did? How did it happen? What was the result of it? What if we do it differently?
Share these thoughts, and you'll know you are not the only one thinking in that direction.
Write about your life experiences.
Another simple way of getting your writing start - write from your experience. The lessons you have learned. 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 the lives of those reading them.
Write what you are ready to share.
That said, don't share what you are not ready to share.
I want to write and share about my not-so-fatherly father and how his negative behaviour affected me. 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 whether you want 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 judgement 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.
Write 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 like crap," think, "(your name) felt unloved."
Even though what you are writing is personal, don't take it personally. See and write it from a third-person view, making writing easy.
Write with belief in yourself.
You have spent a long time doubting yourself and your writing. Society, your family, friends and peers, social media, and your own negative self-talk have made you think you're not that special. That you 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 might happen. At least, that's what happened to me, and it worked out pretty fine.
well said