Gay Ingram's Blog - Posts Tagged "published"
A WRITER’S ATTITUDE CHECKLIST
How does one know they are a writer? Beginning writers are filled with self-doubts. You’ve jotted down some thoughts in the past that just seemed to come together in a poetic manner. Or journal writing has been an integral part of your life since your Aunt Marjorie gave you a diary for your ninth birthday. Maybe because a particular topic interests you intensely, you’ve immersed yourself in it and now are eager to share your knowledge with other by writing about it. So, what determines whether a person is a writer or not? The solitary fact that you have this inner urge to put pen to paper and write qualifies you as a writer.
A writer is someone who writes. It doesn’t take having something published to be a writer. All it takes is the desire to write. No outside force can validate you as a writer. If you have a desire to write, only taking yourself seriously as a writer is needed. Here are some habits to develop that will help you feel more like the writer you are.
1.A writer writes on a regular basis. Examine your life and find a time, hopefully during your best energy time. Make an appointment with yourself to write every day at this time. Write it into your calendar – each day at such-and-such time I will devote to my writing, even if it’s only fifteen minutes. Let nothing take precedence or interfere with the appointment you’ve made with yourself to write.
2.During that set aside time, devote your energies to writing or thinking about your writing. Even if you don’t have a designated project to work on or an idea to develop, use this time to concentrate on your writing. Don’t use the time to pay bills or catch up on correspondence unless it is writing related. You can use the time to create a list about things you want to write about. Freewriting or clustering are excellent techniques for priming the writing pump.
3.Have a designated place to write. Always go to this place, be it a separate room or just a flat space tucked into a corner of the bedroom, at the appointed time to write. You may begin with just writing materials and a file folder or two. Add a shelf for the basic resource books you’ll be acquiring or tuck them under your writing surface if there’s no wall space. Do what you can to make this space look and feel like a writer’s space.
4.Everything you write has worth. Remember, you are your own worse critic. No artist or musician has perfect mastery of his or her craft immediately. It takes practice to perfect their skills. The same is true for a writer. Even bad writing can be a learning experience. Nothing you write is a waste of time. Practice writing is practicing your craft.
5.The state of being a writer means you are a writer all the time. Train yourself to think like a writer. Look at the world you live in everyday as a crop to be harvested for your writing. Carry a pen and notepad with you at all times. Don’t trust your memory to remember. If an idea or thought isn’t written down as soon as possible, it will be lost. Even one word written down will help revive the complete thought when you have time to get back to your notations.
Developing these good writing habits will go a long way in building your self-image of yourself as a writer. Getting the next best-selling “Great American Novel” published isn’t a requirement for considering yourself a writer; fulfilling that act of putting words on paper is what makes you a writer. Lift up your head and be proud to say: “I am a writer.”
A writer is someone who writes. It doesn’t take having something published to be a writer. All it takes is the desire to write. No outside force can validate you as a writer. If you have a desire to write, only taking yourself seriously as a writer is needed. Here are some habits to develop that will help you feel more like the writer you are.
1.A writer writes on a regular basis. Examine your life and find a time, hopefully during your best energy time. Make an appointment with yourself to write every day at this time. Write it into your calendar – each day at such-and-such time I will devote to my writing, even if it’s only fifteen minutes. Let nothing take precedence or interfere with the appointment you’ve made with yourself to write.
2.During that set aside time, devote your energies to writing or thinking about your writing. Even if you don’t have a designated project to work on or an idea to develop, use this time to concentrate on your writing. Don’t use the time to pay bills or catch up on correspondence unless it is writing related. You can use the time to create a list about things you want to write about. Freewriting or clustering are excellent techniques for priming the writing pump.
3.Have a designated place to write. Always go to this place, be it a separate room or just a flat space tucked into a corner of the bedroom, at the appointed time to write. You may begin with just writing materials and a file folder or two. Add a shelf for the basic resource books you’ll be acquiring or tuck them under your writing surface if there’s no wall space. Do what you can to make this space look and feel like a writer’s space.
4.Everything you write has worth. Remember, you are your own worse critic. No artist or musician has perfect mastery of his or her craft immediately. It takes practice to perfect their skills. The same is true for a writer. Even bad writing can be a learning experience. Nothing you write is a waste of time. Practice writing is practicing your craft.
5.The state of being a writer means you are a writer all the time. Train yourself to think like a writer. Look at the world you live in everyday as a crop to be harvested for your writing. Carry a pen and notepad with you at all times. Don’t trust your memory to remember. If an idea or thought isn’t written down as soon as possible, it will be lost. Even one word written down will help revive the complete thought when you have time to get back to your notations.
Developing these good writing habits will go a long way in building your self-image of yourself as a writer. Getting the next best-selling “Great American Novel” published isn’t a requirement for considering yourself a writer; fulfilling that act of putting words on paper is what makes you a writer. Lift up your head and be proud to say: “I am a writer.”
The Ten Commandments
I Thou Shalt Write
II Thou Shalt Learn to Write Well
III Thou shalt Learn About the Publishing Business
IV Thou Shalt Follow Advise When Submitting
V Thou Shalt Revise Happily
VI Thou Shalt Seek Agents and Editor Knowledgeably
VII Thou Shalt Learn to Use Rejection
VIII Thou Shalt Not Irritate Agents Nor Editors
IX Thou Shalt Learn How to Wait
X Thou Shalt Refrain Yourself Until Published Work is at Hand
II Thou Shalt Learn to Write Well
III Thou shalt Learn About the Publishing Business
IV Thou Shalt Follow Advise When Submitting
V Thou Shalt Revise Happily
VI Thou Shalt Seek Agents and Editor Knowledgeably
VII Thou Shalt Learn to Use Rejection
VIII Thou Shalt Not Irritate Agents Nor Editors
IX Thou Shalt Learn How to Wait
X Thou Shalt Refrain Yourself Until Published Work is at Hand
