Confidence
Starting off in the writing business is a serious crisis of confidence. I know, I've been there.
Yet lately several people have come up to me at shows and book fairs, asking how to get started. Usually they have some l project in mind or some unfulfilled ambition from childhood. We all have something back there in the closet screaming to get out, I suppose.
One lady said she was afraid of reading her writing out in public, although she had written loads. What a waste!
My answer every time is to join a creative writing class, because it wasn't that long ago I was the same. I loved to write as a shy child and a teen. It was an escape, a still place where I could live out my fantasies, explore new avenues. My own personal bubble.
That's what you find at a creative writing class. Admittedly you are sitting in a room with other people, listening to someone else. But you are away from your job, your home, your daily life. Reality can be suspended.
The basics will be reinforced, of course, punctuation etc. You will learn what has changed over the years since you did it before. A host of new friends will support you to achieve your goals.
The best bit: You'll be given a prompt to write about, a smell, a sound, perhaps a scenario. Quiet descends while you sink into the depths of your imagination, bringing back smells you remember from your grandmother's garden, the sound of a neighbour's wind chime, the taste of strawberries on your tongue, the feel of worms running through your fingers.
Perhaps the scenario is: You're stuck in a lift while the firemen shout from outside; or you see a thief snatch a purse and consider what to do.
When you surface, a variety of tales will emerge, something different from every writer. It's absolutely amazing.
Once you get into the swing of it, you, like everyone else will be reading your work out for enjoyment and critique. This is done for your benefit, with everyone else feeling the same. So, over time you gain confidence in what you write and the critique helps you improve. What you can achieve is startling. You'll surprise yourself. And the more you write, the better you get.
Go for it. Change your life for the better!
Yet lately several people have come up to me at shows and book fairs, asking how to get started. Usually they have some l project in mind or some unfulfilled ambition from childhood. We all have something back there in the closet screaming to get out, I suppose.
One lady said she was afraid of reading her writing out in public, although she had written loads. What a waste!
My answer every time is to join a creative writing class, because it wasn't that long ago I was the same. I loved to write as a shy child and a teen. It was an escape, a still place where I could live out my fantasies, explore new avenues. My own personal bubble.
That's what you find at a creative writing class. Admittedly you are sitting in a room with other people, listening to someone else. But you are away from your job, your home, your daily life. Reality can be suspended.
The basics will be reinforced, of course, punctuation etc. You will learn what has changed over the years since you did it before. A host of new friends will support you to achieve your goals.
The best bit: You'll be given a prompt to write about, a smell, a sound, perhaps a scenario. Quiet descends while you sink into the depths of your imagination, bringing back smells you remember from your grandmother's garden, the sound of a neighbour's wind chime, the taste of strawberries on your tongue, the feel of worms running through your fingers.
Perhaps the scenario is: You're stuck in a lift while the firemen shout from outside; or you see a thief snatch a purse and consider what to do.
When you surface, a variety of tales will emerge, something different from every writer. It's absolutely amazing.
Once you get into the swing of it, you, like everyone else will be reading your work out for enjoyment and critique. This is done for your benefit, with everyone else feeling the same. So, over time you gain confidence in what you write and the critique helps you improve. What you can achieve is startling. You'll surprise yourself. And the more you write, the better you get.
Go for it. Change your life for the better!
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