Tips for new writers
ARE YOU A WRITING ATHLETE?
Whenever I offer a reading from one of my books, I ask how many in the audience have either started a book or have an idea for a book. I am amazed at the number of hands that fly into the air. It seems that almost everyone who comes to a book reading has the hope that one day she will be offering a reading of her own work.
What then is involved in moving from an idea for a book to seeing it in print? If the writing process from beginning to end can be compared to an athletic event, the events most similar to writing would be to combine the marathon with high hurdles. So, imagine a marathon race with hurdles standing between you, the author, and the finish line. In this first blog in a series on the writing process, the focus will be on the first hurdles, those involved in moving from initial ideas to words on a page.
The first of these hurdles is something you are probably already doing—read authors you admire. The more quality writing we read, the more our brains recognize what makes a good sentence, paragraph, and chapter. Reading the works of writers who inspire us can be compared to putting money in the bank. When we move to the next hurdle, putting thoughts on paper, we will unconsciously be using what we’ve read to help us create sentences, paragraphs, and chapters of our own that “sound right.”
The second hurdle is to set aside time each day, even ten minutes, to jot down first ideas for your writing project. Seeing your ideas on paper is important; it is a step of commitment, a necessary pushing against the inner voices that whisper “Get serious; you’re not a writer. Who do you think you’re kidding?” Almost all of us have those doubting voices. These voices begin with this second hurdle but will resurface throughout the process, but we don’t have to give in to them.
This second step in the process is, as one well-known writer describes it, quite messy. That is, what you’ll see on paper is not a masterpiece; in fact, it isn’t even close to being a book. We don’t expect muck to be impressive. But as raw clay can be shaped with later work into something quite beautiful, so can the muck of what you’ve written on the page. I recommend at this point dealing with the nagging question in your mind “Am I a writer?” by responding, “Yes, I am. The muck in front of me proves I am!”
The third hurdle is to pay attention to which idea or ideas you’ve jotted down intrigue you or give you a jolt of energy, even a slight jolt. Identifying that idea or those ideas will provide you a starting point. Identifying that idea or those ideas will also help you put aside for the time being the other ideas you’ve written down.
You now have an idea or maybe two. It will still look quite messy, but you sense there is something of value, some possible treasure within that idea that you want to explore further. Some people can conduct this exploration in their heads before they return to pen and paper or to the computer screen; others need to explore on paper or on screen from the get-go. (I’m the latter). Either way, the important question to ask is not “what do I write down next?” but “where does this first germ of an idea want to lead me?” That is, the idea that gave you that first jolt of energy is living.
Think of your role at this point as the person letting this first idea “off its leash.” Where does that idea want to go? Resist the urge to try to see what a book that begins with this idea would look like. Just let the first idea lead you to a second idea, and then a third. I can’t emphasize this enough: trust the process. Don’t worry if the second idea takes some time to surface. In my experience, if I try to force the next idea, everything becomes immediately lifeless. Go about your regular life and trust that your brain will likely come up with the next step—maybe when you’re not consciously thinking about it.
When you do find that your first idea has led to a second idea and then a third idea that gives another jolt of energy, celebrate! You are now someone “hooked” on writing, “hooked” on the question, “I wonder where this idea, these ideas, will take me next?”
NEXT BLOG: BEGINNING TO SHAPE THE CLAY
Whenever I offer a reading from one of my books, I ask how many in the audience have either started a book or have an idea for a book. I am amazed at the number of hands that fly into the air. It seems that almost everyone who comes to a book reading has the hope that one day she will be offering a reading of her own work.
What then is involved in moving from an idea for a book to seeing it in print? If the writing process from beginning to end can be compared to an athletic event, the events most similar to writing would be to combine the marathon with high hurdles. So, imagine a marathon race with hurdles standing between you, the author, and the finish line. In this first blog in a series on the writing process, the focus will be on the first hurdles, those involved in moving from initial ideas to words on a page.
The first of these hurdles is something you are probably already doing—read authors you admire. The more quality writing we read, the more our brains recognize what makes a good sentence, paragraph, and chapter. Reading the works of writers who inspire us can be compared to putting money in the bank. When we move to the next hurdle, putting thoughts on paper, we will unconsciously be using what we’ve read to help us create sentences, paragraphs, and chapters of our own that “sound right.”
The second hurdle is to set aside time each day, even ten minutes, to jot down first ideas for your writing project. Seeing your ideas on paper is important; it is a step of commitment, a necessary pushing against the inner voices that whisper “Get serious; you’re not a writer. Who do you think you’re kidding?” Almost all of us have those doubting voices. These voices begin with this second hurdle but will resurface throughout the process, but we don’t have to give in to them.
This second step in the process is, as one well-known writer describes it, quite messy. That is, what you’ll see on paper is not a masterpiece; in fact, it isn’t even close to being a book. We don’t expect muck to be impressive. But as raw clay can be shaped with later work into something quite beautiful, so can the muck of what you’ve written on the page. I recommend at this point dealing with the nagging question in your mind “Am I a writer?” by responding, “Yes, I am. The muck in front of me proves I am!”
The third hurdle is to pay attention to which idea or ideas you’ve jotted down intrigue you or give you a jolt of energy, even a slight jolt. Identifying that idea or those ideas will provide you a starting point. Identifying that idea or those ideas will also help you put aside for the time being the other ideas you’ve written down.
You now have an idea or maybe two. It will still look quite messy, but you sense there is something of value, some possible treasure within that idea that you want to explore further. Some people can conduct this exploration in their heads before they return to pen and paper or to the computer screen; others need to explore on paper or on screen from the get-go. (I’m the latter). Either way, the important question to ask is not “what do I write down next?” but “where does this first germ of an idea want to lead me?” That is, the idea that gave you that first jolt of energy is living.
Think of your role at this point as the person letting this first idea “off its leash.” Where does that idea want to go? Resist the urge to try to see what a book that begins with this idea would look like. Just let the first idea lead you to a second idea, and then a third. I can’t emphasize this enough: trust the process. Don’t worry if the second idea takes some time to surface. In my experience, if I try to force the next idea, everything becomes immediately lifeless. Go about your regular life and trust that your brain will likely come up with the next step—maybe when you’re not consciously thinking about it.
When you do find that your first idea has led to a second idea and then a third idea that gives another jolt of energy, celebrate! You are now someone “hooked” on writing, “hooked” on the question, “I wonder where this idea, these ideas, will take me next?”
NEXT BLOG: BEGINNING TO SHAPE THE CLAY
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