Beginning Writers Can Become Better Writers

Today's photo quote will give us a twofold situation. First is the quote itself. All of us who write have been beginners, maybe some still qualify as beginners. The bestselling authors in the world were all beginners at some time. We're all in good company!

Look at the little boy on the baseball field. Maybe this is his first time with a bat and a glove. He's in a big baseball park, and no doubt he is dreaming of the day he will be a pro ballplayer with the stadium filled with cheering crowds. It never hurts to dream a bit. Didn't you have some special dreams when you started to write? I bet you did. It's a natural thing to look ahead and think about what might be someday. 

We should also be aware that that bigtime dream doesn't happen easily or quickly. When our writing journey begins, we set one foot on the path with the first piece we plan, write, and finish. We move ahead a step at a time. What helps us make the next move and the next? Think of your writing journey as a children's game board where you toss the dice and move as many spaces as the dice tell you. Each time you do something to help your writing, you can move one space. Not just writing, even though that is what you really want to do. Write but also read about writing, talk to other writers about the craft, attend writing conferences, and join a writing group. One more thing you can do to advance on your journey is to do writing exercises.

A writing exercise is the second part of today's post. The little boy in the picture is the perfect one to use today for a photo prompt writing exercise. Most of you know the drill. 

• Study the picture--don't just look, but really study it
• Ask yourself some questions about the person, the place, the situation
• Write a descriptive paragraph or any of the following
• Write a few paragraphs, the beginning of a story or just a few paragraphs
• Write a full story about what the picture brought to mind
• Write a character sketch