7 Thoughts on Writing

 

Today, I'm going to post 7 thoughts on writing and the writing world. The weekend is here with some time to ponder on them. I chose 7 since there are that many days in a week, and it's always been known as a lucky number. 

1.  Writing is a skill that can be learned, but some people have an inborn gift of being able to relate a story in a way that readers will enjoy. These writers are the ones who bring a story, essay, or poem to life. They are the ones who stay with their craft even through rejections and other roadblocks. 

2.  Writers are never finished learning. One way we grow as writers is to keep learning our craft. Continue to read books on writing. Most of them are written by writers who have experience in the writing world. Who better to learn from? Go to workshops and conferences to keep learning with the added benefit of interacting with other writers.

3.  Before you tackle writing a novel or nonfiction book, write many, many short pieces. Try short stories before you attempt a full novel. Work on short essays, memoirs, inspirational pieces and some poetry first. Hone your skills before you delve into a big project.

4.  All writers should be readers. When you read the work of others, it's not only for enjoyment--although there is a good deal of that--you're looking at examples of how to do this or that when you write on your own. I think we even do some of that subconsciously when we read what others have written and had published. If it was good enough to be published, we should be able to glean something from it.

5.  One of the best gifts you can give yourself is to join a critique group, whether in-person or online, to get the opinions of other writers on your work. You must join with the attitude that these people who critique your work are there to help you, not hurt you. They can give you assistance in making what you wrote better. You can also learn a great deal by reading the critiques on other submissions within the group. 

6.  What you write is important. There is no doubt of that, but how you write it ranks high, as well. The mechanics of writing needs to be at the top of your list of 'how to be a writer' because, no matter what you are writing about, if you have poor grammar, bad punctuation,  and abysmal spelling, no editor is going to send an acceptance. 

7.  Learn to write to a specific word count. Most contests and many publications set a maximum word count for submitters. If you've written a wonderful inspirational essay that is 1654 words, but the publication you want to submit to caps the words at 1200, you have a lot of work to do. Cutting words is not difficult. When you cut your piece to the maximum allowed, you will most likely end up with a stronger piece. 

I've written full posts on each of the 7 points listed here. No doubt, I will hit each one in future posts, as well. Repetition is one way we learn, so I believe in repeating. Sometimes I'll repost a full article, or I'll write about the same subject with a different angle or emphasis. Master all the above, and you can call it your Lucky 7!