A spot of encouragement

For new writers, both young and young-at-heart

Hello, dear readers. It's me again.

I've been thinking about the advice I would've given my younger self, back when dirt was young and I decided to write. I actually wrote most of a post - some eight hundred-ish words of it - and ended up scrapping it because it was too long and didn't actually say much of anything.

Still, some things stood out, a few points I've learned by writing and not reading them in a book. You’ll find plenty of How To Write stuff, like word choice and verbs and sentence structure, and most of that is Googleable. These lessons, however, are a bit more personal.

I haven’t seen them many other places, so maybe I just don’t know where to look. Either way, here they are:

If you want to write, do it.

Don't let anyone talk you out of it. Don't talk yourself out of it. Don't write three words and give up on it. Writing takes time and patience, and you have to have both in abundance, for yourself and your writing. It took several years of writing shitty stories before I had the courage to post anything on Substack. You can go back and read my first posts - they're not as good as I wanted them to be, and that's after practicing for three years. I've improved. You will, too. You just have to give it time.

Don't give up on it.

People will try to give you permission to fail. They'll say things like, "Oh, you don't want to do that," or "Why would you want to spend time on that, when you could be doing XYZ?". Smile at those people, and then keep writing. The chances of you becoming the next J. K. Rowling are small, but there's an enormous chance that you'll find great joy in stringing words together. Not all painters design for a gallery, and not all authors write to be famous. Some will find fame. Others will have fame thrust upon them. And still others will remain in the shadows, content to write whatever they wish and make their own selves happy. Focus on why you write, and you'll always have something to reach towards.

Persevere.

Keep writing. Every day, if you can. Open your notebook or sit down at your computer. Don't get discouraged at the raw words that pour out of you, because you're learning. Every time you sit down, you become more disciplined. Every time you focus on writing, you learn to concentrate. Every time you hit your word count and put a certain number of words on the page, you discover the quiet joy of satisfaction in your work. On days when you don't want to write, do it anyway. Write anything that pops into your head. Restore the flow of conversation between your fingers and the keys. Drive onward, diligently, until you realize that your roadblock is gone, the path is clear, and it's time to keep moving forward on your project as if nothing ever happened. When you don't want to, keep moving. It's the only way to improve.

Give it time.

Writing takes time. Improving takes time. There are ways to write that seem faster - like banging out a first draft in a couple weeks or months - but then you have to edit a lot to make it presentable. You can rush through editing, but if it's full of errors, nobody will want to read the finished piece. You can force the story to bend exactly how you want, but you may find 10,000 words later that it's awful and you end up throwing it all away. Writing is not fast. Editing is not fast. Some people - who are exceptionally gifted - can be quicker, but for most of us, that skill develops over time. In the beginning, it's like slogging through mud. Sometimes you'll want to pull your hair out by the roots because it's taking so long, and that's okay. Your hair will grow back, and tomorrow you can try again.

Make it shine.

When you write something, go over it. Edit it. Pick out words you don't like, throw them out, and start over. Fill in the gaps with new words, different words, thesaurus-words. Use words you may not know and want to get familiar with. Try words you've used your entire life without ever knowing their real meaning. Practice words you know like the back of your hand, your childhood stuffed animal, or your current pair of favorite socks. Stitch your story back together, and tear it apart again. Do it over and over until you like the flow and nothing gets stuck. You won't get it on the first try. You have to fix it and keep adjusting tiny details until it sounds right. Everyone has to do this. We all learned, and most of us (including me) are still practicing. You will, too.

Write for yourself first.

This is a hard truth. Nobody likes talking about this one, but somebody has to say it, or else you'll be sorely disappointed. Nobody is obligated to read what you've written. Not your mother, not your grandmother, not your brother or sister or dad or coworker or best friend or spouse. Absolutely nobody owes you the time to sit and read through your work. When you write, you start for yourself. For an invisible reader who stands over your shoulder and cheers, "I like that! Way to go!". You can't make anyone else enjoy your work. You can't force them to read it. We've all passed over books, and it's not meant as an insult to the author. It's like eating broccoli for breakfast. Sometimes you just don't feel like it. Keep this in mind, and it’ll be difficult to be disappointed.

Write for as long as it makes you happy.

Writing should be fun. Yes, it gets stressful when there are deadlines involved, or when you put too much pressure on yourself to be perfect instead of good. But telling stories is fun. Figuring out where words go and how to troubleshoot story problems and create worlds out of nothing is fun. But if it ever stops being fun, or you decide it's not your cup of tea, that's okay. Take a break. Make a cup of tea or coffee and live your life for a while. Walk away for a day, or a month, or a few years. If writing makes your soul sing, you will find your spark again. Maybe you need some time to reboot, or unravel a sticky plot point. Maybe you need to try a new hobby and give yourself a break. Maybe you need to focus on something else, like life or work or family. Whatever the reason, if it doesn't work out, don't stress out about it. Wait until it feels like a good time, then start again, whenever that may be.

And enjoy it.

Writing is a process. A craft. Something you learn to use and wield, like a good knife or a sharp sword. When spun correctly, it is magic in its purest form. One good taste, and you may find yourself addicted for life.

If you're just getting your feet wet, or trying to decide whether to continue this journey called writing, I hope this helps. It took several years for me to learn these lessons, and I haven't found a book yet that talks about them. (It might be out there somewhere, I just haven't seen it yet.) In the meantime, what advice do you wish someone would have told you, when you started? Or what did you learn that really helped out? Share away! Maybe it'll help somebody else, too.

Happy writing, dear readers.

<3 Olivia

(Photo by Tessana Thaveeteeratham, Pexels)