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Tips for Getting Started
- If you want to be a writer, there’s really only thing you need to do – WRITE!!! This sounds obvious, but it’s amazing how many people say they want to be writers, but never get around to writing!!
- Don’t worry whether what you write is good or bad, just keep your fingers moving on the keyboard (or your pen moving on the page). When Monique was growing up, teachers told her that it’s “quality not quantity that matters.” But Monique thinks that isn’t quite true; you need to write a lot before you can write well.
- Be disciplined. If you only write when you feel it, you might not ever finish your project. Try setting aside a certain time of day to do your writing.
- Read a lot. Reading is an easy way to learn about writing. Pay attention to the choices that other authors make. Why, for instance, did an author choose to use the first-person point of view? Why does the author let her story shift from present to past? Thinking about these kinds of choices will help you when you write your own story.
- Keep a journal. Monique starts every day with a cup of green tea – and an entry in her journal. It takes her about 35 minutes to do, but she says it’s worth it. The journal is a good place to think out loud. Sometimes, Monique uses the journal to plan her day, or to consider events in her life. Sometimes, she uses the journal to work out a problem she’s grappling with in whatever story she is working on.
- Investigate what’s out there. Hang out at the bookstore, scan the shelves. Check out publishers’ catalogues which are available online. If you’ve got an idea for a story, you want to make sure that no one else has done it.
- Never give up! If there’s only one bit of advice you remember from this list, Monique hopes this will be it. If you really want to become a published writer, you mustn’t give up. Even when you get rejection slips (chances are you will), you must soldier on. The more you write, the better your writing will be. Monique is convinced that the major difference between writers who are published and those who are not is that published writers didn’t give up. So, KEEP AT IT, NO MATTER WHAT!
