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Where do I start?

Before I answer that question . . .

Yayy! *Throws confetti* it's super awesome that you're sure you want to join the writing side.

But, oh, I have to warn you. You must be prepared for the tests that await.

Okay, so, on to the question . . .

Where do I start? Do I grab pencil and just start writing? Do I self publish something I already written? Do I just release a book and suddenly become FAMOUS?!

Woah! Slow down there, soldier.

You don't jump into writing because you think you can write.

You jump in because you're certain you won't quit.

Yeah, that's our first point.

Be sure of the passion and determination. Those two elements are the key to successful authoring.

So, are you sure about this?

Yes?

Alright!

Now, you read.

Read what? You may ask.

Anything. Read novels, magazines, adverts on billboards, heck, even read  the ingredients of the food you're consuming (yes, I see those of you who don't check the nutritional value of stuff you eat -_-)

Kidding! I don't either. Wait, sometimes I do . . .

Okay, I'm drifting now.

What are you waiting for? Grab something and start reading! We have no time to waste.

You done yet?

Cool.

Next, you exercise.

No jumping jacks (Even though they are good for your body).

By exercise, I mean, exercise your writing ability. Write essays . . .

*Audience groans*

I know, I know.

It was terrible for me at first. But guess what, my one thousand worded essay on why the internet is doing more harm to our youth than politics is actually paid off. You might not believe it, but it's true.

If you want to take this activity, I suggest you use descriptive and narrative essays.

They are the best for story telling.

Why?

Descriptive essays will help boost your descriptive abilities.

Narrative essays will help you paint mental pictures.

At the end of the day, you're getting better at what you do! I'm sure you're interested now.

Okay. Okay.

Both essays are similar a little. Sometimes, in narrative, you use descriptions (gotten from descriptive essays). And both of them are pretty great writing activities.

However, they are different in the sense that descriptive essays will help you grasp the showing-and-not-telling concept (which you don't have to worry about until you're editing) *phew*

Narrative will just tell you what happened. Descriptive will show you the situation, it will give life to the mental picture created.

And trust me, you need life in your storytelling.

You must master the two if you want a solid writer foundation. Okay? Okay!

Now, think about an event and write it.

Think of something that happened three years ago, write about it. Tell us the story, squeeze the juicy parts and make us want to read that small one thousand worded piece you've written. Add some spice to it, create an event that may or may not have happened. Season your work.

This is fiction, nothing we write actually happened but we have the power to make you believe it did.

Aha! We've reached the final step.

After you've certified that you want to do this, you've read, you've exercised, and thought about something to put on paper . . .

You write!

Finally.

There are some basic rules to writing though.

Stick to one language with your narrative-meaning, don't start narrating what happened before Sofie went to school in Spanish and then tell us the events after in Latin.

Example:(I have no language knowledge so I'll do my thing)

Heather knew today was going to be great right from the moment her alarm clock went off. With a smile on her face, she hopped off the bed and shut it off before skipping to the bathroom.

Le shower de la hawt(ohmigod this is not French). C'est la vie tu en passe.

I cringed while writing that, hard. (I need a French revival class:()

But you get the drift right? Stick in one language while describing the events. Though, if your characters are the ones speaking, you can switch languages.

Look through your work at least once before making it public- this isn't editing, this is just skimming for mistakes and typos. It's effective for first drafts.

After you're done with the entire piece, you can go ahead and edit it properly.

Understand that you have got to pick a main genre for whatever you're writing so you know what to work around.

Keep your mind open for new ideas or adjustments.

Don't be scared of writer's block, it's normal🥴

Don't forget to take breaks so you don't burn yourself out. Take a walk, drink water, eat. Have a nap. If you write all the time, without stopping to breathe, you will become overwhelmed and might loose your spark.

Don't push yourself too hard.

And like I've stressed, be ready to fail a few times, get rejected, feel down because no one's reading your work. We're only human. Just don't let it get to you. Be strong, and keep fighting. The more you write and read, the more you get better at what you do.

There's no forcing it.

(Woo, that's a lot of rules. But there's a final one.)

Don't be scared to bend the rules a bit. And if they break, then there's no problem;)

Have a chocolate 🍫: try and apply the N&D exercise and let me know in the comments how it works for you.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment, or message me privately. And . . . I'll see you on Monday!

Happy writing ❤️