“Once Upon a Time…” or How to Start Writing

So, you want to start writing? Well, after having written for over 20 years, I can say it is the best job in the world. There is nothing more thrilling than not only seeing your words in print, but hearing from people who have read them. It is one of the most humbling aspects of my whole life.

Life Experience

By the time we have reached 60, we have acquired so much life experience. We have had relationships with hundreds, maybe thousands, of people, perhaps raised a family, had a career. Even if we haven’t experienced the things ourselves, we know about love, wars, crime, health, murders, travel, celebrities, happiness, birth, death. All things people want to read about!

The wealth of knowledge and information we have stored in our minds means we can use them to become first class story tellers. We have accumulated a lifetime of memories, experiences, anecdotes, tales, mysteries and sharing these with others is pure joy.

Fiction or Non-Fiction

There are hundreds of things to write about, but fundamentally, it comes down to fiction or non-fiction, imaginary or real. If you are a creative person, you may prefer to write fiction as you will be able to put on paper the images, characters, etc. that live in your mind.

 If you are the type of person who enjoys research, you may prefer non-fiction. Having said that, I have written both and really enjoy it.

Creative Writing (Fiction)

This will include novels, poetry, plays, and stories for children. The focus is on the creative use of language and using your skills so that your reader can imagine being a character within the book. For example, if you were writing about Little Red Riding Hood, you could start with something like, “It was dark inside the wolf.” This immediately captures the imagination and draws the reader on a journey.

Writing for children is always fun, though can be one of the most difficult, not only in terms of writing, but in getting published too. Everyone seems to want to write for children. (I do too!) You also have to take into account the age and stage of development of a child, use appropriate language and consider the content and length of the story. Generally, the younger children are, the shorter their attention span.

Factual Writing (Non-Fiction)

If you have knowledge and experience in a particular area, you might like to share this with others. For example, you could be a travel blogger or write a cook book. You may decide to write about your career, perhaps you were in the army, music business or a midwife, or any career that people might be interested to read about.

You could also choose to write a biography about someone, or even an autobiography or memoir about you.

Enjoy the Process

The process of writing can sometimes be exasperating, especially if you are writing a long piece. Sometimes, I just stare at a blank page for hours and not write a single word; other times, I am unable to stop writing! I have absolutely no idea why, but I have learnt that if I can’t write today, that’s ok. There is always tomorrow. :)

Just Start Writing

So just begin at the beginning. It doesn’t matter if it’s perfect (very unlikely in my experience!), you can always go back and change whatever you like. Most of the time, I edit two or three times, sometimes more.

I am sure when William Shakespeare, Mark Twain or JK Rowling started writing they never imagined where it would lead. Who knows, you might have millions of readers, a few hundred, or even just the most important reader, You. What matters is that you are putting down on paper something which, for the moment, is just inside your head. Once that is done, someone could be reading it, hundreds of years from now.

Now there’s a thought…

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Would you like to be a writer? What would you like to write about? Have you ever had your writing published?