So You Want To Be a Writer

More power to you.

Seriously, though, you need to ask yourself why you want to be a writer and what being a writer means to you. Once you have those two questions answered sufficiently enough for your own gratification, the next step is to ask yourself what it is you've done to prepare for being a writer.

I don't mean practicing your autograph. I'm speaking to your education as a writer. Not necessarily formal education, but I'm not discounting that either.  Life experiences work for me.

I noticed a poster at a fellow writer's house which stated quite simply:
"What have you done to achieve your goals today?"

She said her daughters believed it to be for them as they trudged their lives through high school.  Teenagers tend to be self-absorbed. The truth is she made it for herself, to keep herself on track and striving for that elusive publishing contract.

How do you prepare to become a writer? 
Ask any one of us and we'll all probably say the same thing: First off ~ read. Read, read, read and then read some more. Secondly, learn. Learn how to put novels together so people will want to continue to read them. Take online courses or classes at the local college. Get to your local library and check out some of the helpful books out there written by the likes of Sol Stein. You'll glean some useful information and it'll hone your skill. Practice. Write as much as you can every day.  Keep in mind your words can always be changed later, so don't focus so much on how they sound today.

When you go to a doctor you naturally assume they did actually work at becoming a doctor than just wanting to be one, right? You hope their diploma on the wall isn't just a photo-shop job, but actual proof of their tenacity. As with any profession, being a writer takes work and dedication.

The next question is, do you want to be a published writer? Or just an angst-y one read only by a few friends and family members? If your dream is to become the former, check back tomorrow and I'll give you some useful information to help you achieve that goal. In the meantime, I have to do some actual writing myself so I can truthfully answer the poster my friend has on her wall.

After all, the best way to achieve your goal is ...to achieve it.

Thanks for stopping by.
H