Advice 2 writers

So, I have decided this is a writing blog (somewhat of a ‘duh’) and by that I mean I’m giving out writing advice. Now, everyone has to find what works best for them so not all of my advice I give out will always work for every writer. Other things are pretty basic.

I plan that I will post once a week (most likely on the weekends), but I might randomly post other times as well. For the most part week one is advice to writers, week two is some article or other thing I found on the internet that I’d like to share, week three will be a bit random but will usually include a book suggestion (as all good writers should be good readers), and the fourth week will be a little writing sample. I’ll explain the fourth week in more detail in a second.

Anyway September has 5 weeks in it, so all the weeks are just shifted down a bit.

ADVICE #1: Write. 

This might seem a bit like: What are you talking about Natasha? Of course writers write it’s in the name! But this can seriously be one of the biggest pieces of advice out there.

A great idea in your head, is just that, an IDEA. If you don’t take the time to write it out, put pen to paper, nothing will appear. It isn’t that magical, sadly. I know lives get busy (trust me, somehow I signed up for FOUR AP classes), but finding time to write is needed to develop and grow as a writer.

Try (and it’s understandable when you don’t always do it, but try) to write EVERYDAY. It can be for five minutes, it can be for an hour, anytime you can set aside is valuable time. A chapter that didn’t exist can sit there on your computer saying “Look, you accomplished something!”

That doesn’t mean you always have to continue writing what you were writing the day before. Short stories are a nice little trick. It’s over and done with. You get the sense of accomplishment from completing something and you can learn something new from every story you write and apply it to future writing.

If you do stick with one long story over time, it’s very difficult to reach the spot where you can write two words “The End”. Two words that can fill you with such an incredible feeling of joy (I threw myself a little ice cream party when I wrote ‘The End’ on the first draft of ‘The Dream Prison’).

There is a method I use to help me write a bit every day and I’m going to share that (if you don’t know of them) and those are word prompts. Short little prompts that can start you off, get over a bit of writers block (an entirely different topic), and towards a little warm up of writing. A fun one at that. 

Prompts

I mentioned that the fourth week needed to be explained more in detail, well, here it is. At the end of the first weeks post will be one of these prompts and on that fourth week I will post mine and if any of you have scribbled your own answers to the prompt, add them to the comments. It should be fun! Enjoy writing!

Writing Prompt: One morning you awake to find yourself in a straight jacket, being taken off to an asylum. How do you prove your sanity? What do the guards and psychiatrists say you did?

^^thanks to  http://www.writersdigest.com/prompts

Can't wait to see what I and you come up with.