We all have at some point in our lives had a burning desire to put our thoughts down on paper and create something that left the world feeling some kind of emotion, but knowing what to say and precisely how to say it is often easier said than done.
Starting out is always the hardest, which is why it’s a good idea to employ a technique known as free writing in which you simply write. There is no room for judgement, only creativity. After a free writing session of no more than 20 minutes, take some time to really take in what you have written and see if there is anything that is worth expanding upon.
YOU’RE MORE INTERESTING THAN YOU THINK
Queens, rock-stars and politicians garner the majority of the public’s attention these days, but it’s everyday people like yourself that often have the most interesting stories to tell. To create a story that leaves your intended audience spellbound, don’t be so quick to dismiss your own journey as being one the public at large would like to learn about.
I would be the first to admit that my life to this point wouldn’t be anything worth writing home about, but I would like to think that the story behind my 50-kilometre walk in 2021, which has since become a regular thing, and the wide-ranging emotions that I experience on that day as I honour my father’s memory is something that would be of interest to others.
No matter what path your life has taken, we all have a story tell. It’s just a matter of taking the time to look within yourself, and only then will you come to the realisation that there are hidden gems in the many stories that make you the person that you’re today.
STEP OUTSIDE OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE
A wonderful resource when it comes to stories is the elder sector of the community. Someone who has lived for seven or eight decades certainly has a few ancedotes to share that could easily be cobbled together to make a memorable piece of written work. So take the time to visit a grandparent or elderly person in the community that you know quite well and sit down with them and take a genuine interest in their life and how their experiences shaped them.
It has been said before on this blog, but given its importance I think that it’s worth stating again just to ram home the point: Writing is a highly-refined skill that calls for the writer to work on their skill-set day-in-day-out. While adhering to the writing schedule that you have set for yourself is imperative if you genuinely want to make something of yourself in the writing space, there is room for flexibility in terms of where you write.
Mixing things up a bit could inspire you in a way that you may not have anticipated. You may see a pretty flower on a leisurely walk or perhaps you cross paths with an old friend who you haven’t seen since your schooling days. It doesn’t really matter what you do, just do something out of the ordinary and you will be rewarded in ways that you couldn’t possibly imagine.
It is my genuine belief that to really make it as a writer one must be prepared to consistently take themselves out of their comfort zone and engage with people of varying backgrounds. There are people out there who have led different lives and in some cases extremely different lives to you and I, and tapping into their knowledge will greatly benefit your development both as a person and a writer.
GET CRACKING
Reading up on how to get the motivation to write is all well and good, but it will all amount to nothing if you don’t act on your intentions. So get cracking on your next piece of work by challenging yourself to do something new and take notes on what you gleamed from that experience.
Once you have put together a piece of content that you’re proud of, it’s a good idea to send it to a proofreading service like TK Proofreading because no matter how accomplished a writer you may be the fact remains that errors are bound to make their way into your work, and you don’t want them to detract from the story that you want to tell.