"I don't think I can write. I have no talent."
"I wish I can be like you."
"I used to write, but I don't think I have the skill."
These are some of the responses I got from several of my friends after I tell them that I write poetry and fiction whenever I have time. I'm flattered whenever they comment on how good my writing is, but my face fell when they say they can't be good in writing. I know that not all of us are born with a creative mind. However, I honestly feel that anyone can be a writer. Whether you're a student who is terrible at math, a single mother who wants to pour your feelings out, a traveler who wants to record down every single moment of your journey in words, or the reader of this blog post (yes, you!), you can be a writer! Even when you used to write and you don't feel like getting back on track, it's not too late for you to start all over!
So you may ask. How? Before I give you my tips on how to get started to write or to get back to writing, you need to promise yourself that you will commit yourself to write. You need to tell yourself that you want to write. Cassey Ho from Blogilates (fitness instructor on YouTube) once says, "Don't think of working out as a chore. Think of it as a commitment." So I take her advice and apply this to my writing. Don't think of writing as a priority. Think of writing as something that you love and want to do, and you may want to squeeze as much time as you can in your schedule to write.
So without further due, here are my tips/steps to help you get started to write or to help you get back on track in writing!
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| Notebooks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
1. Get yourself a notebook
I love notebooks! Every time I go to a bookstore, I would not only browse through novels at the teen section and sometimes the manga section, I would also look at the notebooks. Once I look at a notebook with a decorative pattern or an inspirational quote on the cover, I can hear my debit card screaming at me to buy it. I urge myself not to buy any more notebooks, because I literally have seven notebooks (two of them are not in the picture above). But I can't wait to use all of these notebooks to write whatever that comes to my mind, even when I travel after I graduate (very soon!).
Anyway, a notebook is a very important tool! If you get a notebook with a good amount of pages (and not those cheap, small ones), you will have plenty of space for you to transfer your thoughts and ideas from your head to paper. A notebook is your canvas for your inner voice to ignite.
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| Put your notebook and pen on desk! |
2. Put your notebook and a pen on your desk. Don't put it away!
If you want to start writing, you have to do this! Even if your Macbook and textbooks take over your study table, at least save a space for your notebook. This baby of yours needs a companion anyways. ;) Unless if you REALLY don't have enough space, then you can put your notebook on top of your things in your desk drawer. Just don't abandon it!
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| Time for a writing warm up! |
Whether you have a packed schedule or not, I recommend you to open your notebook and start writing! Give yourself three to five minutes to write whatever you're thinking of. Whether it's about your shitty day at work or a scene from a recent drama you've binge-watched, you can write whatever you want! Don't mind the grammar and word length and how messy your handwriting is. Even the punctuation! Make it into a long run-on sentence!This is a free write, so don't stress yourself too much! If you're stuck during those 5 minutes, reread what you've written and try to continue, or flip to a new page and start a new paragraph. Ready? Set! Go!
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| List your ideas on a new page! |
4. Go to a new page and jot down whatever ideas you have.
Now think about your future writing. You may need a list of ideas so that you can keep track on what are you planning to write in the next few hours, days or weeks. What kind of ideas? It can be poetry, fiction, personal narrative (creative non-fiction/memoir chapter), dialogue for a play/film, blog entry, etc. Or it can be a few pages on random thoughts about a certain topic such as what if you won the lottery or what would you do if you want to travel to Korea. Ideas are endless, and once you write them all down, you can expand those ideas one by one to a longer piece of writing!
But before you expand your ideas, look through your list of ideas and choose the ones you think you can expand on. Some ideas may not work for you, and some make you feel excited that you want to get started. So gather those ideas that you want to write in the next few pages!
5. Set a time on your calendar
Calendars are a lifesaver! They help you to track time and the tasks that you should do! So if you have a busy schedule, but you want to commit to write, set a writing time on your print calendars, agendas, or the calendar app of your phone. Give yourself a writing period, whether it's 3 to 5 minutes or even 10 to 20 minutes. You can have a writing time once per day, twice per week, or even once per week. As long as you promise yourself to keep your writing days consistent, then you will certainly take your writing seriously.
And also, you can do baby steps! Start with one sentence or a few sentences per writing time. Then, you can move on to a paragraph per writing time. And then, one page. And then, several pages. You'll find yourself writing longer as you progress! One suggestion I can give you before you start writing is to create an outline. Break down your writing idea into points so that you'll know what things you want to include in your piece.
6. Edit what you've written.
Read what you've written on your first page. Look for grammar errors or anything else you think you should add or fix to make your writing better/easier to read. If you're unsure with grammar, ask someone who can help you to edit. Don't be afraid if you have mistakes! We all can learn from our mistakes! #life
One thing I've learned from all of the creative writing classes I've taken in Douglas College and Capilano University is it takes lots (and I mean lots) of time for a writer to get his or her work published. The reason is it requires a lot of steps. After you've come up with a writing idea, you may have to create a draft first. Then, you will have to edit (or find someone to edit for you) more than once, because you'll have to reread your writing several times to make sure that there are no errors at all. You may also have to rewrite to make your writing sharper, and final edits to make it polished. Getting approval from a publishing company is another big hassle. I have not published a real book yet, so maybe when I finally do, I'll write a blog post about my experiences on how to get my book published. But what I've heard from my creative writing instructors is that you'll have to send your final piece of writing to as many publishers as you can till one of them loves your writing and wants you to be his or her client. Not everyone has similar tastes. A writer should not give up hope until one publisher will give you the call (but I'll save this for a future blog post XP).
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| Schedule Inspiration! |
7. Set a time to seek inspiration
If you still haven't think of how to start your writing idea, then you should find inspiration. As you can see from the photo above, I'm inspired by the "Schedule Inspiration" chapter in Lilly Singh's "How to be a Bawse" book. And I find this so true! It is possible to balance between priorities and leisure, because not only you can work and play at the same time, but you can also be inspired for your writing. In Lilly's chapter, she says, "I am busy creating my own content, but watching shows and movies has become part of my work (#blessedlife)...Watching the show wasn't JUST helping me relax-it was also helping me become better at my craft" (Singh, pp. 97). So you don't have to make an excuse that you're lazy or bored (unless you're procrastinating too much till you're cramming for an exam on the day before), because entertainment/relaxation is for inspiration for your commitment.
Even if you don't have time to watch a movie or a drama series, you can just watch a short YouTube clip, read lyrics of a song you're curious about, or take a short stroll down the park in your neighbourhood. You will find yourself appreciating the little things in life, and you will eventually find inspiration to write.
Here's one trick I use to get inspiration whenever I have writer's block. I would go to a cafe, order a cup of green tea latte and a pastry (green tea tiramisu/ coffee bun/ ice cream coffee bun/ vanilla-filled Stuffies (mini stuffed pancakes)), sit down at a table by one of the cafe's windows, have a sip and a bite, and allow the flavours sink in my system so that my soul can be satisfied and an idea will automatically appear in my head like a light bulb. Unlike writers who like writing while drinking coffee, a cup of tea and a plate of pastry are like fuel to my inspiration.
So what are you waiting for? Grab your calendars and plan a time for your inspiration hunt now!
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| Read, read and read! |
8 Speaking of reading...
Read as many books as you can! I know it's cliche, but it's a crucial tip! Whether it's print or online, books will help you see various styles authors use. Just like things that give you inspiration! You may have to pay attention to what words/phrases they use to help you visualize a scene or what kind of structure they use. Some follow rules of a format (e.g. a Sonnet) and some write freely. I recently am obsessed with fan fiction (guilty pleasure spilled. Thank you, K-Pop XD). I read a chapter of a story on Asianfanfics.com every night, and I would get so inspired by the plots and the writing techniques from hundreds of fanfic writers all around the world. Some of them write novel-length chapters, and some of them write simple one-shots. And thanks to them, I've written several fan fiction. The positive comments I receive from my subscribers encourage me to keep going. So feel free to explore as many genres as you can, so that you can see which genre suits your writing voice, personality and interest. And in this way, you will create your own writing style!
9. Get help from writing buddies.
Getting a group of aspiring writers to read your stories will help you tremendously, because they will share what they like about your piece and what they think you should add or fix to make your piece better. Having someone to read your work can be intimidating, but keep in mind that you will have an A-HA moment if your peers point out things that will get you excited to revise your writing. Even if someone can be nit-picky on your grammar mistakes, it's more important to take note on the suggestions to make your sentences more concise and your storytelling more believable.
I thought I would be a shoo-in when I choose creative writing as my major in Douglas College,because I was praised by my mother, my English teachers and my friends for my writing. But guess what? I nearly give up on writing during the first few weeks of my first creative writing class. I had never received so many criticism in my life. The students in Introduction to Poetry class were so smart and talented. They seemed to know what they're writing about, and they were so knowledgeable in what makes a good poem. I didn't get to give feedback to them, because I couldn't think of any suggestions and their poems were way better than mine. However, one of my close friends in secondary school gave me a valuable slice of advice, and I still hold on to it today. She said, "Use your criticism as your weapon." Criticism may be a knife that is stabbed to your heart, but it's also a wand that will transform from your sandals to a pair of glass slippers. Once you apply your peers' feedback to your edits, you will be surprised by how much your writing has improved. When you register for a creative writing course, a writers' group online, or even a three-day writers' workshop, you have to go with an open mind and a humble heart. If you're too proud of your writing and your peers suddenly attack you with nothing but criticism, your confidence will shatter. You help each other in your writer circle to share the best suggestions and ideas as possible so that you will know what to edit and what to use in your future writing. That's killing two birds with one stone!
And it's not too late to keep on learning something new to experiment in your writing. When you want to try writing a completely different genre, don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. Find someone or something that will inspire you to get started! One of my favourite quotes is from Cassey Ho which is "always try to be better than you were yesterday." If we change and grow constantly, we will one day look back and see how much we've worked to become who we are. Never stop learning! Never stop improving!
10. Have fun!
You're inhaling inspiration, and you're exhaling words on paper. Writing helps you to spill whatever you're thinking or feeling. But most importantly, writing is something that you should enjoy, because you're setting your imagination alive. Writing comes naturally! You'll just have to keep on practicing and practicing until you've earned the skill. You will get better in writing, and you will see yourself grow as a writer. One last quote I want to share with you is from Henry Lau, Taiwanese born Canadian who is a member of the Mandarin sub-unit of Super Junior. He says, "There are no geniuses in this world. It's all about effort." You don't have to be a genius at writing. You just have to work hard on your writing so that you can be better. :)
I'm rooting for you! Good luck! <3
Michele Hii.
References
Singh, Lilly. How to be a Bawse. Doubleday Canada, Canada.
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