I found a story I wrote in fourth grade. It highlighted the mentors I had and their fictitious adventure to find their lost horses. I misspelled words and had several run-on sentences, however, it made me proud to see that I started early. The passion for writing was present in those squiggly words kept in order by dark parallel lines.
Fast forward to the present day and I've come a long way and still feel passionate about storytelling. Here are a few things I've learned along the way.
- Keep a small notebook in your bag. Find the time to put pencil to paper and writer. I really recommend keeping a small notebook with you to write whenever you have free time. Also, know that you can take writing classes or read articles online but the best way to get better is to simply write. It doesn't have to be about anything in particular but no one got better without practice.
- Read. Every single author, teacher, and mentor has always given me this advice and it couldn't be truer. There is a wealth of knowledge that has been recorded through the centuries in books. Read!
- Have deadlines and goals. Set a goal for how much length you want to accomplish in a day, month, and even year. Be realistic and stick to the schedule as much as possible.
From an early age, I've had a fascination with writing advice by my favorite authors. I'm always trying to improve and love the wise words of those who have found success in writing.
Writing Advice From a Few of My Favorite Authors
J.K. Rowling on the fact that no writing goes to waste. "Even if it isn't the piece of work that finds an audience, it will teach you things you could have learned no other way."
Kurt Vonnegut on finding your audience. "Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia."
Stephen King on where to write. "Write with the door closed; rewrite with the door open. Your stuff starts out being just for you, in other words, but then it goes out. Once you know what the story is and get it right — as right as you can, anyway — it belongs to anyone who wants to read it. Or criticize it."
PD James on continuously writing. "Learn to write by doing it. Read widely and wisely. Increase your word power. Find your own individual voice though practicing constantly. Go through the world with your eyes and ears open and learn to express that experience in words."
Ernest Hemingway on writing about what you know. "Write about what you know and write truly and tell them all where they can place it...Books should be about the people you know, that you love and hate, not about the people you study about."
Mark Twain on putting life into scenes. "Don’t say the old lady screamed. Bring her on and let her scream."
If you want to talk about brand strategy, storytelling, content development, project management, and/or marketing communications, drop me a line.
