In Part One, we reflected about who we are and how much we wanted to write. In short:
A lot of writers just dive in when the muse strikes and we reach for laptops, paper, receipts, napkins...whatever is as hand to put our thoughts into written form. Some writers practice writing every day, using morning pages to empty their minds of doubt and rambling thoughts before they get to the task of creating. Yet others, ponder the universe and wait for divine inspiration before they are able to sit down to write. Personally, I've been known to scribble ideas into a notebook while cooking dinner. Sticks of spaghetti do not make good pens.
In Part Two, we're moving on to WHAT??? We've identified the urge to write and create, now it's time to take it a step further and discover what you want to write?
What do you like to read?
A lot of writers tend to read all sorts of genres before they settle into an area - loosely defined at times - that they enjoy reading and eventually writing. I worked my way up though the
Dick and Jane series back in elementary, then graduated to
Wind in the Willows before I discovered
The Hardy Boys alongside
Nancy Drew, UFO books, and anything else that made my creativity soar. I dug into Sidney Sheldon novels before I'd even hit high school.
What if I like more than one genre?
Chances are you like more than one type of fruit or candy. Just like in the food world, there are no rules that say you can only read or even write only one genre. Writers mix them up all the time.
Romantic suspense, Erotic fantasy, Paranormal mysteries, the combinations are limited only by your own imagination.
What if I have no idea what to write?
At very basic, write about your life. Start with a childhood memory and exaggerate it. Write about the brother you wished you'd had. About the house you wished you'd lived in. About how your grandfather smoked a pipe after dinner every night and you would sit close to him and watch the smoke swirl around his head while the sweet scent of his tobacco tickled your nose.
Then take it up a notch and create a story around it.
How do you come up with ideas?
Writing prompts are a great starting point. You can find them on web sites, at writing group meetings, and in any endless number of books on the subject. (Oh look, something to write about!) One method we use in our writing group is to choose a book then turn to a random page, find a sentence, and GO!
Conversations are you may have or overhear during your day are great sources of inspiration as well. I've had ideas come from lines on television shows or even whole shows may spark a fresh novel. The whole idea isn't to copy someone else's work. Plagarism is a no-no. It's completely allowable to use a line, an image or a phrase as a starting point to grow your own work.
What if I don't like what I wrote?
Then congratulations. You're just as insecure as the rest of us!
Seriously, though. Once you start a poem, short story, or even a novel, you don't have to live with it if you don't like it. Sometimes it helps to put it away for a while and take another look at it weeks, months, or even years down the road. If you still don't like it then, shred it and start over. In the meantime, don't sit idle. More ideas and inspirations will strike. Eventually, you will write something you will love and turn it into something you want to share with the entire world.
What if my mother doesn't like what I wrote?
Once more we go back to a Who question. Who are you writing for? You? Your mother? Your grandpa? When I was starting out writing as a kid, my mom would say my stories were good, BUT.... I'd go back to my room and vow never to show her my stories again. It didn't take me long to realize I wrote my stories for me. Not for anyone else. Now that I have books published, that doesn't change. Yes, I want to entertain people and have them read my stories, but if I don't like what I write, I'm very sure they won't either.
How do I get published?
First you write. Then we'll talk...
Diane Bator
Author of Wild Blue Mysteries, Gilda Wright Mysteries and Glitter Bay Mysteries
Mom of 3 boys and 2 cats and a mouse we can't find...
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