Posted on May 30, 2008 - by Hubba
Tips for Becoming a Writer
I really don’t know that I am qualified to do this, but I thought I’d try.
I have a real problem saying that I am a good writer, but people say that I am, and thank you so much for saying that. I really write to make myself laugh, and the fact that I can make other people laugh is truly flattering.
All that aside, I thought I would offer this post to people who want to improve their writing skills. I don’t guarantee any success to anyone who reads this, but simply talking about writing helps.
So here are my tips.
Take a Phonics program- Obviously, this one would be easier to fulfill if you were about seven or eight years old. But Mom thought I would have trouble reading, so she purchased a phonics program, and helped me through it herself. In addition to making me a good reader, I believed it fostered my interest in reading, because I read more than the kids Mom did not teach phonics to. Which brings me to my second point-
Read!- If you want to be a cowboy, you have to spend time on a horse. If you want to be a well-driller, you’re gonna spend some time in a hole. And if you want to write, you should spend your time in a book. My personal guidelines are to read or at least start out with things you like, or better yet, things that make you laugh. If you read enough, some of the essentials of good writing will become second nature to you. There is an ongoing discussion on another blog about the so-called “Classics,” the point being that with age, they become more palatable. But in general, stay away from them. Also, and this should go without saying, shut off the television.
Discipline yourself- I will give you a practical example of this one from my own life. I am probably a creative writer type, given to essays. I was a journalism major in college, and had to write for the school newspaper. Journalism is writing as science, and I hated it. It’s almost mathematical, and for some reason it presented a huge obstacle to me The “facts first, details second, no observations, and always use the smallest word possible” format was pure torture, despite how simple it sounds. But writing with rules forced me to become a better writer. When I once again took the rules away, I still had a broader understanding of the craft. I suppose this would work the other way too. If you’re a journalist type, take a creative writing class. And a bottle of Jack Daniels.
Write about something you can go back to- The writers I like best can go from sitting at a desk as an adult to being a five year old boy sitting in a tree when they pick up their pen. Some of this can be and has to be learned, but I think to a point it can also be instinctive, and that’s when it’s best. For example, if you were a Pony Express rider in the Wild West, you could capture that better than an account of visiting the Great Pyramids on a camel.
Of course, I could include write every day and that would fall under the discipline tip, but I must confess I am a lazy writer and I don’t write every day, so that would be hypocrisy.
I hope this helps somebody!
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May 31, 2008
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Good points. I have a friend who is a great poet. He writes some everyday. His claim is that even if it’s not good, it’s still good for you. I think he’s right. I write a little everyday. Usually here on these blogs! LOL
Oh, one more suggestion. Write it and then walk away for awhile. Then come back with a fresh perspective. Then edit.
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May 31, 2008
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I agree with you more or less point by point, and JB, too. A few of my own observations:
- As someone deeply involved in the Classics discussion you referenced, I’m not sure they become more palatable with age, but that it’s different when you’re not forced to read them. Folks over there have mentioned a book, “Read Like a Write,” that basically makes the case that books that stand the test of centuries have something special going on, and even if you don’t like them, you can learn from them.
- Don Quixote is one flippin’ funny and engaging 400-year-old book! That said, don’t feel like the Classics are the whole enchilada — Stephen King, e.g., is an amazing storyteller (and makes a helluva lot more money for a helluva lot more books than Cervantes).
- Seek advice from fellow writers, especially published ones. My parents love just about everything I’ve ever written, except the stuff that pays the bills (today I write speeches for a living). The first piece of fiction that I was really proud of, I shared with a professor who thought it had merit, but suggested some fairly major revisions. I didn’t want to make some of her changes, and she said, “That’s OK, but try to get it published and see …” Guess what: it’s never seen the light of day, and naturally, I can no longer find her comments.
- Last thing: If you want to make a living writing creatively, don’t have a day-job as a writer. I’ve worked as a journalist; a marketing, fundraising, and PR writer; and now a speech-writer — and I find that the last thing I want to do in my free time is try to write some more. I’m getting better at “writing through the pain,” but man, sometimes I wish my day-job was something like … parking lot attendant.
A fascinating, if not altogether useful book: Stephen King’s On Writing. Check it out — but leave the JD on the shelf.
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May 31, 2008
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Haha, leave the JD on the shelf!
Boy ain’t we having just a jolly old discussion?
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May 31, 2008
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King’s On Writing is half autobiography, half advice for writers. He talks about being so wasted when he wrote some of his best-known early stuff that when he was doing publicity and someone asked where an idea came from, he had no earthly idea. He talks about getting sober, then not knowing if he could still write.
And as I recall, he talks about his spouse suspecting him of drinking the Listerine. He denied it — but didn’t tell her that the reason he wasn’t drinking Listerine was that Scope tasted better.
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May 31, 2008
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Hi Matt,I see how all this ties together,with the college back ground on your writing.But your so funny,and thats what makes me come back all the time to your page.
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May 31, 2008
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Thank you very much Deb.
And Jim, Stephen is right- Scope is much better than Listerine lol!
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June 1, 2008
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Hi Matt,one of these days you need to put on your web page,current pictures of you.I think all your fans would like to see you. I did’nt know where to type ths subject.I kknow your in the Sturgis newspaper when you write the E.S.N. a little snapshot of you in the corner .We hear your on your podcast,and we see your boots,Thank-you Debra
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June 1, 2008
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I’m working on that Debra, but my computer crashing didnt help much…