The absolute most important thing is to get started. Many great stories never get told because the writer never makes it to that crucial first step of getting started. Initially, don’t get so wrapped up with organization or doing things the way you think might be the traditional way in starting to write a story…just start writing. Get a spiral notebook or a three-ring binder filled with writing paper and go at it. Go at it full throttle, little by little or anything in between. Just start writing today. You can organize it later.
In the beginning it is not important to have a perfect title to your story. You can have a working title and change it as you like. Your finished product should be copyrighted as soon as possible. If you are planning on showing any part of your developing story to anyone as you work to complete it, then you should copyright what you have now and file additions to it or file a new copyright when you finish.
Be confident in your ability to write. If you have the courage and start writing, then you are now a writer. You own that title as a writer and no one can take it away from you. Like anything else, there are levels in the profession, from being a beginning writer to a seasoned writer. No matter what level of a writer you are, you are among an elite group of individuals who have the courage to write. Never kid yourself, for it does take courage to write your thoughts and feelings down even if at first you are the only one who sees it.
Don’t worry about your level of education. You could be totally illiterate and still have a great story that you can write. There are plenty of educated, well-spoken and well-written individuals out there who can review your writing project for mistakes in spelling and grammar and even offer suggestions for added material and enhancements who could never, on their own, write a great story like yours. Never be intimidated by those more traditionally educated than you or lose the confidence in your abilities to start writing and finish your creative works.
I am not saying that you should not always be striving to learn more and better yourself at every opportunity. Just don’t get hung up on not being as educated as you would like and prevent yourself from moving forward and writing your great story. Never, and I mean never, let the opinions of others or your initial lack of confidence get in the way of you successfully writing your story. Besides, you are probably much smarter and more confident than you realize.
When you first start writing, don’t worry about what others think of what you have written so far or where you are heading with the story. No matter what, you will always be your harshest critic. It’s OK to get some outside opinions/critique as you progress forward, but you are the only one who knows where you are trying to go with the story, and even you can get a little lost along the way. At this stage if you get too concerned with what others think it could lead to disaster. You will have plenty of time, later on, for opinions, grammar and spell checks, editing and professional critique before entering the market place with your finished product.
Before you get started or along the way, it is always a good idea to read a few books on legal matters related to writing content and copyrighting. You may even possibly consider consulting with an attorney who has experience in literary matters or copyright law. To help avoid some potentially problematic issues, keep your writing focused completely on your own original material and not borrow or modify another person’s written material. As best as possible, be careful when using character names, names of businesses, copyrighted items and things of such. If you are considering writing about someone else’s life story, etc…definitely get a professional legal opinion before moving forward. In my opinion, especially if you are a new writer, keep it as simple and less complicated as possible.
Don’t get all wrapped up in proper writing structure. Just start writing and keep writing. Just like a vacation or a journey, it is always good to have a plan with a beginning point and an ending point. But sometimes with writing you have to start somewhere in the middle and work back to the beginning in order to get to the end. You can always change things along the way as you work toward the completion of your journey.
Although not necessary in starting, it is a lot easier if you can be structured in your approach…even to follow the guidelines of a reputable writing plan/program. If you can outline your story and write from the outline points it can be a little easier to get things done. Once you get the meat and potatoes of your story down you can always use a good content editor or ghostwriter to pull it all together.
It can be helpful to join a local writer’s group or attend writing seminars and workshops. Just keep in mind what I have said before about not being concerned with other people’s opinions, including other writers, and to not let anyone discourage you from pressing on and finishing your story.
Be proud of the fact that you have had the courage to start writing when many others have not. But, when you start writing, do so with passion and the intent of completing what you have started.
Having a good finished product should be your goal. Unfortunately, writers have a tendency to finish something, go back and make changes and go back again and change what they changed before back to what it was in the beginning. This quasi-insanity can go on and on for quite a while. Making good edits and modifications are important, but at some point you have to go with what you have and walk away. Besides, you can make more edits and changes in the next edition.
Always know that you are never alone on your writing journey. Whenever needed, use the resources available on BringYourStoryToLife.com for consultation, ghostwriting, editing, acquisition, publishing and distribution. Good luck and happy writing.