How to Write
By Terrance Watson
Margot has asked me to write a short article on how to write. Here goes nothing.
Writing is easy. Any kindergartner knows how to string a few words together to make a simple story. First you have to have the desire to write. If you don’t have anything to say then you can sit in front of a blank piece of paper all day long and put down absolutely nothing. Let’s face it; if you are going to sit still for hours at a time, writing, just writing, then you had better enjoy it.
If you’re going to write you need to have a clear vision of what you are going to put down on paper. Write what you know, not what you have to guess about. Write about personal experiences or things you have studied. If you need inspiration then cut pictures you find interesting out of magazines or newspapers throw them in a pile and pull out a random selection till you find yourself with a story.
The place you write can also be very important. Some people need solitude to write. Others feel more inspired in writing with a lot of activity going on around them. Chose the best writing place for you, and start scribbling. When you write it is best to have the whole story laid out in your mind. Make a few notes to help you keep the story straight in your mind.
Ok, let’s say you want to write a story. How do you go about it? Your story needs a protagonist or hero. The hero needs to do something, but something or someone else is in his way stopping him. This is the villain or antagonist. Your story is about the hero defeating the villain AND most important his FEELING about it. Whether he wins out over the villain or not doesn’t matter. A story is about the struggle to defeat the antagonist and win the prize, not just about winning the prize. Here is some advice, when you write, write as if you are telling someone a story. Make it as interesting a story as possible, with lots of sound effects and arm movements. It will help in the making of your story.
Remember when you write your story don’t worry about spelling errors or pronunciation. Just write it all the way through to the end, no stopping. If you stop to correct spelling errors you will never get done. Leave all that until the end. When you’re finally done you're going to have to find yourself an editor to help you correct any mistakes you may have made in spelling, phrasing or story line anyway.
Keep your wording simple; tell the story and just the story without big fancy words. That’s all you need to do.
Now before you even think about publishing, think first about marketing. If you cannot sell your story to anyone, then lets face it, you’d better not waste the money. Some subjects you might want to write about just aren’t marketable. No one wants to buy them. Research your market first, then write to what people will buy. Publishing companies are inundated with people wanting to have their stories published. They generally have a few select authors they publish, and getting on their list is very difficult.
When you do publish, go to a reputable firm, as there are some unsavory types out there that will trick you, promise to publish you, get you to pay for a lot of books, and leave you to sell them, IF you can! Take my advice; go to a local printer and have made a few test copies, and try selling them locally first. If you need more advice on writing find Eliza Hemingway’s book called How To Murder A Naked Woman...you will find it helpful.
******
