Believe it or not, everyone is a storyteller. Each one of us has a story to tell, whether it is in form of gossiping or coming up with our own outrageous versions of events, we always have something to say. Human beings are born to talk, they are born to interact because after all, no man is an island.
Someone said,
“The worst thing you write is better than the best thing you did not write.”
Who am I to dispute that?
You want to know if you can write? Then do it. Start writing now. One two or more words make a sentence. Many sentences, a paragraph. You will never know until you try.
Before you learn how to write, learn how to read. Read other people’s work, see their style and how they use their voice in their stories. Then and only then will you be able to compare to yours. All great writers have been readers and still are.
Sometimes, ideas come to us when we least expect it. Have a journal or a book handy so that you can jot them as they come. If having a notebook and a pen is too hard for you, invest in a note-taking app. We all know leaving the house without the phone is a no-no. Also, have a dictionary for looking up words and a thesaurus.
Learn how to use grammar correctly. No one is perfect in the world of literature but ensure that you know when to use what and where, in a sentence. Nothing puts readers off like a story with a gazillion grammatical errors.
Write every single day. It is practice, and you know what they say about practice; it makes it perfect…well, sort of.
Learn to proofread everything at least thrice before you submit your work. Also, it never hurts to have another set of eyes to help you correct your mistakes. Sometimes, looking at the same thing over and over again blinds you to some common mistakes.
Be observant to what is around you. It can give you story ideas.
Have a personal space in your house dedicated to writing. It helps to have somewhere quiet where you can gather your thoughts and concentrate. After all, you are gearing to writing a masterpiece. Masterpieces need master crafts and you can’t do that where there are distractions.
Start a blog. Blogs are a sure way of writing practice. Furthermore, the added advantage is that you have the comments section where people can correct you where you go wrong. Remember to also read other people’s blogs and comment on them. That way, you grow each other.
Join a writers group or a book club to help you hone your skills. while you are at it, you should consider getting resources like books which help people write, or enroll in an online writing class. This will make you a better writer.
When you sit down to write a draft, don’t sit down to edit until you have finished your draft. Unleash your inner editor then.
Allow yourself to write poorly. You don’t become good overnight. You’ll never succeed if you don’t allow yourself a few failures along the way. Also, when the time comes, don’t be afraid to take a big writing step. Maybe publishing or letting other people read what you have been up to. After all, you can’t cross a chasm in two small steps.
Finally, write, write, write, and then write some more. Forget everything else and just write.