Wow it’s been a long time since
I’ve actually posted anything here. For that I apologize, I’ve been so busy
writing for others that I haven’t really found time to update my own blog.
Well it’s 2014 now and I found some
time to write so here I am and I’m going to give out some tips again. In my
years interacting with people and letting them in on the secret of making money
on the side as a writer, I’ve always been asked the question. How do you become
a writer?
Personally, I stumbled into writing
as a serious hobby I could earn money off of. I’ve always been interested in
writing and as I grew older I became more serious about it and eventually found
my medium on the internet. I have now been writing for more than 10 years
(let’s leave it at that cause if I tell you more I might end up sounding like
an old fart).
So let’s get to it.
So you want to be a writer?
Good! That means you've just joined
the many millions of people who think the same thing! But it takes a certain
quality in a person to actually make that happen. And what's that?
Simple.
The follow-through.
You can wish all you want but if
you don't actually start putting pen to paper, nothing's gonna happen.
I've probably repeated these 5
things to so many people asking me about what they need to do to become a
writer so here it is.
1 - Live your life
Yes.
Just because you're a writer doesn't mean you'll need to be stuck to your desk
24/7. Live your life. It doesn't have to involve crazy stunts (although I'm not
stopping you) so you can get inspiration but it does help. Basically the more
you experience, the more creative you'll be.
The
simple act of getting out of your house or tending your garden or whatever
other interests you have can have a profound effect on your mind's creative abilities.
Try it!
2 - Read
Everyone
needs a certain role model in life in order to achieve something and that's
true for writing as well. But in order to become a good writer, you need to
read. This is one of the best ways to learn writing styles, what works and what
doesn't, new information about certain stuff etcetera etcetera. Just remember
that reading stuff isn't supposed to lead to copying and pasting what they did
and calling it your own. That's called plagiarism and that can kill your
reputation as a writer dead on the spot!
Read to
learn. Read to get inspiration. Read so that you can take a different spin on
what's already out there.
3 - Stick to a certain schedule
Everyone
thinks that being a writer means doing away with schedules and leading a
bohemian lifestyle. Nothing could be further from the truth than that. Of
course, if you choose to do just that, no one will be able to stop you but it
can have a negative impact on your work.
Writing
is a job that requires your full attention because as you're living your life,
you're taking in all these new information and processing it in your brain. You
can't really do that if you're just lying in bed all day and stuck in a room.
To be
honest, I have a day job and it takes up the better part of my day. I took it
because I needed some variety in my life and working is a great way to meet new
and interesting people! But during that time all of the information I'm getting
from talking to customers, getting to places, making deliveries and all that is
a chance for me to interact and process new information. During that time, I
don't write. I observe.
After
work hours, I switch on my active writer mode and write. And when I proofread
my work, I sometimes find tidbits of information that is closely related to
some of the interactions I've done during the day.
Note: try not to get a job that requires you to be confined
in an office. Find a job that'll keep you active and provide lots of variety.
4 - Target specific dates for your blog entries
This is
a more technical aspect of the job as a writer. Targeting specific dates will
help you enforce a personal schedule for writing. I make sure I have at least 6
hours to write every night and I have a personal quota of completing ten 500
word articles for different clients every day. For some that might be too much,
but I found out the hard way that that is the number I'm comfortable with. Now
my clients do the date targeting for me on when they'll publish my work but I
too have set a target for myself, with them.
5 - KISS - Keep it short and simple
This
might seem contradictory to this post right now but yeah try to keep it short
and simple so that you can get your message across instantly. Explaining about
the KISS method is a lengthy discussion (ironically) but to get straight to the
point, remember this:
You're a messenger, deliver the message and get out.
Oh and
proofread your work.
Just
remember, you don't have to be an English or Literary major to be a writer (but
it sure helps to know the basics of composition and grammar!) nowadays. Anyone
can be a writer as long as they have the right motivation and discipline to do
so. Heck, I'm not the best writer in the world but I've been writing so many
articles for clients that I've lost count of just how many I've made over the
years! I'm far from perfect but I keep honing it and I'm glad to say I've
earned enough from it to live a relatively comfortable life. Cheers!
