If you are a writer like me, you probably have an entire stack of files, either virtual or old notebooks, filled with old writings. Maybe scraps of an idea for a book, or a character sketch, or something else that just said, "Write me!" at the time, and then you set it aside. How often do you go back through and use those ideas? Some of them may never be used, but others may be good for future use. For example, a year or so ago, I hand wrote a few thousand words for an upcoming novel that I hope to finish in upcoming months. There is so much written for me to build on. I'm changing quite a bit, too, as my story has evolved. Either way, this is just a friendly reminder to bring in some of the old where possible. You never know what you might have written years ago that renews itself afresh with life for a new project!
One of my best pieces of advice for writers not knowing where to start is this: write 100 words. Now, 100 words is certainly not a lot, especially in the realm of a novel or full length book. However, my biggest challenge when getting started is not knowing where to start.
For example, I started working on my next book, and although I had an idea of a loose outline formed in my mind, I really couldn't figure out where to start. It was getting late and I really didn't have much energy at that point to do a lot but I wanted to do something. So, I sat down to write 100 words. When I thought I had about enough, I checked the word count: 88. Did a little more writing, and then checked again: 123. Stopped. That was all I was going to do for the moment, but it was enough. Enough to provide myself a launching point for my next writing session. So much that when I sat down to write more, I was able to move much faster because the opening paragraph had been tentatively written. Will those 100 or so words make it into the final draft? Not likely, at least not in their current form. Usually the opening needs to be so strong that I hem and haw over it and change it up until the last minute. However, the rest of the novel should be strong, too and that won't happen unless you write something. Get something down on paper, virtual or otherwise. It was several years ago that I started writing with the idea that not only could I build a hobby for myself, but it could be something that I used to minister to others. Early on, I believed that I should share my faith in my writing, and early on I was able to commercially publish a devotional and some short stories that reflected my faith. I followed up with an independent Bible study on Ruth that I was able to share with small groups at churches. I then self-published Hope for Joy and then -- then I did nothing. I allowed life to take over and stopped interacting with other writers. I stopped writing. I just forgot exactly what I was doing and the initial feelings of happiness that I had fell flat. I hadn't spent a lot of time praying or giving much thought to what happened next.
Now I realize it was not enough to just share my faith if I wasn't actually interacting with others in an effort to lift up their efforts, too. Hence, I created Rooted in Faith. So my first piece of advice to writers is simple but important: Find other writers to encourage and share the journey with. Pray for and with them. Don't be afraid to ask for help and prayer. Learn from them. Maybe share services with them. Read what they have to say. Reaching out to them will allow you to step outside the bubble writers can often find themselves in, and it will help you to become a better writer, too. |