Lesson's Learnt – Tips on how to get involved and write better

[writesaidlaila]

I’ve always wanted to write, always wanted to have a book with my name on it – as author of course -, but I’ve only begun on this journey, my blog is just 6 months of age and i have only 65000 words down on iPad of which at least half will disappear on first edit.

Down this happy road, i have learnt some lessons that i’d like to share and im open to comments, criticism and support here so let me jump straight to it !
1) Don’t hide. if you want to get published get out there and show yourself. the worst that could happen is rejection and people laughing at you but who knows there might be one person that likes you and your style of writing.
2) Use and participate in NaNoWriMo – the national Novel Writing Month – it was in November of the last year and i completed the 50,000 word challenge. Did i mention that i have 65,000 words down, half of that was written during the NanoWriMo.
2a) NaNoWriMo helps because it puts you in direct contact with thousands of writers just like yourself, people that constantly shares experiences, never let you give up and who, shares the same fears that we as writers do and i’m not just talking about the creative block here ! Go now and check out the website.
3) Be a part of the local writers club. I’m sure your city has one, if it doesn’t, it just means you have to start one.
4) Be social. Meet people and welcome new experiences, a random interaction with a stranger led to a short story which landed me the 8th place on a competition called ‘The Novelist’. Just like that, you never know where a story is lurking.
5) Use your writing tool of choice. I have a friend in the writers clubs who can only type write her stories on a vintage old typewriter that belonged to her gran. its a lot of work to transfer it onto a laptop i guess she has someone employed to do it but she does all of her best writing on an old, run down typewriter ! So basically its whatever that works for you. it could be a shred of paper or an Ipad but let the choice be your decision.
6) Blog. I just started my very own blog page on WordPress and i have a unique id writesaidlaila, follow me if you will !
7) See what i did at point 6? Brings me to my 7th. Market yourself and your blog. You never know who might end up following you from corners of the world.
7a) Another way of marketing oneself as a writer is to print unique, business cards with all your related id’s on it, twitter -@writesaidlaila btw -, Facebook, tumblr.. just about everything that fits in. Create a logo for yourself if you will.
8) Support other writers and build the community. it could start out small and inconsequential but it could and definitely did wonders to my self esteem. Meeting with other like minded individuals is just what the writers soul needs sometimes like early morning needs coffee.
9) Be open to criticism. It could come from anywhere but rest assured no one is safe from it, especially not a writer.
10) Work on punctuation, knows your verbs and always check your spellings. i always miss a comma or an apostrophe and i appreciate it when people point it out to me.

I am sure the road ahead will throw up many lessons at me but for now i have shrink sized the few that came right off the top of my head.
Best of luck and keep on writing !!

Laila

[joseph blodgett]

good comments. I agree, and would submit a plug here for my own sites but I don’t have any blogs, twits, or anything.
I don’t consider myself a serious writer, yet, but when I do, I will definately put myself out there.

[Author]

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