by Skylar Edwards
Starting out as a writer can be daunting. You might feel as if you’ve been thrown out into the ocean without a life vest or you’re climbing a never-ending mountain. Maybe you don’t know what to write, or maybe you don’t know what defines great writing. Feelings of doubt may persist, but that’s because you don’t have enough information about how to utilize writing as a career-starter. It doesn’t have to be so challenging. Here are some tips on how to begin a career as a new writer.
Reading
Your first step as a new writer will be to read. Reading will aid you by introducing you to syntax, imagery, and genres. Subject-verb agreement, sentence structure, and grammar are all skills necessary to be a good writer. If you are a current reader, reading will help you to sharpen these skills. Reading will also get your creative juices flowing; as you read, you are inspired. As a current or new reader, your vocabulary will be expanded. Likewise, learning how different writers use different strategies is necessary. For example, some writers heavily utilize ‘I’, some may not. Some writers may simply describe a scene, whereas some may solely reflect. It is important to know how different writers communicate with the reader so you can effectively communicate with your reader. Various genres show you various techniques. For example, you won’t learn the same lessons from a thriller novel as you would from a blog post. Reading blog posts can show you how to write for an audience, while a thriller novel will show you how to build suspense. Reading allows you to see how syntax works in different way, you can understand what you enjoy the most, and you can find what literary genre you’re most comfortable writing in. These genres include fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and even technical writing. Allowing yourself to become comfortable with distinct types of writing will serve you when it is time to choose a specific genre to write in.
Getting Practice
As the adage goes, “practice makes perfect”. To improve, one must set aside time to write. Whether fifteen minutes, thirty, or an hour, practicing allows you to get into the habit of writing. The key to good practice is to be patient with yourself. Improvement is not a steady uphill climb, instead it will be more like a twisty road that may loop around. Practice can come in many forms. You can just write what comes to mind, or you can write whatever you feel needs to be written. You could even start out by creating drabbles. Drabbles are pieces of writing that are only a hundred words long. If you’ve had an idea, drabbles can help you put that on paper. Drabbling can also serve as a warm up for a larger piece of writing. Practicing for different genres of writing can equip you with different skills. When you write fiction, you may focus more on crafting a narrator and formatting dialogue. If you write poetry, you practice creating rhythm with syllables and perfecting tone. All that matters is that you are consistent and practicing in a manner that will guarantee improvement. As for practicing a genre, study and emulate what your favorite author/novel did. After, apply what you learn to your writing.
Finding Criticism
Solo practice can only improve your writing to a certain extent. As we write and edit our work, some mistakes will escape our attention. We won’t always see our faults. That’s why it’s important to receive feedback as it helps you see your work from another perspective. Literary magazines and journals are another way to receive feedback; many offer edits and feedback for free. Rejection is not the end of the road, and it shouldn’t discourage you. Take the feedback and turn it into something powerful; it is serving you by showing how you can create improved works. It is simply another opportunity to learn about your craft.
Building a Portfolio
As a writer, it is imperative that you keep a record of your work. If you are looking to establish yourself in the writing industry, portfolios are integral. To begin, you can start by submitting work like essays, poems, blog content, or short stories to literary magazines and journals. Submitting work enables you to network with other writers and editors. Rewrite the Stars’ submission windows are open in September, December, March, and June.
Writing contests are also a good way to build a reputation. A good portfolio has a range of genres included to show how experienced you are. There are a range of websites available to organize your portfolio in one place. These websites include Wordpress, Wix, and Contently. In addition, organizing a portfolio can be as simple as keeping your writing samples in a Google Docs folder.
Choosing a Career
The question to ask yourself is: What do you want to make out of writing? Many new writers dream of writing the next bestseller. If you want to start publishing, you need to research literary agents that specialize in your genre of writing. Agents help you with navigating through publishers, finding book deals, and understanding contracts. If you would like to be independent, you can self-publish. The act of writing allows you an opportunity to market yourself to many different job sectors. You can branch off into writing grants, tech writing, or by taking the skills you used in writing and applying it to an unrelated job. The choice is completely up to you.
Beginning as a new writer can be challenging and frustrating at times, but every author started out uninformed. By reading all types of writing, practicing consistently, reflecting on feedback, and building a strong portfolio, you’ll develop the skills and mindset needed to become a great writer. Regardless of what career path you choose, the key to succeeding is to stay passionate and to constantly improve.
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