Starting Out as a Writer - 5 Things You Need to Know

When I started out as a writer in 1994, I was too young to care what I was getting myself into. Probably a lot of you are the same way. I'm not sure how many people hit their 20s, 30s, or 40s and suddenly think "hmmm, I think I'll be a writer." There may be some. For this post, though, I'm going to hand out some advice for people who are starting out calling themselves writers -- who are starting to take that title more seriously, and what they can expect along the way.



First, and most important thing to know when you start calling yourself a writer, is that you will not always feel like one. Especially in the beginning, you may have dry spells - hours, days, weeks, months. Two separate times I went an entire year without writing. And you hear the adage: "writers write" and think, is the inverse true? Are people who don't write, not writers? Here's the thing: if you spend any time even thinking about your story, you're writing even if nothing is making it onto the page.

Second, courtesy of Brandon Sanderson: this doesn't need to become a full-time job. If that's your dream, pursue it, and fie upon the naysayers. But people can have this strange reaction that writing is only worthwhile if it's going to be a career - and yet, as Sanderson talks about in his BYU lectures, no one finishes a pick-up game of basketball and asks everyone: "so, when are you going pro?" Don't fall into that trap: write because you enjoy it.

Third: Most people you meet will "have thought about writing a book, once." If they seem serious, encourage them; if they say it and let it go, it's not necessarily because they had their dreams crushed. A lot more people are enamored with writers than possess what they need to actually become one, and that's okay.

Fourth: A friend and mentor once said to me: "You can be the artist and starve; or you can have a real job and make a comfortable living." This is the most prevalent attitude toward writers. Accept it with a smile, and do whatever you want. Me? I'd rather "starve" (he and I probably have different definitions on that word) doing what I love, then be comfortable doing something I think makes no difference in the world. (That said, my writing income is not even up to "starving" level, so I do have a day job. More on that in a future post.)

Fifth: You need to join a writing community. Twitter has been best for me. The writers and authors I follow and who follow me are the most encouraging group of individuals I have ever come across. They will share in your struggles and your accomplishments, they will challenge you and support you. And if you're going to call yourself a writer, you're going to need it -- and you're going to be able to offer something right back, something they need.

Now stop reading, and get to writing, you writer!