Don’t let a fear of getting something wrong put you off writing. Your grammar may not be perfect, you may make some spelling mistakes or you may put a comma in the wrong place but none of this should discourage you from starting to write.
“Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it’s the only way you can do anything really good.” William Faulkner
Whatever genre you choose to write in (a life story, a family history story, nostalgic memories, a travel story etc.), if you can tell that story to friends then you can write a story.
Tell your story in your own voice
Lee Child (the thriller writer known for his Jack Reacher book series) speaking about writing on a radio programme, said that you should simply write as you speak. Although you can brush up on your use of grammar etc. there is no special or correct technique for writing. He said the key to writing is telling a story in your own voice.
“If you can tell stories, create characters, devise incidents, and have sincerity and passion, it doesn’t matter a damn how you write.” Somerset Maugham
Starting to write
Don’t worry about trying to learn or adopt a more formal style of writing just because you think this is what will make you a better writer. If this isn’t how you write and it doesn’t come naturally, then don’t do it. The minute you put pen to paper or fingers to a keyboard you are writer. It doesn’t matter how you do it or even whether anybody else will read it – simply starting to write makes you a writer.
If you have a passion for what you are writing about and you write in your natural voice, that passion will come through. And, you will soon find that not only do you have readers, you will have readers who are engaged, entertained or inspired by what you write.
“I have been successful probably because I have always realized that I knew nothing about writing and have merely tried to tell an interesting story entertainingly.” Edgar Rice Burroughs
There is no special technique for writing (really)
There are no rules for writing so don’t be discouraged from starting to write. If you have got something to say or a story to tell, then write it down. And don’t let anyone else tell you you can’t.
“The main rule of writing is that if you do it with enough assurance and confidence, you’re allowed to do whatever you like. (That may be a rule for life as well as for writing. But it’s definitely true for writing.) So write your story as it needs to be written. Write it honestly, and tell it as best you can. I’m not sure that there are any other rules. Not ones that matter.” Neil Gaiman (writing tip taken from the iUniverse website)
