From hobbyist to pro – the writer’s journey

The journey to become a writer is a strange one. In particular you have to be a writer first – and only then can you do it for a living.

That doesn’t mean you need to have had 10 best-sellers before you can call yourself a writer or anything like that. (Mind you, I was once part of a discussion group where there were long debates on what were the criteria which meant you could call yourself a writer). No, all I mean is that writing is a skill and skills take practice.

Practice, practice, practice…

The good news is that, if you practice, you will gain the skills you need. But, if you are looking to become a fiction writer – to tell the world a story – the first story you need to tackle is the one inside your head.

So many people say to me I’d love to write a book, but I’m useless at English. Or, I have this great story but I can’t spell. Or I have the ideas, just not the time. Or some other excuse for not making a start.

In my view the only reason to not write a book is if you don’t have an idea for one. In fact, sometimes even that isn’t a good excuse. If you have the desire to write a book, you can make a start and inspiration will come.

Believe

That, then, is the starting point. Believe that you can write and be prepared to do the hard work and all else will follow.

What, then, are you going to write today?

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