Erma bombeck says three little words from Brother Tom Price changed her life. "You Can Write." And so can you. Just write from your heart.
To Get your started, I'm going to ask you two questions:
Why do you want to write?
Find out what's happening in Burr Ridgefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
To help you answer this question, take a piece of white typing paper and draw a heart in the center of the page. Make it big enough so you can write the words "Why I want to write" within the heart. Draw a line from the heart and extend it outward. On the line, write one reason you'd like to write. Draw another line and write another answer. You can draw as little or as many lines as you want. Draw lines on both sides of the heart. Lines don't have to be straight. This is what I call Heart Clustering.
Ok. Good Job. Next question.
Find out what's happening in Burr Ridgefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
What do you want to write about?
Take another piece of paper and repeat the above exercise. In this heart, write the words: "I want to write about " Draw lines from the heart as you did with the previous question and provide your answers.
Ernest Hemingway said "I want to write one true sentence. If I can write one sentence, simple and true, every day, I'll be satisfied."
Follow Hemingway's advice. Write a simple and true sentence. Your answers matter only to you.
A recommended book to help you on your writing journey is If You Want To Write by Brenda Ueland. I discovered this book in 1992 and it started me on my writing path. Carl Sandburg called it "the best book ever written about how to write." The title in the first chapter got my attention. "Everybody is talented, original and has something important to say." That means you.
TIP OF THE WEEK/I - Ideas
I have an interest in so many things. I tear out articles from magazines and newspapers and pile them up. What are you interested in? Set up folders with the names of the topics that are of interest to you. Put the files where they can be found quickly. When you get an idea about something, go to that folder. Something is there waiting for you to use in your writing. Ideas are not like clothes. It's said if you haven't worn something in a year, get rid of it. This doesn't apply to your idea files. You never know what treasures will pop up.
Here's to the WRITER in you.
Happy Writing!
Gloria
