I’ve been asked many questions about writing over the past couple of years. One that has come up recently is “how should I go about writing?” and this type of question is something that I get frequently. I may go a few months without being asked these types of questions but at some point, I do get asked again. I am also fairly certain that I’ve done a blog about this before but this helps me meet my weekly quota so it’s a win-win to discuss this once more.
I have read numerous blogs and articles about writing and there are thousands upon thousands of opinions floating around cyberspace. The example I will always come back to is when I read an interview with one author who said something to the effect: you’re not a true author unless you’ve written everything by hand and repeated the process dozens of times before typing a draft. This author has had many best sellers and a great career, but this struck a chord with me.
I find one saying you’re not a true author if you don’t do this is like saying you’re not a true author if you independently publish. To me, it’s wrong. If you decide to take that step into writing then you are an author regardless of the way you publish or how you decide to start.
My main piece of advice for anyone asking “how do I go about writing?” is simple. You have to start. I don’t care how you do it. Write on sticky notes, a notepad, use voice memo on your phone, type it in Word, type in Google Docs, or use something cool I don’t know about. You can forget the notes and just start writing. The path to publishing will never begin if you don’t start somewhere.
What I do may work for you but it may not. You need to find what works best for you and there’s nothing wrong with that. The entire process of publishing is a journey that requires you to find your path.
D. W. Saur 