“Wait a minute… you’re a publisher? Could you teach me how to be a writer, could you teach me how to write a book?”
The answer was… yes. And I made a friend to boot!
How to be a writer? I asked the same question many times, even after I started writing.
My mom was a writer for sure, but me… I just didn’t know.
If you want to be a writer, here is what I’ve learned thus far that are two basic fundamentals. Much like catching and throwing if you play baseball.
- Reading
- Writing
There you go. Now go have some fun!
Juuust kidding. Let me explain the fundamentals of writing. I think the baseball reference is self explanatory but just in case you would like a better word picture… think of a Major League Baseball player who can’t catch or throw a baseball? Sure, there are different levels of mastery but they all have those two fundamentals… they’re requirements of the game.
So it is with writing.
Reading… like throwing, has to be first.
Writing… like catching, is second.
Reading is where it starts. Reading things that interest you… stories, comic strips, magazines or Dr. Seuss books… is like tossing the ball up in the air to yourself in the backyard… but with reading you are tossing around ideas… yours and the writers, that you have in common, and are comfortable with.
How to be a writer? Go find a friend in the neighborhood to play catch with. You are now sharing the ball or in this case… your idea… and just tossing it around.
Being new to playing catch or putting your thoughts down on paper takes some time to learn. When playing catch for the first time you don’t start by trying to long toss to the center fielder, you start a few feet apart, and you toss the ball kinda easy, and you talk with your partner about your dreams and aspirations of making it to ‘The Bigs’ someday.
I’ve noticed writers are a bit to insecure to really put the idea of making it to ‘The Show’… but believe me… they don’t follow J.K. Rowling for nothing.
How to be a writer? To gain strength in your throwing arm, you have to throw… a lot. To gain strength in your writing you have to read… a lot.
Reading has provided for me, some mentors. They each have a distinctive voice, like a coach, and they each have a unique perspective, and an idea to share that they have tossed out for us to catch. As I’ve grown in my writing, I have also grown in my reading. I’ve gone from hunting magazine articles, to researching the Basque culture of the Pyrenees, to the classics of Hemingway, London, and recently reviewed an old favorite in Go Dog Go!
David Goggins, ex navy Seal and author of ‘Can’t Hurt Me’ says, “The answers are in the repetitions.”
How to be a writer?
Put in the repetitions.
Read… read and read… and read some more. Throw, throw, throw the boat!
Write… just write… just write… just write… and just write some more. Catching my drift?
When you were little and playing in the yard you didn’t want to come inside, you wanted to play some more, just one more catch, just one more toss… just one more paragraph, just one more sentence.
That’s my experience with How To Be A Writer.
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