How do you write? This is a question authors can be asked on a regular basis and can be taken in various ways. Here, I want to explore this question further.
‘How Do You Write,’ They Asked.
How do you write? This is a question authors can be asked regularly and can be taken in various ways. I want to explore this question further and consider the different contexts in which I have been asked this simple question.
Like me, many of you have likely been asked the same simple question in multiple places by many different people. Some will have never written any meaningful stories in their lives until that moment. Others could be experienced authors who have composed multiple pieces of fiction or collections of poetry.
Either way, the same words are used, and the same question is asked, but the tone and context that these words are asked can have an utterly different meaning.
As we set off into this blog, I want you to think about whether you have ever been asked this four-worded question. Consider who requested it, when they asked, and the understanding you took from their simple query.
How do you write? That is the question.
With the epidemic in China, I thought I would share how such events inspired my Iris Trilogy novels. Click the image to read the article.
The Novice
This is the group of people who typically ask me the question, ‘How do you write?’ They are also the group of people who I love talking to the most about my process of writing fiction.
By speaking to people who have never written before, or have minimal experience of writing anything of length, we have a real opportunity to offer advice that can impact someone’s life. By sharing practical and straightforward exercises and approaches that we use in our writing, we can encourage those who have always wanted to write something of their own. For all we know, the answer to that short question could give someone the belief to pen a story, a poem, or a short scene for the very first time.
As writers, I feel we should grasp this opportunity when it presents itself as we can:
- Offer real-life, usable advice,
- Share stories of overcoming failure or adversity,
- Encourage those who are just starting out,
- Offer a network for those who are new to the writing community (online or in local areas), and,
- INSERT YOUR REASON HERE – WRITE IT IN THE COMMENTS BELOW.
Many of you reading this have likely been asked this question. Probably by someone who has put it in the context of seeking advice. I know I have. I also know how I answered the person.
When I take creative writing workshops in Belfast, I work with a lot of beginners who have started to write their first pieces. I know that jargon and lofty terms are useless to people in this position.
I try to answer them in the manner as I outlined in the bullet points above. I also ensure that I point out that they need to find approaches that work in their lives, in their homes, and alongside their employment.
Every writer is different and, as a novice, you should focus on finding enough time to find your voice. Once you set aside that time, timetable in a set period of the day where you can write. However, most of all, have fun with writing. This is something I try to put across in my creative writing tips blog as well as my SG Fiction YouTube channel.
What do you think, guys? Comment below.
If you are a beginner author, click the image to read my blog on how to write fiction better. Some of this advice could help you develop as a writer.
The Intermediate
As a UK fiction author who is about to publish his second novel, Anna’s Awakening, I would see myself as an intermediate. I’m sure there are others out there who have published a book or two who consider themselves experts, but let me explain.
When we write stories ourselves, we are authors. Whether we are traditionally, independently, or self-published, we are all authors. Yes, some people may have a mainstream publisher, some may have an indie press, others may do it all off their own back. That doesn’t matter. We are all writing books, and we all have different approaches when we ask each other the question, ‘How do you write?’
When I meet fellow authors, I love to learn how they approach the process of planning, writing, redrafting and shaping a novel. It is through this that I see the importance and value of being a learner. By listening to and sharing how we write as authors, we can learn from our contemporaries and get ideas that could inform our processes as creatives.
By widening the new series of Type Cast Writers’ Blogs, I wanted to utilise that platform for discussion and sharing of how fellow authors write. I want to compile a series of interviews that can be informative as well as promotional for those writers who agree to appear. Let’s promote one another’s work and learn at the same time.
If you would like to appear, email me at scott@sgfiction.co.uk to enquire and receive the author questionnaire.
What do you think? Comment below.
The Type Cast Young Writers’ Blog was a great success and I can’t wait to get started into series 2 in February 2020. If you would like to appear, email me to enquire.
The Expert
When I decided upon this subtitle, I was somewhat hesitant. Is there any writer out there who is truly an expert of their craft? If so, do they believe it themselves, or is it a title bestowed upon them by fans?
This subtitle truly is something of a hot potato because I don’t think any writer believes themselves to be an expert at what they do. On some level, I feel we are all insecure in some way and would shy away from such a label.
For the sake of this blog, I will label writers who are considered to be iconic within their field or genre. Those writers like:
Authors at the level of those listed above are those who I would consider to be experts. Who would you add to the list? Comment below.
If I were to meet one of the four authors listed above and ask them, ‘How do you write?’ I would want to learn as much as I possibly could. There would be a desire to sift through every word they spoke to find a nugget of gold that I could use in my writing, planning, or development.
Few authors in the world would genuinely consider themselves to be an expert. In fact, many of those who are held in such high regard are no longer with us or died long ago. For those authors, we have to rely on the works they left behind, using them as some form of Rosetta Stone to decode the works we hold so dear.
My upcoming novel, Anna’s Awakening, is due for release at the end of February. Get the first book, Inside Iris, today ahead of Anna’s release.
How do you write? I love to have conversations about how I write with people from all experience levels and all backgrounds. The whole point of sharing our creative processes is key to understanding how we create, craft, shape, and present our writing.
By sharing how we write, how we plan, how we create characters and all other aspects of our stories, I feel we can learn from those peers and contemporaries around us.
We can also teach those who have never written a story before but have a burning desire to create a poem or short story of their own for the first time. By sharing our backgrounds and how we write, we could inspire someone to do something they have never done before – become a writer themselves.
Click on the image to see the fiction books I have released so far. Both Inside Iris and Anna’s Awakening are available for purchase on Kindle and paperback from Amazon.