Get Started With Writing
You say you are a writer and want to start blogging. How do you start? You have too many raving thoughts, too many things to say, or simply want to rant. How should a writer begin?
I am writing this to my past self. The old me was confused and made many mistakes in writing and life. I hope I have rectified those mistakes. If not, I hope to rectify all the mistakes as I keep writing. After all, that’s what writing is all about, eh? Forgive me for digressing.
How do you know you are a writer? You feel a certain closeness with the act of writing. You don’t feel intimidated by words; on the contrary, you love them. The blank page doesn’t scare you; it inspires you. When you sit down with a pen poised over the pad, you feel like you belong there. The sheer act of writing gives you peace. The content is secondary to you; the act of writing becomes paramount.
When that happens to you, know that you are doomed. I know I am doomed. I keep writing almost every day, even though there’s no one waiting to read my work. If you are someone like me, then you have my full sympathies. The least I can do for you is to help you with your writing.
As a beginner, what you write isn’t important. What’s important is that you write. So, make a list of all the topics you care deeply about. You only have to write headlines, no more than that. How many headlines can you write? It’s alright if all your headlines are about one topic.
If you cannot choose, then start with the topic you cannot stop talking about. What is that topic you cannot shut up about? Imagine you are convincing a friend about something via writing.
Once you have enough headlines written down, pick any one and write a full-blown essay on that topic. You cannot digress, you cannot be repetitive, and you must ensure there’s a beginning, middle, and clear conclusion. Do not stop writing until you have said everything that’s in your heart.
After you are done writing from the heart, wait for a day. The next day, sit down to remove the worst parts of your writing. If you wait for a couple of days, you will discover that there’s so much bad writing, and that’s fine. The difference between a great writer and an average writer is that the great ones don’t mind writing bad drafts; they know they’ll remove them later.
After you strip down your essay of all the bad parts, you will notice that what’s left is a more polished version of your ranting. Now you are no longer ranting on paper; you are persuading someone.
The difference between ranting and persuading is good editing.
As a beginner, you need to follow your heart, and once that is done, you need to let your brain do its work. This is the easiest method to get started with your writing journey.
I hope I inspired you to write that essay you care about.