How I Accidentally Broke Into Writing Professionally #2

I get to wake up each day and write for a living! That is a dream come true for me. I had spent years as a child perfecting my craft because that’s what I was passionate about.

But, as I grew older, I had given up writing because my belief was that there was no way that I could create a sustainable living so I tried to go be an adult (or so I told myself). Thankfully, I had an amazing conversation with a woman on an airplane 3 years ago when I was heading home to visit family.

I fully believe that everything happens for a reason so I think I met this woman because I was meant to. We were meant to have the conversation that we did. This is another post in a series so please read these other posts if you haven’t already to get the backstory about the conversation that I had with this incredible woman.

What to Write About When You Run Out of Ideas
How I Got Started Writing and What I Would Change If I Could Do It Over
How I Accidentally Broke Into Writing Professionally #1

Here is more of the advice that that wonderful woman gave me during our 2 hour flight.

Photo by Ilya Ilyukhin on Unsplash

Let Go of Trying to Be Perfect

The biggest challenge that I have always had when it came to writing is being able to let go of being perfect. I used to not share my work with others because I never thought that it was quite good enough. I would agonize over every word or sentence, trying to tweak it to make it better.

That’s not saying that you shouldn’t try to give your readers the best possible product but don’t hold it back because you aren’t sure it’s good enough. Share your words with others and let them determine if they are strong, devout, compelling, inspirational, or a little of all of these things. There’s nothing wrong with criticism, in fact you should welcome it and then learn from it because it can help you to be a better writer.

So, always strive for perfection but understand that you will never reach perfection and be ok with that. None of us is perfect, nor will we ever be. We are human and, therefore, meant to be imperfect.

Learn Your Writing Style

I had ghost written for many people before I started writing in my own name. But, if you read the pieces that I wrote you would find certain words that I tend to lean towards in my writing and a certain voice that I adapt.

I can mimic any other writer that I want in order to ghost write for them but no one can fully acclimate their writing to that of another person no matter how good of a ghost writer you are. I have learned my own writing style and would encourage anyone else that wants to write professionally to do the same. By learning your style, you find your strengths and your weaknesses so you can work on your weaknesses to become a better writer.

Even writers that have been writing for decades will continue to practice and hone their craft, much like artists or musicians do. Practice enhances natural ability if you don’t continue to practice then you can lose what you have worked to gain in the first place. The woman that I met on the plane had been writing professionally for 40+ years at the time we met and yet she continued to write daily and do things to improve her skills.

Find Your Voice

As it was explained to me, your voice is very different than your writing style. Your writing style is how you write and your voice is what you write. Your voice conveys a message whether it is through verbal, written, or non-verbal communications… you are still conveying a message.

But, determining what message you want to convey to the world can be more difficult than many of us can first understand.

What are you passionate about?
What do you enjoy learning about?
What do you like to teach others about?
If you were pick up a pen and paper write now and write about anything what would you write?
What advice or story would you tell to your closest loved ones?

Finding your voice and what you are called to share with the world takes some time and some motivation but it is worth it when you find what you were searching for. Mine has developed over the years based upon the experiences that I have had and the people that I have met, yours will too so it pays to go out and have experiences.

Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash

Have New Experiences

Many writers have amazing imaginations and/or have learned so many things in school but what this woman told me is to get out into the world to live things for yourself then write about your experiences to share them with others. Don’t just sit at home or in a café with a cup of coffee and write what you would like to have happen in your life, go out and live it for real!

I have learned to create memories instead of accumulating stuff because stuff comes and goes but memories can last a lifetime. So, I take more risks now and go out into the world to experience more then I share what I have experienced with my readers when the subject comes up. Having more experiences helps my imagination run wild too with greater and grander ideas so there’s that.

Invest In Yourself

There’s always more to learn so investing in yourself and in your own education is so very important. Learning how to write well can take an entire lifetime to learn! So, read books, attend seminars or conferences, go to exhibitions, have other people tell you stories. Explore different genres, read from more than one medium- read from fiction, non-fiction, magazines, online publications, etc. Changing the way that you absorb information will expand your horizons. Don’t limit yourself- study anything that interests you and then write about it. Don’t pigeonhole yourself into one genre or area of expertise.

Read

I never stop reading. If I’m not writing or out with friends then I am immersed in a great book. I love to read fantasy or self-help/positivity/spirituality books and reading expands my mind and my thinking. The more I read the more I gather ideas to write with. It really is a lot of fun!

I love to write and I love the fact that I get paid for doing it. I get paid to do what I love doing. I would not be in this position if it weren’t for a chance meeting with a professional writer on an airplane 3 years ago. But, maybe there is no such thing as chance meetings?

This is a list of ways that you can become a better writer. What would you add to this list? I would love to hear your thoughts or comments that you may have!

Thanks for reading,

Ivy

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