how to begin writing – Almost An Author

Gifted

Now that Christmas has come and gone, most of us are enjoying the new items we received as gifts during the holidays. I remember when I was a kid, I would spend the entire day playing with my new toys, it didn’t matter if I had anything to eat that day, I just wanted to have fun.

Gifts are useless if we don’t put them to use, isn’t that why we want them in the first place? What good is a new car or bicycle if we’re not going to go anywhere on them? We have each been blessed with gifts; some material, others physical. Even the simplest things in our lives can be gifts.

Disabled persons have unique gifts that most people don’t understand. Unfortunately, most of us don’t consider them gifts, because they make us different from average people.

Experiences
Expectations
Encouraging stories

In the brain injury community, there is a saying, “Every brain injury is different.” There are different forms of brain injuries, each with different effects on the body and mind: concussions, strokes, traumatic brain injuries, and acquired brain injuries. Each of these affects the individual’s ability to function. For the last 25 years of my life, I’ve learned to appreciate each day for the gift it is.

Gifted?

Most people look forward to and expect big things in life, as I stated before persons with disabilities understand that the simple things in life are a gift also. If you have ever gone through a health struggle, you have experienced this realization that we take for granted so much in life.

What most people take for granted, disabled persons cherish. We all have different gifts and abilities that we must learn to appreciate and celebrate. Even within the writing community, there is a diversity of experiences, voices, and even types of writing.

5 Basic Types of Writing Found in Literature

Narrative writing
Descriptive writing
Persuasive writing
Expository writing
Creative writing

It is common for these categories to overlap as writers attempt to convey their message, but their purpose for writing remains. A writer’s goal is always to communicate, but these are the different ways we flex our writing muscles.

“Don’t try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say. It’s the one and the only thing you have to offer.”
Barbara Kingsolover

If you have ever broken a bone in your body, you know how quickly your muscles weaken; you also experience the agony of being limited to certain actions. A flexible writer is like a flexible muscle.

Flexible writers have the ability to flex their writing muscles and different ways to convey a specific thought. The gift of the written word is often taken for granted by many people.

Let me encourage you by saying this, if everyone wrote and communicated beautifully through this art, we would all be jobless because no one would need us.

“Writing is a hellish task, best snuck up on, walked on the head, robbed, and left for dead.”
Author Amory McDonald

Writers Write

In the early days after my accident, I spent a lot of time wanting to walk again, but I wasn’t able to even attempt it. It was then when I first heard the word ambulatory, which is the medical term for being able to physically move on your own.

If you’ve ever watched little children learning to walk, you know they don’t start out walking, they must first learn and be trained to walk.

Stages of learning to walk:

Creeping
Crawling
Stepping
Pulling up
Cruising

Each phase is meant to build up a child’s strength and muscle memory, the gift is when they finally pass each stage of the process.

A writing career works the same way; writers must first learn the craft and then begin writing. Writing a lot is the only way will build our muscles. But, as Jerry B Jenkins teaches, “Don’t start your career by writing a book or a large project, even the best writers have to start somewhere.”

Every writer must build their writing muscles, even if they are gifted!

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at MartinThomasJohnson.com and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

Where to Begin?

Where to begin? I had a friend ask me this question recently, who is interested in writing a young adult novel. She was worried that she didn’t have an agent or know of a publisher. I’ve had people tell me they wanted to write a picture book but didn’t have an illustrator. I know another man who keeps talking about writing a novel, but keeps buying books on how to write novels so he knows how to write a novel correctly before he begins writing. That was about six years ago, and he still hasn’t put the pen to the paper yet.

Let’s clear up some of the above misconceptions then I’ll share my three thoughts on where to begin. If you’ve never been published before in any manner, an agent isn’t necessary at this point. You must have something written. They want to see that you can write. You need a tangible manuscript as a new author.

If you’re writing a picture book, most publishers provide their own illustrators. They just want the text from you. I’ve heard that unless you are an artist and draw your own illustrations, do not submit pictures with your manuscript. However, with that being said, you need to write a picture book with varying pictures in mind to make it enjoyable for the reader. Write creatively so your words illicit what pictures would appear on each page. Write so that the illustrator will have fun designing the pictures.

Reading books is also helpful in directing your writing, but not to the extent that it becomes an excuse not to write. It’s great to learn as much as you can about the craft. Go to writer’s conferences, attend critique sessions, and read books to hone your craft, but keep on writing. You generally need to be in the midst of your project to get as much as you can out of conferences and critique sessions and book advice. When I was in anesthesia school, the first semester was didactic book work. But if all we did was read about anesthesia, that would not mean we’d know how to actually administer it. We needed hands on experience and a lot of it. It’s the same with writing. It’s good to read about the craft, but you won’t have a full understanding of how that works until you jump in and begin writing.

So, where to begin? First, you must have an idea in mind of what to write, an inspiration that can’t help but be written. It’s difficult sitting in front of a white page trying to will the words to appear. You definitely need an inspiration. Once I get an inspiration, I usually have to mull it over for a few days, take it for a couple runs, play with it in my mind so I can imagine a direction it may go. Do whatever you need to do to help formulate the idea in your mind.

Secondly, once you have an idea in mind, sit yourself down and let it flow. Write with the creative side of your brain. Don’t edit yourself yet. That comes later. Let it go. It may flow in the direction you imagined or it may grow feet of its own and charge down its own path. But start writing and see what you’ve got. Sit anywhere you feel the most creative. I actually hand wrote my first manuscript sitting on a sofa before plugging it into a computer.

Third. Have fun. Writing is a calling, a joy, a pleasure. God will not place a calling in your life that will place you in eternal misery. It may not always be a walk in the park, but it’s what you are made of, made for, it’s who you are. This is not a high school book report or grueling essay. It’s what you choose to do and what chose you! Have fun with it. Work at it. Then the critique groups, conferences and books can help make your writing better, stronger, publishable. But in order for that to happen, you must have something written. Begin by sitting down and starting to write. That, my friend, is the hardest part.