So you want to write. Where do you start? Here are two tips to get you going.

 

First, read. Especially read in the type of genre in which you want to write. Read well-written materials. Read the classics. Read what you enjoy. Branch out and read a book you don’t think you’d like. Read.

The more you read, the more you will recognize what type of writing you like and what you don’t. The more you read, the more you absorb flow and structure. Study what you read. Study how the author wrote. Pay attention to what you enjoy.

 

Second, write. Put words on the page. Hand write. Type. Switch it up. Anything to get the words from your head onto paper. Write whatever comes to mind. Write within your favorite genre or explore outside of your genre.

The most important thing is to consistently put words on paper. Pick a daily word count. Each day, write that many words. The count could be 100 words. It could be 300. It could be 1000. Or more. Pick something attainable, but something that will stretch you.

 

If you want to begin writing, start by reading, then write. Because a writer is someone who writes.