How to Develop Your Writing Skills: Part One

I began to write as a hobby about twenty years ago. I never dreamed of the related skills I would acquire along the way. I found a side interest in technical writing a few years back and my ability to write promotional flyers for my own business has saved me thousands of dollars that would have gone into someone else's pocket. I'm not the best writer around, but when I combine what I know with a healthy knowledge of marketing techniques, the results are often astounding and financially rewarding.

As with many creative endeavors, writing is often hardest before the first page or paragraph is written. We procrastinate, listen to the nay-sayers (internally and externally), get discouraged, and often swear off the project before we ever put words to the page. It's one of the toughest struggles for any writer. Nike shoes had an ad campaign years ago that every writer or potential writer should embrace. "Just do it"! Don't worry that your first sentence must be perfect, it won't be. You can correct it during your edits. More than likely, your initial ideas about an opening paragraph will change after you get the general body of your text in place.

Is the opening of your piece keeping you from getting anything in print? Does the struggle with how to introduce the your main character or theme keep you hobbled like a circus elephant, full of strength but limited on what you can do and where you go because of a single chain? How do you come up with the best way to grab the reader by the lapels, get in his face, and hold him until you firmly have his interest? It's a tough problem to confront, but it should not hold you back from getting started. By the way, you will have mini-problems of this nature opening a new scene or a new chapter throughout your book, article, or flyer. My advice? Write it down, even if it's a disjointed, jumbled mess. Write through the moment and know that you possess the skills to clean up the rough edges when you edit. You'll find that getting the scene in place or developing the character to a greater degree will help define your opening words. Trust me on this one. I've been through it many, many times.

Write, write, and write some more. Move forward. Don't think about how weak your opening might sound. Guess what? You can come back later and rewrite it. After all, that's what you do with the rest of the manuscript. I seldom let an article or flyer go to publication without five or six edits, with at least two of them done with a hard copy in my hands. Put the piece away between edits. Come back to it fresh the next morning. You will be surprised at what new ideas and perspectives come to mind.

Write from your heart and embrace your ability to succeed. Move the words from your head to the written page. With each new project it gets easier, but it always takes effort and determination. Twelve months from now, you can be another year older with or without a manuscript in your hands. The choice is yours. If you want to be a writer, you must take action. Good luck!