Writing is a fun thing to do and definitely an excellent way to express ourselves. Those of us who can write well are indeed blessed with a talent they should make good use of.

But what about those who often pick up their pens to write but end up writing nothing? And those of us who do not feel confident about their writing or those who do not write merely because of the fears and doubts that hold them back?

Do not worry! This article is to guide and equip you with techniques that will prove helpful for you as a fresh writer. These helped me gain confidence in writing over the years and I am sure you will find these beneficial too. Let’s get started!

Positive thoughts

One of the main obstacles that prevent us from becoming confident writers are our negative thoughts. Many of us are caught up inside the trap of our own negative thoughts.

First of all, we need to erase these thoughts completely from our minds. The most common of these thoughts are:

• I will never be able to write.

• It’s too difficult.

• I can never write as good as so-and-so person.

• Writing is for talented people, not for someone like me.

Replace these unhealthy thoughts with positive ones like these:

• Of course, I can write. What’s the big deal?

• It’s not very easy, but neither is it too hard.

• Everybody might not like what I write, but that is none of my concern.

• Anyone can write.

Once these positive thoughts replace the negative ones, you start to gain the energy and momentum to write, and that is where it all starts!

Let it flow

Now what happens when you pick up a pen and paper and have absolutely no clue from where to start? What you simply need to do is to let your ideas flow!

Yes, it’s as easy as that. Don’t worry about the structure of your sentences, don’t worry about the order or the spellings and grammar. The important thing is to let all your ideas flow on to the paper as soon as they come to you.

It doesn’t matter if you write fragmented or grammatically incorrect sentences; you can always edit your work afterwards and there’s plenty of time to do that. But once your ideas vanish, they are gone and your paper will remain blank forever if you have no ideas! For this purpose, I encourage you to make a rough draft before beginning to write anything so as to gather all your ideas in one place.

Avoid perfection

This is one huge trap many fresh writers fall into: trying to perfect everything. We try to perfect our spellings and grammar, we try to use smart vocabulary and big words so that our work looks good, we over emphasise the structure of our sentences and, as a result, end up achieving nothing meaningful. If we fail at this, many of us get frustrated and decide to quit.

Remember, when you are a fresh writer who does not have much experience in writing, you cannot expect to write like J.K. Rowling in your first few attempts. So even if you succeed at writing one page after an hour’s effort, be it in very plain language, it is a huge accomplishment itself. Step-by-step you become better at anything you do, not all of a sudden. So remember this rule: the simpler, the better.

A focused environment

This is highly important for writers. To write effectively and also to give your best, you need an environment with minimum or no distractions. So when you decide to write, put away your phone, turn off the TV and sit down somewhere quiet and peaceful. The more you are able to focus, the better you can write, in terms of both quality and quantity.

You also need to figure out the time when your brain functions the best. It can be early morning or late at night.

Your unique style

When we talk about writing, we often hear the word ‘style’. Each writer has a unique style that makes him standout. If you want your writing to be unique, figure out the unique style that you have and express yourself using that style! Do not try to mimic some other writer’s style; be your own voice.

Seek feedback

As a fresh writer, it is always a good idea to seek feedback from someone who is well-versed with writing, in order to improve your skills and enhance the quality of your work. It can be your teacher, your parent or anyone else, but make sure it is not someone who himself has no idea what writing is all about!

It is nothing to be ashamed of if they point out your mistakes or your weak areas. Think of this as an opportunity to improve. Remember, successful people are always open to criticism and feedback.

Be an avid reader

Reading opens your mind to new ideas, new words and new techniques.

It allows you to know how other writers express their ideas and the numerous ways they use to accomplish that. The more you study how successful writers write, the easier it becomes for you to write well.

Now I definitely do not mean to suggest that you start copy-pasting someone else’s work, rather you should study it carefully. Reading opens your mind in unimaginable ways. As a matter of fact, many successful writers are avid readers themselves.

Practice, practice and practice!

This is perhaps the most important formula for anything that you do in life, but especially when it comes to writing. As I said earlier, you progress gradually and it requires a lot of patience. None of the famous writers you hear about became best-sellers in a matter of days. The more you write, the better you get at it.

I suggest that you write at least one page everyday and then watch yourself improve gradually. Patience and determination is the key!

Never give up!

Never give up! As clichéd as it may sound to most of us, it is a vital ingredient for success! When you first start writing, you will feel like giving up a lot of times because of many reasons — your writing does not meet your expectations, it is not as good when compared to someone else’s work, your first few pieces of work did not get published in magazines, you did not receive the praise and appreciation you were expecting or someone gave a negative feedback about your work — this list does not exhaust! Remember, great results never come easy. J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter got rejected by 12 publishing houses before becoming a worldwide success!

In Richard Bach’s words, “A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.”

Your idea matters!

You might get an idea but you feel like it is not good enough to pen down. This, too, is one huge trap. Whenever you get an idea, no matter how small or ordinary, immediately write it down somewhere. Afterwards, whenever you get time, try to expand it by adding more details and ideas to it. You would be surprised to find that your idea can expand to pages and pages!

Could J.K. Rowling have written the famous Harry Potter series had she thought the idea of a boy who is a wizard would appeal to no one? Absolutely not!

There are numerous other tips that can help you in writing and they are not limited to the ones I shared with you.

The purpose of this article was to help fresh writers get started with writing using some simple tips and techniques that helped me during my struggle as a fresh writer. By practising these, I am sure there is a lot you can achieve. Godspeed!

Published in Dawn, Young World, February 3rd, 2018