12 Need-To-Know Facts About Writing! (Guest Post)

Hey everyone! The very lovely writer Victoria has created a wonderful post for us! You can visit her wonderful blog HERE!

12 Need-To-Know Facts About Writing

By Victoria Grace Howell

Novels. Articles. Blog posts. Short stories. Poems. These are just a few of the many types of writing. Since you’re reading this post, the product of writing is already a small part of your life. But have you ever tried writing yourself? Are you a writer? Have you thought of writing and just never carved out the time or thought you weren't the type? Maybe you’re just wondering a bit about these strange writer folk you've heard about. Whatever walk with writing you’re on or not on, here are twelve things you need to know about writing as a whole. 

1.) It Takes Commitment – If you want to grow in your skill as a writer, you have to commit yourself to the craft. That means setting time aside in your day to work on it. That means staying consistent when you post your work if you blog or write for a site. That means sticking to deadlines self-made or made by others. To become better at this craft like with school, sports, hobbies, or any other such thing, you have to make writing important in your life.

2.) It Takes Work – The words aren't always going to flow. The muse will flee. You’re going to have days when you really have to push yourself to get the words out or one’s that you’re so busy you barely have time to get a sentence down. It isn't always going to be fun, but if you want to complete that poem, that novel, that blog post, you have to make yourself go on.

3.) It Takes Study – Many people think that writing can be done anyway anyone wants and it’s acceptable. This isn't true. There are many rules and guidelines and such in writing like there are play rules in sports. These rules are to improve the craft and make it the best it can be. You can find out about these tips in many places from craft books to online seminars to blog posts to writers conferences. On my blog I offer a lot of tips about the craft. Blog posts are great, because they’re a free resource!

4.) It Takes Practice – You aren't going to instantly become an amazing writer in a day. You will have to write articles after article, novel after novel, poem after poem to improve. The more you write and study writing the better you’ll get. 

5.) It Takes Courage – If you want to take your writing somewhere, you have to do scary things. You have to post your articles and blog posts on the web and people may or may not like them. You have to ask people for feedback and see what they think. You have to submit your novel, poem, article, ect. to editors and agents to be published and they may accept or reject you. It’s daunting, but this is the way of the craft.

6.) It Takes Endurance – Sometimes you’ll have to get up a bit earlier or stay up a bit later to get your word count in for the day. Sometimes you’ll receive rejections from editors and agents. Sometimes you’ll lose contests or someone will say something nasty about your work on your blog or Amazon. A writer must learn to endure these hardships and carry on despite the odds.

7.) It Takes Connections – Who you know matters. This is why going to writers conferences, mingling with other bloggers, and joining writing groups is so important. They can give you a leg up and you can help each other out. Because I knew an author at a conference, he put in a good word for me to a publishing house editor. Because I decided to talk to another author at a book signing, I found the amazing writing group Go Teen Writers. Because I decided to speak up to Mae, I’m guest posting on this lovely blog. 

8.) It Takes Time – Despite all the work you put into this, time is always a factor. You must wait for readership to build up on your blog. You must wait to hear back from that editor or agent. It may not be your time to be published yet. This prerequisite patience can be maddening. Believe me, but if you keep on working hard, you will prevail.

9.) It’s Fun – All of that hard stuff aside, writing is an awesome thing. With it you create stories, worlds, people, anything you want from your imagination. Anything you can dream of you can write. It’s limitless creation.

10.) It’s Satisfying – When you finish something you’ve written it’s one of the most satisfying feelings in the world, especially when it’s something like a novel that you’re spent months or even years on. Even if you finish something short, you feel good about yourself. You pushed through and did it!

11.) It’s Therapeutic – Writing can help you when you’re going through a tough time. You can write poetry about a tough experience or give some of your hardships to a character and make them conquer the issues. You can get out secrets on the page you don’t want anyone else to know, but it’s out of you instead of festering inside.

12.) It Reaches People’s Hearts – Writing doesn’t have to help just you, but it can help others too. Your advice can help people grow in writing or cooking or sewing or another skill. Your novel dealing with depression could speak to someone with that illness and even save their life. I know an author that has received over a dozen emails saying his books saved people from taking their own lives. You don’t know who your stories will reach. Your story could be the thing someone needed to hear. It could inspire them.

Though writing is hard and sometimes frustrating, it’s the most fun and satisfying thing I've ever done. It’s why I've chosen it to be my career. I want to touch other people and give them hope. If you set your mind to it, you can too.

Any questions? Would you like to know anything more specific about writing?

Victoria Grace Howell is an award-winning, aspiring writer of speculative fiction. In 2014 she won the Teen Writer of the Year Award at the Florida Christian Writers conference and in 2015 she won the Beyond the Steeple Award. She also edits for the Christian site Geeks Under Grace. When not writing she enjoys drawing her characters, blogging, learning Kung Fu, cosplaying, and a really good hot cup of tea. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and her blog! On her blog she posts about writing tips, geeky things, her books, her journey as a writer, and tea reviews.

Thanks Victoria for such a wonderful post!! Be sure to visit her blog!!