I remember the writing assignments in English classes. They were generic, uninspiring, and more concerned with grammar and sentence structure than creativity and storytelling. No wonder I had so much hesitation at the thought of writing. I expected scrutiny. I mustered the courage to begin, no matter what anyone else said about it.

When I finally had my inspiration, the story grew along with my enthusiasm. Of course, I shared the excitement about my new muse with whomever was near. To my surprise, I received expressions of interest, intrigue, and encouragement from friends. So it began, but I craved constructive feedback. I wanted this story to be engaging, to be worth sharing, and to be well written. The only way to ensure that was to learn about writing style, best practices, and the common novice mistakes.

One of the first things an aspiring writer may do is to explore the various types of writing out there. Have you noticed how some writing styles grab and keep your attention, while others feel like a chore to continue? Notice the elements of the writings which appeal to you. Some words lay on the page in a technical tedium. Others come across as simplistic, as though written for a child. So many different styles, and each is for a different audience.

Dissect what you read and how it is written. By this, I mean notice pacing, environment, characters, and dialogue. Does the story move quickly from scene to scene, or does the author spend time describing details, keeping you focused on a moment full of sensory evocation. Do the words build an immersive setting for you, or leave you to imagine the surroundings? Are the characters developed through dialogue and action, or does a narrative tell you what they look like and how they feel. Many of these elements are not consciously noticed until we start looking for them. We just know that we like the book or we don’t.

Then, look at genres. Do you gravitate toward stories that transport you to another place and time? Do you seek out short stories, fantasy, novels, prose, or romance? Multitudes of categories and hybrid forms give plenty from which to choose. Try to emulate that which you enjoy in order to discover what you want to write about, and in what form. Play with ideas.

Next, find a supportive place to learn amongst other writers. I discovered a free adult writing course, open to any California resident, offered by Santa Rosa Junior College. In this weekly zoom course, we were given prompts of different topics for free-writing practice, given friendly and constructive feedback if we chose to share our works with the class, and given tools and guidance about the craft of writing and the common mistakes often made by new writers. Believe me, I discovered that I made numerous mistakes.

This online class is a great way for someone to explore the writing craft. It is currently taught by Stacey Dennick, a knowledgeable person who is also an editor, and who introduces multiple resources that the students can reference. Another benefit lies in the variety of genres represented by the participants. Each student may have a particular focus, such as poetry, memoir, non-fiction, science fiction, or others. I was the only historical fiction writer in the class for the semesters I attended.

I learned ways to “show, not tell” my character’s actions and senses. I learned to evoke emotions through words, and build rich and immersive scenes for the reader to explore. Pacing, micro and macro views of a scene, character development and compelling dialogue were all introduced in the class. If interested, please contact Stacey at sdennick@santarosa.edu

Another great help— I found a local chapter of the California Writers’ Club. This group contains all types of creative minds. Again, I found a broad spectrum of writing genre, some of which I hadn’t heard the terminology before; creative non-fiction, magical realism, and others. The list of genres goes on, and the levels of experience among the members vary significantly, from multiple published works to just starting out, but the goal is the same for each; writers helping writers. Every month, a guest speaker graces the club meeting with an informative talk about topics such as traditional vs self-publishing, writing tools, marketing, evoking sound through words, and more. Most importantly, the monthly meeting is a place to make connections with others who understand the path.

These associations with others, who show enthusiasm for my efforts and the journey that I have chosen, bolster my resolve to keep writing. Keep in mind, I still have a full-time job. I’m lucky if I can write a thousand words each week. I set a goal of writing one hundred words per day. It’s not very much, but it gets me started. And when the story is clear in my mind, I find an hour or more has gone by, and hundreds of words have appeared on the page.

You don’t need to know your story before you begin. Some writers are “pantsers”, meaning they “write by the seat of their pants”. No outline, no planned course. They sit down and let the story come to them, wherever it may lead, then re-organize with various edits and rewrites to sew it all together into the final telling. Other writers are plotters, following a preconceived path. I am a little of both. I knew where my story would begin and end, but allowed the middle to crawl all over the map.

It takes courage to put your thoughts on paper. The important part is to decide to write, and allow yourself a little time for creativity each day. Make it a habit, and watch what happens.