I'm Not Smart Enough To Write

Most people think of writers as scholarly. They may believe that writing is best left to those who have a graduate degree in Literature, or English. They envision James Patterson, John Grisham, Toni Anderson and Maya Angelou and figure a career in writing is far beyond their grasp. They worry about grammar, spelling and punctuation.

Well, I'm here to tell you that it ain't so. Novel writing is not about the proper use of colons and semi-colons, nor is it about dangling participles. If it were, I wouldn't be a writer. Novel writing is about telling a story. I'm not saying writing is easy. In fact, sometimes it can be really hard, if you want to be a success. But it's no more difficult than digging ditches, building houses, being a secretary or a driving instructor.

If you can tell a joke, you can write a novel. A joke is a story. It has a beginning a middle and an end. It has a 'set up' and a 'punch line'. It may or may not have a conflict, which is the core of a novel. If you can tell a story about how aunt Ida fell off her chair at Thanksgiving, you have what it takes to write a novel. You can learn the basics of English, punctuation, and spelling, or you can use a computer that helps with that. Learning to write a novel is time consuming. There are a lot of required elements. But you don't have to have a college degree. And to prove that, I'm going to provide everything you need right here.

So if you'd like to build a career that requires daydreaming, something you can do in your spare time, something that could lead to a 'work at home' career, stay tuned. There are several articles on this site that are meant to stir the imagination, to let people know about writers and what they do in their 'spare time'. Take a look around, and then get yourself a notebook and pencil. And come back every week for a new lesson.

We will discuss:
genres and literature
beginnings, middles and endings
characterization
description
settings
dialogue
goals, motivation and conflict
first draft and polishing
formatting
critiquing
story ideas
daydreaming and brainstorming
online groups
friends and family
and much, much more.
suggested reading
movies to watch

Also, I intend to interview published writers in the future. So if you've ever thought about writing, come visit. Introduce yourself with an email. Ask questions. Now is the time to take the first step and it's an easy one. Just come back and I'll show you.