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They say experience is the best teacher, and I have been writing a long time with some success, so I'm going to give you my ideas on the things I consider important. They've worked for me, and they may help you. If nothing else, they will give you something to think about while you're trying to come up with some ideas about what to write.

The Writing Experience

The writing experience is different for everyone. There is no magical elixir to help you write a bestseller and never a guarantee that something you write will sell. They are two facts about writing you must face.

Writers Write

Writing is generally hard work. Sometimes it goes well, sometimes not; but if you think you are a writer, you must write. And I don't mean once in awhile. You need to write every day.

Ideas

You say it's hard to come up with ideas? I don't buy it. Pick up a newspaper and read it carefully. Can you see some possibilities for articles or stories in it? I'm sure you can.

Are you going to the store today to shop for dinner? There are people there, and they are talking. You may just happen to overhear some interesting tidbit that you can tuck away for later use. (Remember, nothing is sacred to a writer, not even other people's secrets, if they can be worked into a piece.) The possibilities for material are endless.

Read

To be a successful writer, you must be a reader. Being a voracious (if you don't know the word, look it up) reader is even better. Not a week goes by that I don't go to my local library and pick up a stack of books. I try to get a good variety, although I must admit I lean toward fiction. I am trying to branch out, though, and I advise you to do so, as well.

It's good to read what other people have written in the past and what contemporaries are writing, good to get a feel for other writers and their style. No matter how tired I am at the end of the day, I read for at least an hour or two before turning in. If you're not a reader, become one. It will help you immensely.

Practice

In the beginning, not everything you write will come easy, nor will it be worthwhile; but it will give you practice. I can't tell you how many stories and articles I have saved on the computer that have not sold. However, I don't delete them because I never know when I may need a phrase or a paragraph in one of them to help polish something I'm working on now.

Don't ever feel that your writing is a "waste" because it's not. To use a hackneyed but very appropriate expression, "Rome wasn't built in a day."

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