This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
1. Take it out of your head! Don’t just have this amazing idea and do nothing about it. Write that story down. An idea that stays only in your head won’t become anything unless you put it out there, make that idea happen, take it out of your mind and into the paper. If you don’t act, a potential story is just stored energy that’s not used for anything. So use it. Write your story down!
2. Find your mojo! Find the thing that gets your mental juices flowing, it can be anything, taking a long bath, walking in the park in the afternoon, reading books, seeing movies. Find that one thing that will bring you new ideas, that inspires you and gets you excited about writing. For me it’s music. Find your mojo and get writing!
3. Finish your story! Don’t start writing something and abandon it in the middle. Unfinished stories are like unfinished strawberry pies. It’s a damn shame to see a good story goes to waste. The same goes for the pie.
4. Show it off! A story tucked in the drawer is no good for anything. If you keep it hidden, it’s the same as if you haven’t even written it in the first place. Tell the world about your story, let people read it, take a risk, show it off! I did and got a publishing deal out of it. You might as well!
5. Be prepared! Remember that once you put your story out there, you might receive criticism and harsh words from the trolls out there in the world, so be prepared for the blows that may come. Grow a thick skin. Some people can be destructive just for the pleasure of seeing you crumble, you have to learn how to deal with them and never let them destroy the love you have for writing.
The Lost Boys by Lilian Carmine is out now.