Some writers sit down in front of a laptop and type away at the keyboard immediately and go at it for hours. They seem to be incredibly lucky, don’t they? They never seem to be encumbered by doubts: in themselves, in their stories, in the importance of what they have to say. But the truth is that there are several phrases that every writer needs to remember during the writing process. The following phrases are meant to help you banish the doubts of the writing process, and make it enjoyable and worthwhile. If you start to feel insecure when you’re writing a story, remind yourself of at least one of the following phrases, and allow them to help you push forward and get the story on the page.

1. Writing will make you write better

Many authors say that you can only learn how to write by writing. It’s a craft like any other and you start as a beginner knowing nearly nothing about it, and the more you do it, the more you will improve your skills. Every next word will be better thought out and better crafted than the previous word. The same applies to the levels of sentences, paragraphs, chapters, stories, and ultimately, novels. Your second novel will be better than the first, and the third one will be better than the previous one.

2. Writing can be taught and learned

Some writers will tell you that they don’t have a degree in writing and literature, and yet they seem to be putting out novels worthy of critical acclaim and commercial success. Does this mean that they were born with a gift? Of course they were, but not in the way you might think. You were born with the same gift – a sincere love for storytelling. Writing is a craft, and it can be learned, not only through writing. You can find books dedicated to plotting, characterization, backstory and world building. Read them, absorb them, and use the knowledge in your craft. Just because a certain aspect of storytelling doesn’t come naturally to you, it doesn’t mean that you can’t learn to improve upon it until you’ve practiced so much that it becomes natural, like breathing.

3. Everyone writes differently

On the other hand, if certain tips and advice by other authors don’t seem to work for you and make the writing process more enjoyable, it doesn’t mean you should quit and accept defeat. You simply need to find your own method of writing, create your own tips and advice. Every author writes differently, and what works for one author will probably not work for you. However, you should research and see how writers do it – and you might be able to gather a compilation of tips from different authors, a combination which will work you.

4. You can always write it better

A first draft of a novel is just a manuscript that needs plenty of editing. It should never be published. In fact, most publishing houses will reject your manuscript, and if you self-publish it, you might not get the commercial success you want. Why? Because first drafts need a lot of work to become masterpieces. The good news is that every paragraph, sentence, chapter can be written better. You are writing a chapter and you have the opportunity to do a thousand edits, or do-overs, to make it better and greater than before.

5. Storytelling is about life

Writing is a skill that focuses on stringing words into coherent sentences. But storytelling is about living. Writing is a lonely process that takes place mostly in your mind. But storytelling focuses on events and emotions invoked in us by life itself. So don’t ignore it. Take a breath. Relax. Go out and experience new things. Let the outside world in and learn as much as you can about life. Live a little and then live a little more. It is these experiences that will help you write better stories, because good stories are everywhere. Find them, learn about them and allow them to flow through you. And then tell your own story. It is sure to be wonderful and exciting.

Image credit: Pixabay

Georgina Roy wants to live in a world filled with magic. As an art student, she’s moonlighting as a writer and is content to fill notebooks and sketchbooks with magical creatures and amazing new worlds. When she is not at school, or scribbling away in a notebook, you can usually find her curled up, reading a good urban fantasy novel, or writing on her laptop, trying to create her own.