Recently, I have had conversations with several people who expressed interest in writing books but lack writing skills. From those discussions, I noticed three categories that aspiring authors fall into. First, there are the people who want to write but lack skills. Then, there are people who clearly have stories in them, but don’t want to write. They may have skills, but are not willing to put pen to paper. The last groups are people who don’t like to write because they lack skills.
Instead of discouraging them from fulfilling their dreams of being authors and sharing themselves with the world, I provided the following tips to each individual group to get them started on their writing journey.
Group 1: People who want to write but lack skills
Start writing and don’t worry about grammar, spelling or syntax initially.
- Read everything even if it’s just a license plate or billboard.
- Refresh grammar and punctuation skills by reading, writing and practicing.
- Listen to how people speak.
- Take writing classes.
- Practice with writing prompts.
- Find a writing mentor or coach.
Group 2: People who don’t want to write, but want to tell their stories
With advancements in technology, following are ways stories can be told without much writing.
- Voice recognition software
- Digital voice recorders. NOT tape recorders!
- Ghost writers (hire us!)
Group 3: People who don’t like to write because they lack skills
I would give the same advice to this group as I did Group 2. However, I would encourage them to journal. Writing in a journal would not only help build writing skills, it would also build their confidence and possibly be the start of another book.
Just because people lack writing skills does not mean they cannot add “author” to their list of credentials. Just be mindful of the tips above and a published book is sure to follow.
Which category do you fall into? How can I help?
Image: chicagowarriorsmysteries
Great post! A lot of people do have stories to tell and it is great that you have written an article letting people know that there are options.
Thank you. I hope that people take heed and move forward with confidence. Do you have a book in the making?
I was participating in kind of a challenge to help people make money online a few months ago and the guy putting on the presentations pretty much told people just to write, even if only in 5 or 10 minute blocks, without making any corrections or even worrying about whether anything made sense, with the intention to get people used to writing if it wasn’t something they did on a consistent basis. Lucky for me I do because I have to admit that would drive me nuts. lol
I get where he’s coming from as a writer, but it’s hard to get people to do things they just don’t like which is why I offer alternatives with the goal of getting them in gear. As you know, starting is the hardest part of anything we do.