Starting to Write: lessons I'd tell myself #AuthorLife #amwriting

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 AM

I ended up messaging with a friend last week about starting to write and it got me thinking: what would I tell myself if I were starting out now instead of all those years ago? Would I still do it? It's been a long and messy business to get where I am today (and I'm not exactly what you'd call "successful" so there's still plenty of goals ahead of me). It sounded like an interesting blog post, so here goes:

What I would tell past self about writing:

• It's gonna be a long and bumpy road, so strap in! Almost no one has it easy. There's no such thing as a smooth path to a finished novel/agent/book deal and anyone who says they've had one is probably lying :)
• Know those first few books you write are undoubtedly crap. And that's great! Enjoy the process of learning how you write, what works best, and how to get to The End.
• Read and write a LOT. As much as you can. Every word you put down, and every sentence you edit, teaches you a ton.
• When you're ready, and only once you've worked out your own writing game, start to share. You don't need to spend money to do this! Finding writing groups isn't terribly difficult and they're amazing! 
• Don't listen to everything people tell you about writing/editing. Some things work for you. Some things won't. Knowing the difference will come with knowing how you best write.

I'm sure there are more, but those first few books I finished and worked through taught me a ton about my writing and especially about myself. Am I sad they're in a trunk? Nope. The experience was invaluable. And really, what it taught me was the most important lesson about writing:

HAVE FUN! This is about enjoying the process. And if you can't/don't enjoy the process, then for heaven's sake, it's sure-as-shit not worth it :)

What might you tell yourself about writing?