Week 89.5 – Learning to write…

I have a lot of non-fiction books about or for writing – from my course text to style guides to reference books on where phrases originated. I buy them for inspiration, for fun, and for practical guidance.

But are they necessary?

I know people who are keen on pursuing writing, but feel they cannot do it because they’ve never studied it.  There are lots of people who are in a similar position – who want to write but cannot access courses due to time, money or other issues.

How does this tie in with my reference mountain?    Well, one of the valuable elements of a course for new writers is the guidance in the process of writing – from inspiration through to editing.

So if you can’t get on a course, get to a bookshop.

There are how to guides for every aspect of writing as well as overarching ones; there are hundreds of reference books on all sorts of subjects; there are industry guides.

I have bought a variety based on reviews and fancy (never underestimate the power of a gut feeling for a reference book!).  A few examples include a style guide for proofreading and editing; a book about clichés; a dictionary of unusual words in multiple languages; a book of exercises to spur inspiration.

I am now looking for a good guide to planning, as it’s an area I need to work on for the next novel.

There are also websites devoted to improving grammar, or providing inspiration – and blogs about writing all over the place!  There’s free advice, downloadable guides for magazines and a wealth of on-line reference sites.

In other words – there’s guidance out there for those who seek it out.  Courses aren’t the only option.

So if you have a longing to put pen to paper, and an idea you want to explore – write it down.  The only way you’ll know if you want to be a writer is by being one.

In related news – I managed to have my celebratory 99 today so here is a picture of it – it’s not the best picture but I wanted to eat it rather than let it melt.  It tasted very, very good!

See, it’s worth all the hard work if you get treats.  It’s just a shame I got an assignment for my nutrition and health course today – and have to keep a food diary to see how good my diet is.  Oops! 😉

Happy writing,

EJ

🙂