Difficulties in Writing

It just isn't easy to write if you are serious about it. You have to have ideas, characters, plot, setting, and so forth. Sometimes one of those will come to you and catch your interest, but you still have to find the right mix of all the others in order to tell your story.

You think about voice and style--what is appropriate to what you are writing? You wouldn't want to write a serious novel in a breezy style. You also need to think about dialogue. How can you write so that all your characters don't sound alike. Then there is viewpoint--first person, third person, sometimes even second person. And which variety of third person or whichever you have chosen? What about length? Is this short story material or novel material? Long poem or short poem? Essay or book-length nonfiction?

You need to start out in a way that will catch your reader's attention and make them want to read more. You have to end the story in a satisfying way so that the reader doesn't feel cheated.

We musn't forget research. You need to know your setting--place and time in history. Even if your work is set in modern times, there will be facts to confirm for your setting and for your plot.

Those things apply to some extent and in some form to poetry and nonfiction, as well as to novels and short stories and other forms of fiction.

It helps to read about writing. Check your library and the internet for information. Check a local bookstore or Amazon or Barnes & Noble for books and magazines. These offer definitions and explanations and how-to guides on all of the above plus marketing. Look around for methods that appeal to you--believe me, they vary a great deal!

Read, read, read. Read in the fields and the genres that interest you. See what others are writing about and how they handle their material.

Write, write, write. Write for yourself. Experiment with different ideas and methods. Find out what type of writing you best like to do and what you have a talent for.

Jot down ideas as they come to you. Many writers carry around notebooks for just this reason. You may think you will remember those thoughts, but they can evaporate in no time, never to be found again.

There is a lot to writing, but there is a lot to anything you care enough about to do well. And above all, enjoy yourself!