Writing with Experience

Why do you write? How?

It's a question that, to a writer, requires no answer or is difficult to define to those who do not experience the joy that comes with it. Writing comes naturally to those who enjoy it, whether the product is amazing or not. Writing, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder, so who is to say that one person or the next will enjoy it? It is a question that publishers everywhere try to answer. The truth is, no one knows. It really and truly is a gamble.

Getting technical, the only truth in terms of writing is spelling. The only thing in the English language which is standardised, spelling is the only thing to worry about. Even grammar can be played with to enhance character or setting, or to deceive (but obviously there are still places where you can go wrong, as the grammar critics online will tell us all). Check out Oxford Living Dictionaries if you are unsure.

The only thing to do is to write from the heart and, importantly, from experience. Writing progresses with the reader and more often than not is affected by your mood at the time, as well as your surroundings.

Here's the task:

Take a look at your writing.

• Can you tell what stage in your life you were at when you read it? 
• Is something you're writing now a reflection on your life?
• Is there someone you love or enjoy being around who can inspire you?
• Is there someone you don't know personally who does inspire you? A musician, an artist, someone from your town?
• Is there something missing that you can add by looking at the experiences from your life or those of others?
• Are there any distractions at home?
• Is there anywhere quiet you can go and write?
• Are you in the right frame of mind to write? If not, relax, recharge and try again when you're ready.
• Do you only write when your sad or emotional? Does it then cheer you up and clear your mind?
• Do you work better with background noise or music?
• How much time do you have to write?
• Can you set aside allocated hours in the day?
• Are you writing too much or too little?
• How many rewrites have you done? Are you happy with this number?
• Laptop, desktop or notepad and pen?
• Do you edit better on the computer or by hand?
• If you're experiencing writer's block, take a walk and think about what your writing needs from you and what you can realistically provide.
• If you know nothing about a certain character's occupation, go out and research and learn about it.
• Do you have to research much at all? Stories can be about emotions not always the hard facts.
• Is your story set in a different part of the country? Go and visit and see how much inspiration you can get. If not, imagine it.
• Don't overthink.

Don't worry if you think you have put too much into your story because the best writing does. How else do you know what it feels like to love, lose someone, achieve something, to hate, to cry or laugh? This way, you can always cut back but you need the content in order to do so.

Get as many people as you can you read your work. If they hate it, continue. If they love it, continue. Take everything with a grain of salt, because negativity and doubt are very strong ingredients when you're putting together your next project.

Positivity and experience are the most important factors when it comes to unlocking a great narrative. Writing with experience doesn't take years of having your book at the top of the bestseller list, only the number of years you have been living.