Hey, writing is tough! We all know it, we’ve struggled to find the right word or attempted to bash a sentence into the right shape. Don't worry, I’m not the writing police. You can write however you want to; I’m just here to give you some tips that might help.

           I always start with an idea, as obvious as that seems to be. If you sit down at your desk without something to work from, you’re going to have an awful time. I usually write all my ideas down as soon as I can, so they aren't just floating around in my head. A prompt or a blurb will do, and it’ll make it a lot easier to organize your ideas the way you want them (hey, remember that post on organization a few days ago?).  I also Google writing prompts from time to time when the ideas I’ve already written down don’t strike the right chord with me. Either way, pick an idea that inspires you and go from there.

           Once you have an idea, put it on your page. Never, EVER leave your page blank as soon as you open your notebook, or you open a document on your computer, write something down. It can be your opening sentence, a paragraph describing your idea, an outline, a stream of nonsense, anything. It doesn’t matter what you put down, but a blank page is one of the most intimidating things any writer will ever see. Your mind will be just as bare, and there is no more frustrating feeling for a writer.

           Go into your work without expecting anything. Don’t expect perfection from yourself right away, and don’t bother editing while you work. For now, until you finish your first draft, you don’t need to worry about editing. You may see problems while you work – leave them for later. You will just drive yourself mad worrying about every little error. You don’t have to work magic every single day. But, with this in mind, you can keep working at it until it is magic.

           By no means are these tips the only way to write. They might not be how you like to write, and that’s okay – we’re all different. But, hopefully, this helps someone out there.

Cameron Jones is a hot mess, emphasis on both “hot” and “mess.” He most often writes fantasy short stories, but sometimes writes realistic fantasy to mix things up a bit. He dislikes sunlight, sudden loud noises, and writer’s block. The most surefire way to his heart is to show him pictures of cute animals.