So you want to be a writer?

Hey guys, welcome back!

Is it really welcome back at this point? I feel like I'm probably writing this to myself (unless I decide to spam my friends with this link. Evil laughter)

Ahem.

So I hear that you've decided to be a writer. Congratulations!

You probably think that you're going to write an epic novel in a month and get on talk shows the next. If only it was that simple. The reality of it all, is that you probably don't have the skills. Don't know how to plot, create characters, worlds or maybe you're just lacking a basic comprehension of the English language.

Fear not, for I am here. When I first entered the scene 5 years ago, the only thing I possessed was a basic comprehension of the English language. Now, I can competently create characters and plot from beginning to end. World creation? I'm getting there.

Over the next few days, months and years I'll be giving you countless advice on how to do these things. But first, let me ask you two simple questions. Why do you want to be a writer?

Think hard about this, because when things get hard you'll need to ask yourself "Why did I become a writer in the first place?!" and if you don't like the answer you give, then walk away. It's not the job for you.

Speaking of which, what type of writer would you like to be? Me personally, I write over a vast span of medium and genre. Why? Because I can! There's... actually some deeper reasons than that that I'll explain below.

Novelist
This is probably what you think of when you hear the word writer. Being a novelist is certainly the hardest for me. Whether you write short stories or novels, the thing that sets being a novelist apart from the others is that you have to paint a picture with words. You've gotta be descriptive and you can't be repetitive.

Poet
Poetry is a special type of art form. As I write more and more poems, I'm learning that it's not just about rhyming words at the end of the sentence. It's all in the syllables.

Poetry is very expressive and can be either very structured or very free.

Mangaka
I'll admit that I don't have the skills to illustrate a comic myself, but making comics has always fascinated me. You don't have to worry about descriptions for anything. You can just write whatever crude description for your artist that s/he can comprehend.

Another bonus of comics? If we're talking strips or slice-of-life is no plotting! Plotting can be very hard and very scary, so if you don't have to worry about it while you develop other writing techniques, it can make your life easier.

Screenwriter
Being a screenwriter isn't quite like writing a novel or a manga. It needs a plot, characters, everything that a novel does. But it's without the difficulties of writing descriptive prose (again, whatever your animators can comprehend).

So those are the four brands of writing I'll be touching on. I've even dabbled some in songwriting, but I only wrote theme songs and parody songs, so if you really wanna hear my advice, hit me in an email. (If it starts to become a popular enough subject maybe I'll make a post).

Anything you'd like me to touch on? Feel free to leave a comment or contact me at emanation63@gmail.com