How To Write: What You Need To Know

How To Write: What You Need To Know

Your purpose for visiting this site is to learn how to write- am I correct? Well, my mission is to give you all the tools that you will need to get the ball rolling. Writing, you will find is not limited to just writing books. Instead, you will discover the many forms of writing and the rules that go along with them.

How To Write

First things first, do not get frustrated. However, do be aware that before you can start any work of art in the writing department, you need to first know how to write. For me, as I stated on the introductory page, journaling is something that I have always done. I have found that even now, it puts my mind in a meditative state. This process focuses and clears my thoughts, which in turn makes the writing process much easier. This may not be for everyone but it’s worth a try if it is something that you have never done.

One of the first steps in writing is deciding what you are wanting to write about. What is your subject and how long do you want the work to be? You will also need to decide what audience you are writing for? Do you want to learn how to write a novel? Do you want to learn how to write a poem?

Regardless of what you want to do do, I will help you become a highly sought after book writer! The first thing you will need is some tools in your corner to get you started. This is where your writing prompts will come into play.

What Are Writing Prompts?

Believe it or not, you already know what writing prompts are! Remember in elementary school when you were asked to write about something? What was the first thing you had to do? You had to think of a topic right? The reason being was to be able to have something to start with. Just as the word prompt suggests, which is a cue to get you going.

In most cases, if you were like me, after finding my topic is where you would get stuck. Writer’s block would hit me and I struggled to find ideas of how to make that topic come to life. I would begin to jot down my thoughts around my topic hoping for a miracle.

Well, in a nutshell, that is what a writing prompt is. It’s when you come up with your topic of choice and then build ideas around it. However, maybe finding your topic is the issue. Or, finding what you want to write about has stopped you before you even start.

If that is the case, no worries. Writing prompts, or as they are also known as creative writing prompts can be used a number of ways. They can help ignite your imagination and inspire you to write your best story! A writing prompt can be a number of things from a picture, a phrase or even a word. Anything that you can focus on as you write.

Examples of Writing Prompts

Let’s look at a few examples of some writing prompts:

  • It was the first time the leaves changed colors for the year.
  • The taste of freshly squeezed lemonade.
  • Satin.
  • He sat on the park bench and watched the birds.
  • She never saw that picture on the wall before.

As you can see, these small phrases could possibly put into motion a very interesting novel, essay or whatever the writing venture may be. The next step, once you have your writing prompt would be to start an outline of ideas around it. Let’s take the first example and see if we can come up with some ideas to make it come to life.

Maybe you can be on a drive through the mountains while observing the beautiful multi-colored leaves. Where are you going? Where are you coming from? Maybe the changing of the leaves made you remember a significant time in your life… What is that time? The list or outline could keep going. As you can see, writing prompts can be a very important part of the writing process, so the more you practice the better at it you will get.

Essentially, there are three types of writing prompts, each serving a particular purpose. Typically, writing prompts are used in the essay areas of standardized test. However, they are also used by many writers in many forms of writings including essays, poems, content writing, and fiction. Let’s take a look at the three types of writing prompts:

  • Argumentative: Based on the topic, this type of writing prompt requires you to write about whether or not what the author is conveying is correct, it is your mission to challenge what the author is saying.
  • Narrative: Based on this writing prompt, your mission is to take over the study of the reading and finish it. It’s time to make this type of writing prompt your own.
  • Informative: Based on this study, this writing prompt requires you to explain what it was that you just read. It is your mission to write about just that…. what you got from the reading.

BRAINSTORM
THINK!

Brainstorm Using Your Creative Writing Prompts!

To recap, if you do not already have a topic it’s ok, surprisingly, finding one is not as hard as you may think; some of the best stories are written from everyday life experiences and everyone has those, even you! The human mind holds countless memories and events both good and bad. All you need to do is to tap into your mind to recall some of these memories, events, and situations that you have been through.

This is the point where you want to jot down and began to make a list. Maybe it was a conversation you overheard at the train station on your way to work. Would that be a great story? I know I have heard plenty of conversations that would make for an Emmy Award-winning novel!

Maybe you had an interesting Uber ride, or what about the couple across the street that always have their business spread around the neighborhood! Could you imagine reading a juicy story about what happened next after the husband got caught cheating with the next-door neighbor!

The best part about story writing is that it does not have to be real. Your story can be whatever you want it to be as long as it is interesting, so the skies the limit. First, let’s touch on your writing skills because before you can make it as a writer. Your reader will need to feel confident in your ability to grammatically make sense.