I Learned That The Best Way To Write A Story Is To Sit And Write.

When I first started writing, I knew that I wanted to write, though I had no idea what to write about. I did many different writing courses which gave me many different ways of doing things. I soon learned:

No writer writes in the same way.

I thought about this for a few moments. I knew that I wanted to write fiction and many true-life stories, though I was at a complete loss as to where to start. I tried an experiment:

• I left the title blank and wrote the first few words of a sentence. I wrote, "In the kingdom where..."
• Still leaving the title blank, I continued with this sentence. I didn't plan it or think about it; I just wrote whatever sentence linked these words. I wrote, "In the kingdom where King Tom Reigned..."
• I continued in this way until the end of the page and I had a story unfolding.

'In the kingdom where King Tom Reigned there were many princesses all waiting for their princes to take their hand in marraige. King Tom was the only one who could decide which prince was allowed to marry which princess. However, princess Suzie had already chosen her prince. They had been secretly dating for many months, though Suzie knew she would be in trouble if the prince found out....'

I have not published this story yet as I am working on it. However it gave me an idea as to what I would like to write about, as the more I wrote the more I wanted to write.

I experimented in different ways with the one-liner, and my creative imagination was more powerful to me because I wasn't trying to stay within everyone else's rules on writing. Instead, I devised my own rules and used my own power of imagination.

Taking advice on writing stories can sometimes be useful, though it can also have a negative effect. I find that taking constant advice on how to write from others can sometimes leave me feeling that my writing is completely wrong.

There is no perfect way to be a writer. You could do courses as I did, or take all the advice in the world; though at the end of the day, only you know the unique writer in you.

Forget the 'perfect gramma camp' too. Of course, you should check your grammar and spelling when you write, as that can help minimise any mistakes.

Don't beat yourself up! Many of us writers are quite professional at making mistakes; if you read books, you'll notice there are subtle mistakes in those too. Your writing does not have to be 100% perfect.

I love guitar music, and I have many friends who play solo and in bands. One of those friends told me the following:

"Hitting notes means practice. It doesn't happen overnight. Practice doesn't always make perfect. Perfect is how you define it, even when you make mistakes."

You can apply this to your writing.

Don't look for the 'perfect writer' in you. Act as if perfect doesn't exist.

Just sit, write and don't be afraid to play with your imagination and the words.

You could start by grabbing a pen and a piece of paper. Don't write a title; just write the first few words of a sentence, then use your imagination to try and link the sentence. Attempt to keep the flow going. Don't worry about mistakes, just tap into your imagination and write what comes to your mind first.

If you do this regularly and often; you'll eventually find it easier to create a story.

Happy writing, and remember 'don't try to be perfect.'

Thank you for reading this article, and please leave a heart on my work to show your appreciation. You can also leave me an optional tip to show that you appreciate my effort further!