Steps to Completing a Writing Assignment (Story or Book)
1. Do you have a story to tell? Yes. You do have a story to tell. Everyone does. Writing is important because telling one’s story has implications for self-awareness, self-motivation, mental physical and emotional health and helping others.
2. Writing takes many roads. It could be a journal, a diary, poetry, fiction, non-fiction, a blog, a book or just writing your thoughts to clear your head. Keep it personal or share it with the world.
3. Tell the story – all of it. Write it down. Write about your life, the missteps and mistakes as well as your joy, happy times and success. Why? Because stories and books are written (1) to share personal and professional stories to help others (2) to stir readers’ emotions (3) to record historic events or revisit history (4) to help readers of all ages learn (5) to entertain with good writing and story telling.
4. It’s not mandatory, but as you begin the writing process, give your story or book a title. Having a title helps focus the contents because the story should link to the title. If you are writing a book, create book chapter names early. It will help you prioritize content in its proper order and help smooth the writing process.
5. Schedule a time to write. Write at least three paragraphs daily to stay focused and maintain a rhythm. Write with mental and creative energy. Writers write. Procrastinators talk about writing.
6. Writing is a task. Take it seriously. Never fall in love with what you’ve written, especially the first draft. Read it aloud often. Every writer – beginners, amateurs, best-selling authors and prize-winning journalists – needs an editor. Whether you are writing your story or a book, share it with fresh eyes.
7. Good writing is not easy. It takes concentration, so remove distractions, do adequate research and rewrite continuously. Remember that second-guessing is usual and rampant with writers. They write. They hate it. They want to start over or stop writing. Get away from your work. Take a walk. Listen to music. Talk to strong supporters. Don’t talk with naysayers.
* Writing about family, friends and life situations is difficult for new writers.
