The book what I wrote

Ask any writer and they will stress the importance of reading.

If you want to write you must read.

When you read you pick up on what works and what doesn’t, of course this doesn’t mean plagiarism,b ut as J.R.R Tolkien once remarked “…we may say that the Pot of Soup, the Cauldron of Story, has always been boiling, and to it have continually been added new bits, dainty and undainty…There are many things in the Cauldron but the Cooks do not dip the ladle quite blindly. Their selection is important.”

From other stories and writers we learn and it’s alright to use others ideas as inspiration – most of Shakespeare’s plots are unoriginal but he makes the stories his own.

Of course, to write you must first have an idea.

Many writers never leave home without their notebook in which they write scraps of description, ideas and even scribble down overheard conversations.

A writer’s notebook is a source of inspiration. If you want to write find yourself a notebook that you are comfortable with and fill it with dreams, thoughts, wishes, sketches, anything – you may not develop an idea for years but will look back and find it sparks an idea for a poem or story.

If you want some guidance there are many creative writing courses out there, otherwise there are books dedicated to writing and getting published.

As an aspiring writer I would recommend Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg, an indispensable resource.

Goldberg doesn’t give a way of writing but instead offers writing exercises and insights into the mind of the writer.[-[quote]-]

Writing the book is only half the struggle.

If you want to get published you need to prepare yourself for rejection, even JK Rowling was rejected by almost everyone and Enid Blyton had to marry a publisher before her books were published.

The Writers and Artists Yearbook is an indispensible tool for anyone striving to be published, it lists all publishers and agents and what they are looking for.

However, before jumping into the deep end I would highly recommend entering your work into writing competitions.

First Writer have a list of literary competitions ranging from poetry to short stories to scripts with a range of cash prizes.

No one will receive instant recognition from entering these competitions but it’s a good way to become a known name amongst publishers and to test the water with your writing skill.

The best advice that I can offer is to echo the words of Wordsworth – write what you want and “fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.”