Resources

This is for people wanting to try writing (most everyone can write, it is writing well that's the enduring challenge). I have given six items I suggest wannabe writers undertake with full commitment to see if they have the guts to become writers, for it is not for the faint of heart. Here is my list:

• Write often (500 words every day) for 3 months. That is every day, no matter how you feel.  Find out what time you are most creative. At the end of the 3 months, evaluate whether you enjoy writing (if not, writing isn't for you right now).

• Make up your own universes; do not use another author's. Get those creative juices going; this, too, will either become easier or not.

• Write short stories at first for the practice of starting and ending a story and getting timely feedback.

• Keep getting feedback. You want constructive criticism. Those writers who don't have thick skins are now ex-writers. Your work will be ripped apart; expect it, welcome it, and learn from it.

• Read recently published stories. What prose did you like and why, what prose didn't you like and why? At first, you can learn more from the bad than the good.

• Find resources to help you. This includes online classes, critique groups, and support groups.