A regimented writing schedule for literary recruits
Photo: Gary Scott

Being a writer is similar to joining the army. While you may start off with weak writerly muscles, all it takes is some training, a few drills and a regimented routine to prepare yourself for battle in the literary trenches.

Basic Training

The good thing about being a writer these days is that there is a wealth of information in the form of books, magazines, and websites.

The Write Great Fiction series of books from Writer’s Digest is a fantastic collection that will teach you everything from building plot and crafting compelling dialogue to revision and self-editing.

Writer’s Digest Magazine is also a wonderful resource. Each issue offers excellent articles, including the regular column called Writer's Workbook, which provides tips on how to improve your fiction, non-fiction and poetry.

Role-Call

Whether you live in a big city or small town, there is a place for you to learn the tricks of the trade.

Check with your local library, community college or nightschool programs for courses and workshops that will help you to improve your craft.

Websites such as Meetup.com provide a listing of local groups who get together to discuss books and writing.

The perks of meeting face-to-face with other writers include the sense of community you will receive, the constructive criticism others will provide of your work, and the motivation you will feel that working at home on your own may not always provide.

Online Communities

If you can’t find time to make it out to a discussion group, there are many ways to network online with other writers.

Twitter has become a staple for tech-savvy writers to share their work, with everything from daily chats to the #fridayflash community allowing the sharing of ideas to become more immediate and for one’s peers to become that much more accessible.

Timed Drills

Once you have a bit of schooling under your belt, it’s time to put your skills to the test. An easy way to get started is to drum up a story idea. Even if you don't have much time, you can still develop a story idea in as little as five minutes.

Using a quick brainstorming session, you can develop the basics you’ll need for your story, including characters, plot and setting, as well as get the seeds of your story down on paper.

A regimented schedule

Both plotters (people who plan out every aspect of their story beforehand) and pantsers (those who take more of a ‘fly-by-the-seat-of-the-pants’ approach) can benefit from creating a writing schedule.

Whether it’s a a specific time each day, or a certain day of the week, scheduled writing will keep your creativity finely-tuned and will also help to improve your craft.

The 1000 Words A Day Project and 500 Words A Day Challenge from Inkygirl.Com encourages writers to commit to their craft, while encouraging others to do the same.

Hands-on training

Looking for workshops in your neck of the woods?

PublicLibraries.com and LibraryElf.com each offer a listing of local library systems so you can easily startt your search for workshops in your area.

Torontonians who want to banish the fear of the blank page can do so with a little help from professional writer David Bester.

His 8-week Writers’ Boot Camp has two sessions this fall, running on either Thursdays or Saturdays. In the seminar, Bester provides writers of all levels with inspiration and ideas to get in touch with their unique voice and expand their craft.

Schedule:

http://www.startwriting.ca/workshops.php

Writers' Boot Camp - Thursdays
Thursdays, 7:00pm - 9:45pm | 8 weeks | Begins April 1st | $360 + GST

Writers' Boot Camp - Saturdays
Saturdays, 2:00pm - 4:45pm | 8 weeks | Begins April 3rd | $360 + GST

Be all you can be

Do you want to transform yourself from aspiring writer to accomplished wordsmith? These tips will help you to pull yourself up by your bootstraps and go from being a rookie to that of a seasoned literary veteran.

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