The First Rule

The first rule of learning to write, is to write.
You're not sure the plot is coherent, or that this story is going to be read by anyone but you?
So what? Write.
You don't want to write because you don't feel like it, you're bored, tired, sad, lazy?
Too bad. Write.
The story is turning out much differently than you expected, even challenging your comfort zones?
Good. Write.
The story feels like a flop, a failure, worthless drivel?
Doesn't matter. Write.
The story's getting really long, and it's not done yet, and there's just so many words?
Keep going. Write.
You don't know when the story's going to end, but you don't want to work on it anymore because you have another really cool idea in mind?
Switch if you have to. But keep writing.

Writing is something you improve at by doing, and not every story is going to be great. Not every story is going to be good. Sometimes stories are just going to end up as miserable little puddles of mush. Sometimes you're going to write a story, and it's going to get utterly no attention or reception whatsoever. Sometimes you're going to be left with something entirely different than you planned on doing. And sometimes you're really not going to be happy writing.
And that's perfectly fine.

The first rule of learning to write is to write. To write, even when it sucks. To write, even when it's a failure. To write, even when you abandon a project, but start a new one. Learning to actually finish something? That's a lesson waaay down the road. The first rule of writing, is to write.
You will get better. It will get easier. And you will develop as a writer. But you have to be willing to write. You have to be willing to learn to sit there, even when there's other things you want to do, and write. You have to be willing to learn to keep yourself writing, even when it feels like your fingernails are being pulled off one by one.

Good writing, bad writing? Character analysis? Developing a style, learning how to break and bend rules? That all comes later. And much of it will come naturally, as long as you follow the first rule of writing.

Write.

Don't go making excuses, don't go talking about how you don't have the time, don't say 'I'm not in the mood.' It doesn't work like that if you want to be serious about it. And I list those two things specifically because of the way they play off each other: we begin to associate 'not being in the mood' as 'not having the time,' or think to ourselves: 'no, I need some time just to relax, and that's fine, right?'
If you want to be really serious about writing, then sometimes you're going to have to treat it as an obligation and responsibility as much as something cathartic or a hobby. It's fine to take time to relax. It's fine when you want to do something else. But make the time for writing, too. Even just a few words a day can add up, much faster than you might realize.

Seriously, the first rule of writing is just to write. Doesn't matter what. Doesn't matter if it makes sense. Doesn't even matter if it's good or not. The first step of learning to write is writing.

So. Go write.


~Scrivener Blooms