So, you want to write but you don’t even know where to begin?

I believe there is a writer in all of us.
Some of us have no interest in tapping into it, and there are some of us who feel called to it.
if you fall into the latter group, perhaps you’ve already began that journey or maybe you feel stuck and don’t know how to start

So many times, over the last 7 years or so I’ve started, taken breaks, began from scratch and began again .. over and over.
But I’ve never stopped feeling the call. Everyone is different as to why they want to write and there are different types of writers.
And I think that’s where some of us might feel stuck. Because we have been conditioned around how it should look.

We question ourselves, compare ourselves and we are our biggest critics. So it doesn’t help when others also might judge us.
But one of the biggest reasons why so many of us don’t is the mindset around what it means to be a writer and trying to fulfil an expectation of what we might believe writers should have; a communications degree, academic merit, exceptional grammar etc etc ..

Guess what? It doesn’t matter. If you write, you’re a writer!

Writing is an expression of the self, what’s in your heart, what’s on your mind and what matters to you ..
How that looks, is entirely up to you. Some choose to pursue a career as a freelance writer, a journalist, a researcher etc .. And that’s great.
But you can also be a writer, if there is something inside you that wants to be said and shared, whether It’s on a blog or social platform.

I know there are plenty of you reading this now who have stories within you that are just waiting to be told. The fact you opened this link to read this blog means this has resonated with you somehow. But maybe something is holding you back. I get it. Maybe you didn’t finish school or go to university. Who cares. But if grammar and correct spelling is holding you back, there’s editing software that can fix that.

The important thing is to just get it out. When you feel inspired, grab that moment and let it flow. There is something so freeing about letting go and writing what is weighing heavy on your heart and mind. It’s healing, therapeutic and when it comes from the right place, It’s authentic and will resonate with so many other people. But the idea is to write for you first. And connect with why you are.

If I listened to my critics, I wouldn’t have had the success that I did

I remember one day I came across a blog and felt so inspired. It was during a big change in my life. And my World was changing and I just felt this inner overpowering feeling to start my own blog and share things that were important to me. That’s all it was, I just listened to my gut and went with that. I discoverd a new passion and I was hooked.

Within those few months, no one was really reading my stuff or anyone I knew about at least (maybe friends were but on the low down), things kind of took off and I was writing for online publications. I am someone who was always an average student and I never felt  particularly smart in anything. One day I shared an article I had written for a magazine and out of nowhere a family friend commented something quite negative. For a long time, I didn’t feel supported. But it didn’t matter.

I wrote for myself because it was freeing and I loved how it made me feel. I didn’t do it for external validation. Even if no one reads my stuff, I keep writing. Soon enough though after about a year, I began to connect with like-minded people and more people were really engaging with my stuff. Eventually I got offers for work, and that’s how I got into freelance writing and ghost writing. But that was not my goal. It was a bonus, a result of pursuing my passion.

5 tips to help you unleash the inner writer within

1. Notice when you feel stuck and journal where that is coming from. It is important to understand the difference between feeling overwhelmed with life in general and just needing a breather  and feeling stuck due to fear and or mindset.
2. Journal why writing is important to you, what it means to you regardless of what other people might think or say. Remind yourself, what others think or say is their own projections of their own limited beliefs and has nothing to do with you.
3. Start sharing on social media, like Instagram and connect with like minded people who share similar interests with you. You might also want to join groups with others who can help motivate and inspire you. Seek out a mentor if it helps.
4. Find a way that works for you to write down your ideas somewhere as you feel inspired. You don’t have to write the whole thing in one go. When creatives feel pressured, or overwhelmed we get blocked. The flow comes when we create that space to just let it go.
5. Drop that need to be perfect or like someone else. The best writing happens when it is authentically you. When It’s your voice on the page, your own unique style is expressed and that is what resonates.

I hope today you feel a little more belief in yourself to get started! I would love to hear about your writing journeys, leave a comment below!