# Newbie Help



## BoardKitty (Jul 16, 2018)

Hello! I've never really written before. I actually hated doing it for school. But I've been really into books for a couple years now and I'm interested in trying out writing. I've started with a few writing prompts and I'd love to get feedback on whether or not this is something I should continue to pursue.


[emoji767]boardkitty

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


----------



## ScarletM.Sinclaire (Jul 16, 2018)

Well the ultimate question is, what do _you  _want? I'm going to be honest. Writing is not easy. This is something you're going to have to work hard on. Depending on the size of your manuscript, it can take days to even years to finish. Lucky for you, you're in a great place to get help. So welcome to the Forum! 

  Now back to the original question. Is this something you should pursue? Well, if you enjoy writing, this could be right up your alley. The sky is the limit when it comes to writing books. Almost any crazy idea, can be written into a story if it is written well. This is the whole reason I personally love writing fiction stories. I can make my characters and story as crazy, angry, smart as I want. 

 But at the same time, you have to not only come up with thy ideas, you have to covey them to others in an understandable manner. Once your manuscript or story is complete, then you have the task of editing it. Editing isn't something that should only happen once, there will be numerous times in which you edit your work. So keep that in mind if you get ready to publish. Also, as a writer you do have options such as traditional or self-publishing. I won't go into detail about that right now, (though you're more than welcome to do research for it after you finish writing).

I highly recommend checking out the ProseWriters Workshop thread on this forum website. If you haven't started writing a story yet, check out that thread. It will give you some helpful insight as to what we readers look for or see while reading your work, as well as any other helpful advice on the _how to_ side of things (EG, how do you _show_ vs _tell_, or how to immerse your readers, etc). And if you have started writing a story, go ahead and post on there to get some helpful feedback.

  There are also other sections such as Writing Discussions and Advanced Writing Discussions. Take a look around the website, or if you're still unsure about things along the way, create a post. 

Lastly, welcome to the Forums!


----------



## Darkkin (Jul 16, 2018)

Start small.  And if it is something you enjoy, keep going.  If not...Well, that is your choice.  You have a mind and free will, so it is for you to decide, not us.


----------



## Jonthom (Jul 16, 2018)

If you enjoy it, carry on with it. It's really that simple.

That said, I would second Darkkin's point about starting small. I know personally, I used to be in the habit of laying out huge, multi-novel stories with dozens of characters and plot twists and dreams of being the next Dark Tower, it to find the task was so mammoth that the actual writing became impossible.

By contrast, being able to use flash fiction and short stories as a way to get used to things - character development, planning out a story arc - on a small scale was invaluable in getting be more used to writing.

I'm now 30k into what's looking to be a 100k novel. It's been a long trek but it's been worth it


----------



## storiesandpages (Jul 16, 2018)

Why not try starting out by writing poetry?

It's fun, quick, relatively simple, and easy.

It will help you flex your writing muscles and get loose, and I'll be honest, if you hate writing something as small as a poem you'll probably hate writing something longer like a novel or short story.


----------



## aj47 (Jul 16, 2018)

storiesandpages said:


> Why not try starting out by writing poetry?
> 
> It's fun, quick, relatively simple, and easy.
> 
> It will help you flex your writing muscles and get loose, and I'll be honest, if you hate writing something as small as a poem you'll probably hate writing something longer like a novel or short story.



I wonder why you characterize poetry as "easy"  ... this would seem to indicate, then, that prose is difficult.

Generally, in my experience, most writing is prose and poetry is actually the deviation from the norm that requires effort to construct. I'm wondering where you are that poetry is the norm and prose the deviation that requires effort.


----------



## storiesandpages (Jul 16, 2018)

astroannie said:


> I wonder why you characterize poetry as "easy"  ... this would seem to indicate, then, that prose is difficult.
> 
> Generally, in my experience, most writing is prose and poetry is actually the deviation from the norm that requires effort to construct. I'm wondering where you are that poetry is the norm and prose the deviation that requires effort.



It's easier to write a poem than it is a novel for no other reason than it is shorter.
Do you disagree?


----------



## Darkkin (Jul 16, 2018)

storiesandpages said:


> It's easier to write a poem than it is a novel for no other reason than it is shorter.
> Do you disagree?





Not necessarily...Poetry can be, and often is, much tricker to handle than straight up prose.  Length has little to do with it.  The normal brain thinks in prose.  Being the natural mindset, it requires much less conscious effort than poetry.  Poetry is the intricate steps of a dance it takes time and effort to learn.  If your only criteria going into the genre is length, you are in for a nasty surprise.  It's easier 'cause it's short is a load of BS.  Good poetry takes as much, if not more work than standard prose.  And from a writer's standpoint, I do both to an extensive degree.

Consider the difference between the construction of Frost's _Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening_ and this post.  Which do you think is harder?  Which took more time?  Can you write a rubaiyat merely because it is short?   What about villanelle, blank verse, sonnet, tercet, terza rima?  They're short, should be easy right?  Put the proof in the words.  Write my genre before you call it easy.

And when I said small, I meant short stories and flash fiction.  Word counts between 500 - 1000 words.  Because if one does not like poetry, leave the genre alone, it is not for everybody.  Calling it easy is a profound mistake many writers make.  There is power in its forms and verses, but if treated with indifference it will swallow a writer whole.

If it turns out writing is a hobby worth pursuing, start with what one knows.  Prose.  Keep it small to start.  RPG if you get a chance, it is a great tool for exploring storytelling and characteristation.  Once one is comfortable with basic prose, look into mediums like poetry.  Consider critiquing existing pieces before writing, just to get a sense of how verse works.  It is a totally different mindset than prose writing.

You want easy writing.  Twitter sums it up.


----------



## aj47 (Jul 16, 2018)

Pretty much what Darkkin says ... most tweets are prose.


----------



## storiesandpages (Jul 17, 2018)

astroannie said:


> Pretty much what Darkkin says ... most tweets are prose.



I am not diminishing poetry.
I suggested it would be a good place to start for someone who, by their admission, is just cutting their teeth. (poetry is where I started, after all) 
It's easy to write poetry.
It's easy to write anything.
It's easy to create anything.

It's very difficult to write something good, regardless of what you write, including even twitter.
It's very difficult to create something worthwhile, and I should know because I've been trying my whole life.


----------



## luckyscars (Jul 17, 2018)

Poetry is easier than prose in a basic form. It's a mathematical reality more than an artistic one. 

Since most poems are shorter than most prose pieces are it is easier to put together 50 words in a coherent, grammatically correct and meaningful way than it is 5,000. It is also typically a far smaller investment in time and money from the reader, who will adjust expectations accordingly: If I am buying a 500 page novel to read over the course of weeks I expect a payoff that is miles beyond what I would expect from any poem. For all these reasons I usually recommend somebody who has never written anything to try their hand at poetry, or even song lyrics, first. If they really do not enjoy that I would then look to a short essay/article/diary entry. Otherwise poetry is a great place to develop one's creativity and use of language and most people can, with practice, write a decent, readable, and grammatically correct poem. The same is less true for prose, unfortunately.

It must be said that writing truly great poetry, on the other hand, is extremely difficult, and possibly harder than writing great prose. In a poem you typically have a limited space and in which to say what needs said in a new and different way and must pay attention to meter and, where applicable, rhyme. A good novel can contain weak lines, weak chapters, even weak characters and still be enjoyable but an otherwise powerful poem can and frequently does die because of one badly engineered line or poorly selected word. A novel is a marathon, a poem a sprint. Neither is lesser in merit and such comparisons are pointless.


----------



## Phil Istine (Jul 17, 2018)

My view: Writing _anything_ well requires work.  A reader can sometimes be deceived into thinking that a piece was easy to write, purely because they found it easy to read.  However, the reason they found it easy to read is (usually) because the writer made it so for them.

As for the poetry angle:  I've found that constructing poetry has helped me with prose.  It has allowed me gain some understanding of why some prose works well - and some doesn't.  In a piece of prose where I wish the words and the story to flow well, I sometimes sneak in poetic devices where doing so won't sound contrived: things like ensuring words are placed in such a way as to ensure alternate heavy/light syllable stress (that's a simpler example - there are others).

I feel that my prose writing has improved due to tackling poetry - an unintended side effect.


----------



## Pete_C (Jul 17, 2018)

storiesandpages said:


> It's easier to write a poem than it is a novel for no other reason than it is shorter.
> Do you disagree?



I disagree. It's easier to write a shit poem than decent prose. It's easier to write shit prose than a decent poem. To write a good poem is difficult; I'd say it's more difficult than writing prose. What kills most people on a novel is the time needed. I'd rather turn out a 100K novel than a book of poetry.

A novel can be read, enjoyed and the reader moves on. A poem should haunt them forever.

Easy? Go ahead and haunt us all...


----------



## Darkkin (Jul 17, 2018)

Easier in basic form?  Look at a basic paragraph and say, a birhyme quatrain or sonnet...Which one do you think the brains of beginning writers are going to recognise?  Standard prose format!  It is the default setting of the brain because unless one deliberately seeks out poetry, it is not a format one comes across on a daily basis.  Do some full critiques on poems, line by line breakdown, see if it is as easy as some would have one believe.  Prose follows basic rules (grammmar and structure) established habits garnered over the course of general education, poetry does not.  Prose is more instinctual, inherent to one's voice. Poetry is as conscious as it is concise.    

 We often write as we read, which is why the better writers are often readers.  Immersion in one's elements.  You need functional prose to have functional poetry because poetry is the steeped essence of prose.  All the power and none of the weight.  Too often people think, ' Hey, I'm going to write a poem because it is short, it will be easy.'  When in reality, a writer is often looking at a 1:5 ratio in word choice capacity, sometimes even leaner, upwards of 1:7.  Succinct (I never remember how to spell that) word choice is not the forte of beginning writers and as such, poetry can be puzzling and ultimately frustrating to green writers.

If one has a partiality for the genre, then by all means start by writing poetry, but if someone is just starting out with writing, don't hand them a logic puzzle and say, 'Start here because this is easy.'  Work outward from what you like and know.  Decide if it is a hobby that seems worth pursuing, especially, if as the OP stated, it was something they hated during school.  Being a reader, does not a writer make, which is why I caution against calling poetry an easy start.


----------



## storiesandpages (Jul 17, 2018)

I disagree Darkkin.

If someone does not write and has not written much of anything, starting with whatever they happen to "like" is a fallacy. 
Because they might very well not know what they like to write.
Someone who has never tackled a writing assignment, first needs to crawl.

Rhyming, expanding vocabulary, learning how to select words carefully; all of these and more are learned from practicing with poetry.
And by poems being shorter (by virtue) it is easier to practice getting your writing legs with them.

No one honestly expects someone who has never written before to pick up a pen and be the next Robert Frost right away.
And so, the onus of poetry being difficult is not on them.
Poetry (and really any form of writing) can, and should, be easy for them before anything every truly becomes hard.


----------



## Darkkin (Jul 17, 2018)

Poetry is not a causal writing genre.  Rhymes are easy, forms are easy, until you need to find something to say, and in a way readers can relate to...Believe me, I critique more poetry than I write, so the workings of it are not a total mystery.  Good poetry takes time, it takes effort.  Not something many new writers are willing to commit to.  They write a poem (often thinking it is great), post it for the world to see, and a reader happens to post a critique.  Meltdown mode is a default for many green writers quite simply because they do not know what critique entails.  Poetry being an unforgiving genre, is the double down hit to a new writer's ego.  The paucity of content blatantly revealing errors.

Play around with it as an excercise, but calling decent poetry easy.  Nope.  As to starting with what one likes, how is opinion a fallacy, when it is neither right nor wrong.  Fault in the fundamentals of your argument.  Starting small, a writing exercise set in a genre one enjoys reading?  e.g.  A conversation between a dwarf and his reflection in an obsidian mirror, if someone happens to like fantasy.  How inpoint of fact is that a fallacy?  It is a workable example within a finite medium.  Start small, with established parameters, because you say poetry is small.  Bullshit.  Look at the genre.  Ever read _Rime of the Ancient Mariner_, _Beowulf, The Iliad, The Odyssey, Metamorphis, Leaves of Grass, The Song of Hiawatha?  _The list goes on...modern poets like Mary Oliver and Charles Bukowski.

Are new writers going to commit to fixed forms of poetry, chances are, in real world measures, no.  Take a look at the entry differences in the prose and poetry competition on this forum alone.  People think in prose, it is nature's default and when one starts writing, (while in possession of an understanding of the rudimentary works, grammar and punctuation), they write what they know and what they notice.


----------



## storiesandpages (Jul 17, 2018)

Darkkin said:


> Poetry is not a causal writing genre.  Rhymes are easy, forms are easy, until you need to find something to say, and in a way readers can relate to...Believe me, I critique more poetry than I write, so the workings of it are not a total mystery.  Good poetry takes time, it takes effort.  Not something many new writers are willing to commit to.  They write a poem (often thinking it is great), post it for the world to see, and a reader happens to post a critique.  Meltdown mode is a default for many green writers quite simply because they do not know what critique entails.  Poetry being an unforgiving genre, is the double down hit to a new writer's ego.  The paucity of content blatantly revealing errors.
> 
> Play around with it as an excercise, but calling decent poetry easy.  Nope.  As to starting with what one likes, how is opinion a fallacy, when itis neither right nor wrong.  Fault in the fundamentals of your argument.  Starting small, a writing exercise set in a genre one enjoys reading?  e.g.  A conversation between a dwarf and his reflection in an obsidian mirror, if someone happens to kike fantasy.  How inpoint of fact is that a fallacy?  It is a workable example within a finite medium.  Start small, with established parameters, because you say poetry is small.  Bullshit.  Look at the genre.  Ever read _Rime of the Ancient Mariner_, _Beowulf, The Iliad, The Odyssey, Metamorphis, Leaves of Grass, The Song of Hiawatha?  _The list goes on...modern poets like Mary Oliver and Charles Bukowski.
> 
> Are new writers going to commit to fixed forms of poetry, chances are, in real world measures, no.  Take a look at the entry differences in the prose and poetry competition on this forum alone.  People think in prose, it is nature's default and when one starts writing, (while in possession of an understanding of the rudimentary works, grammar and punctuation), they write what they know and what they notice.



As I stated before:

The onus of poetry being difficult is not on the new writer.
Maybe it's on you, but it's not on them.

It was my suggestion that they try their hand at poetry.
Your dissenting opinion that the barrier of entry for poetry is too high for the new writer is not one I share.


----------



## Terry D (Jul 17, 2018)

New writers should begin by writing what they like to read. It makes zero sense to for a beginner to think, "I've been reading military thrillers for years and now I want to write something of my own. I think I'll start with poetry." Actually, this isn't even advice that needs to be given. I think every writer naturally starts writing what they enjoy reading. I've never known anyone who decided, out of the blue, to become a writer with no idea of what sort of writing they intended to pursue.

If the OP wants to write poetry, jump in and start writing poetry. If she like novels, start a novel, and the same goes for short stories. Some of the worst advice I've ever heard was for a novice novelist to start by writing short stories. What's the point in that? Writers only get better by practicing their craft in whatever form they have chosen. A new writer will learn more about writing a novel by slogging through 80 pages of dreck, than by writing 8, ten-page short stories that will also be dreck. While there are many skills that crossover between most forms of writing; things like grammar, punctuation, sentence structure and the like, those can be improved as you write your chosen form as well as in any other manner. But there are specifics for each chosen form which can only be learned by the study and practice of that form. Why start out practicing on the drums if you want to be a guitarist?

My advice to the OP? Write what appeals to you. If it was a novel that first made you think, "I can do that!" then start a novel. If it's poetry which moves you, start writing poems. The same goes for short stories, essays, or even non-fiction. You are doing this because you love it -- write what you love. If you don't, what's the point?


----------



## Darkkin (Jul 17, 2018)

Write what you like, especially if it is a genre you like to read.  A specific interest is a step in the right direction.  If they like poetry, great, go for it.  What I dissented to was this.




storiesandpages said:


> Why not try starting out by writing poetry?
> 
> It's fun, quick, relatively simple, and easy.
> 
> It will help you flex your writing muscles and get loose, and I'll be honest, if you hate writing something as small as a poem you'll probably hate writing something longer like a novel or short story.



Start with poetry because it is small and easy, talk about thumbing one's nose at a genre.  Might as well call it a worksheet or warm up exercise, especially as the OP has given no context as to their prefence of genres.  If they like thrillers how is a quatrain poem going to help?  I work at a bookstore, one of the things I deal with is getting the right books in people's hands.  I ask for context before blindly saying, start here cause it looks easy.  It is a disservice to those asking for help and to those know a bit about their chosen discipline.


----------



## storiesandpages (Jul 17, 2018)

Darkkin said:


> Write what you like, especially if it is a genre you like to read.  A specific interest is a step in the right direction.  If they like poetry, great, go for it.  What I dissented to was this.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



The op asked for advice.
I gave it.

Sorry you didn't appreciate my advice but it wasn't meant for you.
Next time I'll be sure I don't offend your delicate sensibilities.

But don't tell me I'm thumbing my nose at anything, because you don't know me, at all.
Your pedestrian attitude is pedantic and snobbish.
I'd rather be wrong than be like you.


----------



## Darkkin (Jul 17, 2018)

So it's possible to be pedestrian and snobbish all at the same time, common and snooty, how exactly does that work, as the two adjectives cannot function logically within the same clause?  Their definitions cancel each other out.   Still trying to work out the logicstics on that.  And be sure to put in a call to Caeser's Legions they can help you build a bridge and get over it.  :encouragement:


As to telling someone without context of their writing preference to start with poetry, that is like googling stomach cramps and deciding that someone is suffering from dysentry or appendicitis without more information. (Both possibilities, but it is assumption, nothing more. )No context, but start here because it is easy!  Read the OP again, all they asked was should they write, not where to start or what to write.  There is that whole context thing again.  Started with poetry, huh, then context should not be an issue...

Anyway, start small, the writing exercises are a good way to go.  Write what you like, favourite genres (poetry, fantasy, thriller, gardening or birds if it's your thing), totally writer's choice and decide if it feels right.  Experiment and build on what you know.

Cheers.


----------



## Phil Istine (Jul 17, 2018)

BoardKitty said:


> Hello! I've never really written before. I actually hated doing it for school. But I've been really into books for a couple years now and I'm interested in trying out writing. I've started with a few writing prompts and I'd love to get feedback on whether or not this is something I should continue to pursue.



By all means experiment to find out if writing is for you.
Sometimes, things that are hated in a classroom environment can be quite liberating when school is over.
Only you can say whether you should continue with writing; for some it is an irresistible calling, for others it's something that they slowly grow into through life.

Once you have reached ten posts you can post shortish pieces (maximum 2 per 24 hours) in the prose workshop area, or other appropriate place, and people will probably post critique or other comments about them.  To help you reach that post count, maybe make a few comments on others' work or join in with the discussions.  There is also Literary Manoeuvres once a month where you can enter a writing challenge and there are poetry challenges for all levels of ability.

I look forward to seeing your work.


----------



## Phil Istine (Jul 18, 2018)

*MODERATOR NOTE:

Please let's keep the focus on assisting the new member.
If anyone wants to squabble, there are private messages or the ignore feature.

Or better still, desist.

It has been necessary to remove a post in this thread.  I don't want to have to remove any more or to close this thread down.

Thanks, guys.
*


----------



## bazz cargo (Jul 22, 2018)

Hello BoardKitty,
welcome to the forum. Please forgive the mild outbreak of pedantry, it is a by-product of WF family life, and make no mistake if you stick around long enough you will be adopted.
Creative and reportage writing is a drug, an obsession. One that is good for you. So is dance, pottery and all else, (although someone is bound to know an exception).

Advice on an easy place to start? Hmmm.... https://www.writingforums.com/forums/7-The-Living-Areas
Play and dabbling in witty banter. Just exercise those creative mind muscles, build a little perspective, develop a duck's back.
Good luck
BC


----------



## luckyscars (Jul 22, 2018)

Terry D said:


> New writers should begin by writing what they like to read. It makes zero sense to for a beginner to think, "I've been reading military thrillers for years and now I want to write something of my own. I think I'll start with poetry." Actually, this isn't even advice that needs to be given. I think every writer naturally starts writing what they enjoy reading. I've never known anyone who decided, out of the blue, to become a writer with no idea of what sort of writing they intended to pursue.
> 
> If the OP wants to write poetry, jump in and start writing poetry. If she like novels, start a novel, and the same goes for short stories. Some of the worst advice I've ever heard was for a novice novelist to start by writing short stories. What's the point in that? Writers only get better by practicing their craft in whatever form they have chosen. A new writer will learn more about writing a novel by slogging through 80 pages of dreck, than by writing 8, ten-page short stories that will also be dreck. While there are many skills that crossover between most forms of writing; things like grammar, punctuation, sentence structure and the like, those can be improved as you write your chosen form as well as in any other manner. But there are specifics for each chosen form which can only be learned by the study and practice of that form. Why start out practicing on the drums if you want to be a guitarist?
> 
> My advice to the OP? Write what appeals to you. If it was a novel that first made you think, "I can do that!" then start a novel. If it's poetry which moves you, start writing poems. The same goes for short stories, essays, or even non-fiction. You are doing this because you love it -- write what you love. If you don't, what's the point?



Eloquently put, however I do not think this is necessarily true in real terms. Not for all writers and perhaps not for the original poster. So with that in mind, some thoughts...

I agree that most writers do not start writing with no idea of what to write. However I would counter that with stating that I do not think many start writing with a clear idea of what to write either. I do think most (not all) beginner writers are fairly malleable in terms of genres, styles, themes and mediums. It seems to me many, if not most, beginner writers are of child/adolescent/early-post adolescent age and I believe most young people are fairly eclectic (some might say fickle) in terms of what they enjoy.

When I was young and beginning to think about trying my hand at writing something, I certainly do not recall having any particularly strong passions nor prejudices. My priorities were simply finding something that I (1) Was recognized as legitimate writing (2) That I could do (3) Wasn't going to put a dent in my fragile sense of masculinity and (4) Was ideally going to help me impress girls at some point. That was the sum of it. Interest wise I liked Star Wars, medieval knights, James Bond, Jaws, Walt Whitman, Gothic literature, space aliens and just anything with explosions and guns. I could gravitate from "I wanna write a military thriller" one moment to "I wanna write about how sad I am" the next. In short, I had no direction. 

Not wishing to dwell on my own experience, I just did a quick browse of this forum. Judging by many threads, I see many presumably-new writers with similar versions of literary schizophrenia as what I had: People who are creating threads with several entirely different ideas and no clue where to start and, probably, nothing written. On this basis I am unsure if "writing what you like to read", however sensible and reasonable, is applicable in the case of Johnny Shall-I-Write-About-Vampires-Or-Shall-I-Write-About-Ninja-Detectives.

I think the main goal when you have never attempted any kind of creative writing before is simply to practice _writing_. It need not be interest that drives this early on: There's no reason why one cannot be motivated by expediency when it comes to developing a new skill. A guitar player who wants to play classical guitar is not wasting his or her time by starting out learning rock 'n' roll power chords. I do not write poetry now, have not for years, and honestly have no desire to write it ever again AND YET for several pimply years I was A Poet: Poems - terrible poems - were perfect for me at that age because I lacked the discipline and work ethic and, dare I say it, interest needed to write anything that took more than one sitting. The thought of writing a whole page, never mind several, made me despair. I never thought I could do it. I would fall in love with an idea one day and hate it and everything close to it by the next. I imagine if I had tried to write anything more than poetry back then I would have ended up miserable.

 Poetry for me was a kind of advanced scrabble, a way to experiment with the sound of words, with metaphor, with building sharp little lines -- skills that I still use now. More than that, poetry was a way to create a finished product that I could share with an audience (though seldom did) and nurture self-confidence. In short, it was a play pen. A bunny hill. Looking back, I was never serious about being a real poet and read very little poetry. Yet it is thanks to poetry, thanks to the handful of people who read my poems and pretended to like them, that I was able to garner the confidence and fundamental writing skills needed to feel able to progress once I discovered exactly what I really liked.

I want to reiterate at this point I do not mean any of the above to be dismissive of poetry. As mentioned, I have the utmost respect for great poetry and do not think my rudimentary haikus and sonnets of yesteryear are in the same league as grown-up poems_. _Again, my point is simply that poetry benefits from a shorter length and an easier learning curve than a multi-page story; that the absence of need for plot and character development, the focus on abstract language, the intimacy, accessibility and immediacy of poetry makes for an excellent gateway for many young writers. 

Finally *writing is writing. *This is especially true at the entry-level stage. Saying "what's the point in starting out by writing short stories if you want to write a novel?" is strange advice, not least because we know most great contemporary novelists start out as successful short story writers. We can assume this is likely in part because a short story is nowhere near as psychologically daunting for a beginner. I read "start writing  novels if you want to be a novelist" as analogous to a climbing instructor saying "If you want to be a mountaineer there's no point wasting time learning how to belay on climbing wall when you could fly out to Annapurna and give a real mountain a shot." That kind of advice may work for some people, but it will NOT work for all.


----------



## QuixoteDelMar (Jul 22, 2018)

In my experience, the tricky part of writing - for n00bs and L337s alike, is just the actual act of writing. My advice would be to just sit down and write. Don't worry about what it is you're writing just yet. Go with the first impulse. Brilliance rarely dribbles out in the first words you put down - everything else comes from experience and experimentation, but getting the knack for putting words to Word? That's a skill you should pick up early.


----------

