For more on the subject, see: http://www.iuniverse.com/Resources/Writing-Editing/20WritingTipsfrom12FictionAuthors.aspx
It is strange how the slightest thing can motivate one to write. As a junior in high school, we had an assignment to write a some-thousand word piece imitating one of our favorite authors. I chose to write a story about a boy visiting a lighthouse and being mentored by an old keeper. I thought it was junk by the time I finished, but I had to turn it in; it was an assignment.
It turns out the teacher submitted all of the class papers in a contest and I was awarded 3rd place for fiction. My author was Ernest Hemingway.
Well, to say the least, I was amazed. It wasn't as bad as I thought and it hadn't been that hellish to write. I had no confidence, and that made turning it in a huge problem.
So from there I decided to investigate journalism. I became the assistant editor of my high school newspaper and learned a lot. I enjoyed extremely the trips to the print shop to sit and make sure no mistakes were made, and if they were, correct them. My knack seemed to be writing interesting tidbits to fill unsightly spaces at the end of columns. As I also ran on the school cross-country team, I wrote about that since I had a birds-eye view of the events.
These seem to be small things, but they lend to one's experience, and thus, confidence. By the end of high school, I figured that having writing as a continued goal wasn't necessarily a bad idea.
It turns out the teacher submitted all of the class papers in a contest and I was awarded 3rd place for fiction. My author was Ernest Hemingway.
Well, to say the least, I was amazed. It wasn't as bad as I thought and it hadn't been that hellish to write. I had no confidence, and that made turning it in a huge problem.
So from there I decided to investigate journalism. I became the assistant editor of my high school newspaper and learned a lot. I enjoyed extremely the trips to the print shop to sit and make sure no mistakes were made, and if they were, correct them. My knack seemed to be writing interesting tidbits to fill unsightly spaces at the end of columns. As I also ran on the school cross-country team, I wrote about that since I had a birds-eye view of the events.
These seem to be small things, but they lend to one's experience, and thus, confidence. By the end of high school, I figured that having writing as a continued goal wasn't necessarily a bad idea.
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