We’ve already got some how-tos on writing novels and blogs so I now put in some supplemental tips and ideas on writing. Remember, writing is a discipline. You develop your skills in time. There’s not better tip than to write and write. The following are tips to help you get started.

• Write what you know

  A fictionist/poet friend of mine and I once had this long discussion on what topic should you write. Exploring issues that are way out of your experiences can be difficult. You might have to research on a lot of things. Sure, there’s a lot of room to be imaginative and creative. But at least you have to get some plain facts right. Imagine a virgin writing erotica. Get it?

• Topics can be hit or miss

  There’s no topic that are innately good or bad. No topic is guaranteed to make your work popular or great. But unique ideas and creative ways of expressing them surely can. It’s in the writer’s creativity and skill that makes something imagined or something ordinary so interesting. It’s amazing how people can write about a ballpoint pen and make it interesting.

• Don’t limit yourself to popular topics

  So everyone’s writing fantasy so you’ll jump into the fantasy bandwagon too. Explore genres. Not all writers are built or can be trained to write fiction or poetry. You may want to concentrate on feature writing or even creative non-fiction (essays, biographies…)

• Write what you like

  It’s hard to sustain interest in writing when you don’t like the topic yourself. If your own writing bores you, chances are, it would also be boring for other readers. Remember, some works take days, weeks, months, or years to finish. If you find it laborious to even finish a page and feel really bored, drop the topic. Try to find out new ideas.

• Make things meaningful

  Now you don’t want your writing to be meaningless. You don’t want to waste other people’s time with some meaningless writing. In that process, you’ve wasted your time too. Always have a message to tell.