Learn to write from the masters

Learn to write from the masters

VINOD EKBOTE

READ TO WRITE: Autobiographies and memoirs give you an insight into lives of great people. PHOTO: H. VIBHU

If you aspire to be a writer but lack guidance and encouragement then you are not alone. A lot of people who want to become writers experience this problem. They are racked by doubts and insecurities about their talents. Many give up even before they have started because they have nobody to turn to for inspiration. Here is some practical advice that will help you.

Beginners need answers to questions like "How To Write" and more importantly, `"What To Write". Not all of us have access to published writers who can answer all our queries. Writing teachers are almost non-existent in our schools and colleges. Not many can spare that much time and effort to patiently guide us.

Read, read, read

An important lesson experienced writers give to beginners is to read as much as possible. While this is sound advice, it takes a long time to find and learn from the right books. Plus, most textbooks on writing are dry and academic in tone. They teach the craft of writing but lack the personal touch. There's an easy way to find mentors who can inspire as well as teach you to write.

One simple and effective way is to read the autobiographies and memoirs by writers. Such books give interesting accounts of their careers. Many writers have written books on how and when they started writing, the inspiration for their stories and their struggles to get published. Such books form an invaluable source of inspiration to all aspiring writers looking for a role model or a mentor. This way you can have access to not one but many masters. You can learn from the writers' mistakes and avoid them yourself. You experience the writer's pain and pleasure of writing. You can be inspired by their struggles to become writers. You can learn how the writers honed their craft and get invaluable insights into the writer's mind. Such books often are the best way to learn to write.

Look for:

Here are a few tips on how to learn from such books:

Read and reread: Read the books or specific chapters on advice as often as you can. It helps you to internalise the advice.

Make notes: Write down important rules or advice about writing and refer to these notes as often as you can when writing.

One rule at a time: Before you start to write your story or article, pick one rule or piece of advice and try to follow it until you learn it. For example, one common advice is to write in the active voice. So follow this rule.

Be patient: One can't learn to write in a day. Keep on writing until you get the hang of it.

But Write, Write, Write!

Some recommendations:

On Writing by Stephen King
Summing Up by Somerset Maugham
A Writer's Note Book by Somerset Maugham
One Writer's Beginnings by Eudora Welty
A Writer's Life by Virginia Woolfe
Myself When Young by Daphne du Maurier
The Rebecca Notebook by Daphne du Maurier
A Sort of Life by Graham Greene
Ways of Escape by Graham Greene
Journal Of A Novel by John Steinbeck
Working Days by John Steinbeck
Agatha Christie - An Autobiography
A Michener Miscellany by James A. Michener
The Imaginary Girlfriend by John Irving
How to Write by Stephen Leacock
My Several Worlds by Pearl S. Buck