Corner Chat: Things That Helped
Shape Me As A Writer
By Darryl Wood
As a writer, I’ve learned so many things over time. First, is that imagination is everything. A story won’t be great without it. Each
story needs to tell a tale somehow or get to that point that has the reader’s eyes are jumping page to page and craving more of
what you have to say as writer. That’s the number one thing you want, is to keep your audience pleased. If you have a great
imagination while writing a story, then your readers will have the same imagination as they read on. It’s not an easy task; I won’t
deny that, but it can be fun at the same time. Why not enjoy expressing yourself creatively?
Another way I have learned to help my flow of writing is to read works from some of my favorite authors. After reading and
learning that authors love for literature, you could than learn a love for writing your own. Taking notes on what you want to say
before typing or actually writing it can help also. Everywhere I go; along with my laptop is a note pad or composition notebook,
complete with a pen to capture ideas before they slip my memory. If carrying a note pad is too much, then there are plenty of
apps on iPhones and Androids that act can aid you in taking down notes. These are tools that are needed all the time, being that
you never know when an idea will strike you.
One thing I stand by is, never second-guess yourself. Not all ideas are bad and most can fit somewhere into a story as you go
along. With many of the stories I have worked on, I’ve thrown away a lot of ideas that others thought were good. They decided
to use the story I did not, for themselves. That showed me not second-guess or throw any notes away. Now I just archive them
and save them to add to other stories down the road.
When I write a story, I will ask a good friend to let me read it to them or just ask them to read it and give me their opinions.
Constructive criticism from a close friend or relative can make you a stronger writer. I would rather hear the opinion of someone
close to me as I prepare a story to go out on the market. The public and the consumer can be your biggest critic so start at home
by asking the ones closest to you to read your work. The hardest thing for me to develop in my writing was characters; Learning
their moods, emotions and especially their dialogue. What I began to do was watch the everyday average person and develop
characters from them. That is where the best ideas come from for me. Always follow your creative mind, no matter what.
Dar