Writers Life | Three Simple Tips When Starting Out

It’s taken a tragedy in my life to finally encourage me to share my writing publicly.

I have always loved words but my musings on paper have always remained within the covers of my journals.

Then my life was turned completely upside down and my words on paper took on deeper significance.

My husband passed away quite suddenly and as I navigated the fog of grief that became my existence, I began to hear the words others spoke about growing older. I would hear phrases like: “Ageing sucks.” Or “Who wants to grow old?”

And I would think: My husband would. My husband would love to be here growing old with me, watching our children grow up into adults.

I found people’s reactions to ageing confronting.

At the same time, I was deeply grateful for the love and kindnesses that were shown toward my children and me. And I began to notice that this gratefulness brought healing in its wake.

I started to do a little research on the benefits of gratefulness and discovered that there have been many scientific and clinical papers written on the effects of gratitude on the psyche and our general wellbeing. This meant that I wasn’t imagining it – my grateful heart really was assisting me to heal.

Excitement and a genuine desire to share this propelled me into writing in order to share what I had found so beneficial – that choosing to view life through the lens of thankfulness enabled me to live differently, even though my situation hadn’t changed. I was still widowed but instead of becoming bitter about all that was lost to me, I am deeply grateful for all that I had with my husband.

My focus turned to enabling others to use this lens in their ageing journey. Ageing is inevitable and in fact is part of the gift of a long life. It doesn’t mean we won’t suffer disappointments and trials because the older we get the more likely we are to face them. However, using a grateful lens to view everything can help us deal with whatever crosses our path.

It is this passion that has led me to begin writing seriously and sharing my words publicly. As a new blogger, I am finding that being driven by the desire to empower others with what I have learned through experience, helps to overcome any imposter syndrome. My communication isn’t about me but about sharing any wisdom I have acquired though overcoming and thriving.

I am very fortunate to have writing friends who encourage me, offer me feedback and help me prioritise my time to include writing on a regular basis.

So, these are three simple tips I have found useful, that I would like to share with new writers unsure of how to begin:

• Share your passion.
• Surround yourself with other writers whose opinion you trust.
• Schedule your writing into your daily timetable.

What strategies have you found most useful in your writing journey?