Remember when you were a young child? When every new skill or concept introduced to you was completely foreign?
As early-stage developed children, we have no associative network to learn rapidly or have natural abilities in new fields based off previously learned skills in other fields. We are, in essence, as helpless as helpless gets. We all recall these moments. Our young minds will observe others do a task, and then we, still as young children, will attempt to that task ourselves, only to find that we have no ability to complete said task. Many of us in the journalism department -- or more broadly, us amateur writers -- often times feel this way. Well, to whole-heartedly reassure you, you are not alone in this I'm-in-over-my-head feeling of helplessness in the craft of writing and reporting. My advice for you is rather brief, but to fortify your confidence, here is my advice on starting out your writing career.
To begin, absolutely don't be afraid to bet on yourself. As a writer, these circumstances will come about early and often. Most publications or websites won't actively seek you out to write for them; you need to come forth yourself. Amateur writers must be willing and able to put themselves out there, and be ready for some constructive and sometimes not-so-constructive criticism on their writing.
Additionally, don't take any criticism too personally. As a writer of any skill level, this can be the hardest part of your profession. Your writing is your own personal, cognitively developed work. When someone openly critiques your personal thoughts on paper, it can be hard to take lightly. Just remember that the only way to get better at this is to accept these times as moments of growth. Nobody is naturally great at writing when they first start out; in fact, many developmental studies have shown that writing is the last true cognitive, school-related skill to develop. This craft takes time, and sometimes a little kick in the butt to improve upon. Michael Jordan wasn't born the greatest basketball player of his time. He worked for it.
And just like Michael Jordan infamously being cut from his high school's basketball team, it's important as a writer not to quit early. Whether you're the new guy at a publication or magazine or perhaps just starting up your own blog, you're going to have to fight to be heard right away. You need an audience to garner recognition, and that audience doesn't materialize out of thin air. For some, you need to find your niche. What topic or areas are you personally qualified to write on? Or maybe you have a specific style that really resonates with people. For myself, I wrote as sarcastically as I possibly could, because I heard my own voice in it. It gave me an element that readers could recognize me for. It was something I could do well and still develop. I could grow with this specific trait and become better and stylized as a result.
My last piece of advice is to check outside influences at the door. When you sit down at your desk or your favorite coffee shop to hash out a new article or a new story, you want it to be straight from your own mind, your own thoughts. When you let others integrate their opinions into your work, the end result is a muddled scattershot of two or more brains. Yes, the age-old saying goes “two brains are better than one," but that saying clearly wasn't intended for us amateur, upstart writers of the world. When you're honest with what's on your mind -- what you, personally, are thinking about -- that's when your writing will be at its best. It will show right away.
Beyond all of my advice, learn as you go. The road to readership is paved in mistakes. Chances are you won't find your niche right away, and there will certainly be times where your lack of an early audience will get the better of you. Most of us are still at that phase. Remember to always persevere as the young child learns through countless mistakes. If you can make it from diapers, you can make it as a writer.
