When it came to advice for writing, I’ve always been set. Starting in grade seven, I set my sights on being a writer. Then later going into grade 10, I traveled to Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY for a non-credit Summer program focused on creative writing. Now I’m in college and more uncertain about my former dream job. I want to try new things and dedicate my time to learning different subjects like law and jurisprudence. With this in mind, here is the advice I’d give to other aspiring writers.

The advice I would immediately give anyone who expressed an interest in writing is to try and keep a journal. Now note that I said “try.” I, myself, have never been able to keep writing in one so don’t feel bad if you can’t. Just try. American author, Joan Didion, wrote a whole piece entitled “On Keeping a Notebook” it’s worth a read, believe me. I won’t bore you with the details, instead I’ll leave you with Didion’s words; “… the point of my keeping a notebook has never been, nor is it now, to have an accurate factual record of what I have been doing or thinking...How it felt to me: that is getting closer to the truth about a notebook.” In essence, writing serves to make sense of life but more importantly it must make sense for the writer.

I admit the hardest thing about writing is starting. Do your best to get writing and ignore the critics in your head. If you get it all down, you can always fix it later or change your mind about the topic or plot. As the author Anne Lamott wrote in her book “Bird by Bird,” “…the only way I can get anything written at all is to write really, really shitty first drafts.” All in all, starting is the hardest part so take it one step at a time.

Obviously, there is so much more advice that can be given and has been given but I cannot include them all. Therefore, to any aspiring writer I would say “You need to explore and write for yourself.”