[stylist] What I Did Last Summer

[Chris Kuell]

Hey Jim,

You know what they say about opinions, but here's mine anyway.

Quite simply - write. Don't worry about whether it's good or not. Don't 
worry about form or style or voice. To begin the process, do exactly what 
you did in grade school and talk about what you did last summer.

Then take a step back, and make sure your sentences are clear. If they sound 
clunky, rewrite them. In the case of stories, pay attention to a beginning, 
a middle, and an end, and make sure you have them. But don't sweat it too 
much. Have fun. Writing prompts are actually a great way to help get ideas 
flowing. I bet I have at least 2 dozen completed short stories which began 
as writing prompts.

The second thing to do, which you probably already do, is read. Read the 
types of novels you most enjoy, articles that strike a chord with you, poems 
that make you think--wow. You don't have to pay too much attention to voice 
or style or paragraphing or dialogue--just read, and you'll begin to absorb 
some of those things naturally. In time you'll want to read books on craft 
and pay closer attention to how the greats do it, but as a beginner, my 
suggestion is to not get bogged down with trying to be too good, or else 
you'll never get anything done. Rule number one is to have fun, to enjoy the 
process. Don't worry about whether or not it's any good for now. The more 
you write, I can guarantee you, the better you'll get at it.

chris