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Chapter 12: Get Real

Nobody becomes Ernest Hemingway overnight, not even Ernest Hemingway.

Style is fundamental to the person doing the writing. Trying to adopt someone else's style is like wearing a toupee. It might look good in passing, but on closer inspection, it doesn't look right.

Adopting someone else's style is normal and many writers start by doing that. You hope to be that good some day. However, when you do that you lose what makes you unique. And the reader will notice. The reader wants the writer who is talking to him to be authentic. As a result, to become a great writer, you must be you.

This is also the most difficult rule to follow, because it requires you to do two things that you don't feel capable of in the beginning: to relax and to have confidence.

How do you do that? To start, understand that you are not alone. Every writer has good days and bad days. Some days I want to rip my hair out. Some days I can't stop the flow. You will have days that go better, and days don't. Join the writing club.

Writers seem to think that the beginning of a piece has to be ornate and fancy. However, what's most important is that you are using your authentic voice. Every good story contains a moment after which things can never be the same again. As Lee Gutkind says, "A reader doesn't want to hear what you have to say. A reader wants to hear a story you have to tell."

Just remember to look at the world with an open eye and share your experience. It truly is that simple, even when we want to make it more difficult.

My Rules for Writers

To wrap things up, I'm going to give you my seven rules for writers:

Write without stopping.

Write with no limits. Allow the creative part of you room to explore.

Write from the heart. Tell the story, don't explain. See the difference in these two examples: Explanation: I reached for the light switch and turned the light on. Story: My hand felt in the dark around the corner of the door jam, fumbling for the light switch. Flipping the switch illuminated the expansive room with a penetrating light.

Write your truth. If you believe it, be clear in your writing.

Write in stream-of-consciousness. Don't worry about grammar, punctuation, etc. You'll have time to revise later. And, that's why God made editors.

Don't worry about what the first draft looks like. It's been said that Ernest Hemingway changed one of the sentences in the Fisherman and the Sea a hundred times. The creativity process is dynamic, and no two days are alike.

Don't be afraid to tell the truth. The most powerful writing is the type that goes to the heart of the matter. If you write from fear, you will never have the effect you would when you write from fearlessness.