By Michael Rad / Published on December 29th, 2007 / Writing
Before I go further with what I intend to convey in this article, I would like to make a few things clear. There are many sorts of writers: Romance Writers, Fantasy Writers, Mystery Writers, Erotica Writers, etc. And of course, Copywriters and Journalists. Writers belonging to these categories have to constantly keep in their minds for what sort of readers they are writing. I don't mean to portray them as lesser writers, but they are basically catering to the concept of "demand and supply", and they are basically writing for money. You may ask: what's wrong in that? Nothing. I myself offer my writing services to those who are willing to pay.
Personally I believe, if you want to excel in the field of writing, you have to see yourself beyond such peripheries of categories and markets. I often find myself saying, "Writers write for themselves, readers read them if they like them." Some say the statement is arrogant, but I couldn't care less.
You can't write well if you are always worrying about your readers. An aim of every worthy writer is to communicate in his own style, and still be able to communicate.
The first step in this direction is, to believe that you are right, without running into the quicksand conceit. I have gone through this useless phase of vanity and it was the most unproductive period of my life as a writer. A writer never writes on pre-drawn lines. He/she always defines and creates a unique style, and if that style carries valid originality, there is a miniscule chance of it being rejected by readers.
You have to be passionate about your writing even if it sounds ritualistic. Stay away from affectations just to please your readers. The passion always comes through your words, your phrases, your full stops and commas. This is a wonderful thing about words. They exactly convey the way you feel no matter how adeptly you try to convey something else.
Remember that it's you who are the conveyor of your ideas, not some other writer you are trying to emulate. If they are your thoughts, then they have to be manifested in your words.
Some writers keep waiting for the right moment. Believe me, this is the biggest hurdle a writer faces. What's the difference between "normal" people and highly successful people? Normal people wait for the opportunity, or if they are lucky, they stumble into an opportunity. On the other hand, successful people either create opportunities of their own, or they keep working without getting bothered about opportunities - for them, even smaller chances turn into bigger opportunities. So keep writing without waiting for inspiration, or the "right moment". Keep writing, keep writing, and keep writing. For example, when I started working on this article, my brain felt like a stone. I'm down with flue, cold and cough. I slipped in the bathroom a few days back so all my joints are dancing a witch-dance of pain. When I decided to write this article, I felt a strange revulsion for my computer screen and my keyboard. I felt like I can never write and I'm not supposed to write. Every individual word felt like a drag. But then I told myself, "Heck I can write whenever I want to!"
I'm writing, and I don't know how this article is going to turn up. I'm writing this for myself. I have decided that I have to write today.
The best way to write is, let yourself loose. Immerse yourself in the subject. Get rid of inhibitions. Never let negative thoughts enter your mind. Above all, be sincere with yourself. It's only you who knows who you are and where you stand.
Amrit Hallan is a freelance copywriter, writer and a web developer. He also writes pages that are optimized for search engine rankings. Checkout his site, and read more of his writings at http://www.amrithallan.com