| Recently, I have had conversations with several | | | | 5. Take writing classes. |
| people who expressed interest in writing books | | | | 6. Practice with writing prompts. |
| but lack writing skills. From those discussions, I | | | | 7. Find a writing mentor or coach. |
| noticed three categories that aspiring authors fall | | | | Group 2: People who don't want to write, but |
| into. First, there are the people who want to write | | | | want to tell their stories |
| but lack skills. Then, there are people who clearly | | | | With advancements in technology, following are |
| have stories in them, but don't want to write. | | | | ways stories can be told without much writing. |
| They may have skills, but are not willing to put | | | | |
| pen to paper. The last groups are people who | | | | 1. Voice recognition software |
| don't like to write because they lack skills. | | | | 2. Digital voice recorders. NOT tape recorders! |
| Instead of discouraging them from fulfilling their | | | | 3. Ghost writers (hire us!) |
| dreams of being authors and sharing themselves | | | | Group 3: People who don't like to write because |
| with the world, I provided the following tips to | | | | they lack skills |
| each individual group to get them started on their | | | | I would give the same advice to this group as I |
| writing journey. | | | | did Group 2. However, I would encourage them to |
| Group 1: People who want to write but lack skills | | | | journal. Writing in a journal would not only help |
| | | | build writing skills, it would also build their |
| 1. Start writing and don't worry about grammar, | | | | confidence and possibly be the start of another |
| spelling or syntax initially. | | | | book. |
| 2. Read everything even if it's just a license plate | | | | Just because people lack writing skills does not |
| or billboard. | | | | mean they cannot add "author" to their list of |
| 3. Refresh grammar and punctuation skills by | | | | credentials. Just be mindful of the tips above and |
| reading, writing and practicing. | | | | a published book is sure to follow. |
| 4. Listen to how people speak. | | | | |