First off, let me just say congratulations. You have entered the world of written creativity, frequent frustration, and rare relief. That may not sound fun, but trust me, you have to really like writing to be a writer. Perhaps this article is also reaching veteran writers, the people who have been doing it since they were little and often spend their days either cringing at their old stories or trying really hard to continue a story idea in their head. Rock on.

Of course, there are different kinds of writers with different sets of skills and often, some of those writers cross fields and test out a variety of writing fields from creative to technical to editorial. However, no matter which one a writer chooses, he or she is still a writer regardless of the type.

We all have struggles and we all want to warn new writers of them: getting a sudden idea for a story, opening up google docs, and then immediately forgetting it or maybe simply being unable to transfer your idea from thought to written word or even struggling to finish a novel that you know can have a chance. That’s not even mentioning the individual struggles unique to a writer’s mind and personality.

I know that my fellow veteran writers know of these things, so for all intents and purposes, I will now address the new writers who have yet to blossom (of course, I do know that no matter how long one has been writing, there is always more blossoming and improving to do)... from one writer to another.

Regardless of how you began your writing career, new writer, you’ve begun nonetheless. You’re going to have days when quite a few ideas pop into your head like the creative vessel you are, but you’re also going to have days when you feel like knocking your head against the wall because you have no idea what to write about. I get it. Writer’s block is awful.

There are different ways to combat writer’s block (in fact, I have a whole article about it), but it’s different for everyone so I’d suggest just trying all suggested strategies until you find the one that best suits you.

Being a writer means that not only are you consumed in your work, but you are also careful with who you give rough drafts and ideas too. Written pieces always start off rough (hence the term “rough draft”) and anyone would feel self-conscious about that, but with trusted eyes acting as editors, it will get better. You could even be your own editor too. However, you are your greatest critic and sometimes you feel like ripping your hair out when a certain plot point or detail you chose doesn’t end up working and now you have to change it. Back to the drawing board, you go…

All these points I’m bringing up don’t exactly sound inviting to you as a new writer, but trust me, there are good things that happen in the writing world.

Being a writer means feeling the ultimate relief when you finally finish a piece, whatever that piece may be. Being a writer means feeling that surge of pride when you finally connect the dots and make a story or article work out the way you wanted to. Writing is as much about entertainment as it is about helping or informing and if that is successful for you, it is the best feeling.

So, to all my new writers, keeping writing and do it every day because that’s the only way you will get better. You don’t have to write complicated stories every day to practice either (unless you want to). Keep a journal, write a thought down on a word document, jot down a quick short story or poem. Anything.