Those who know me know that I've had a passion for writing since I was young. Personally, I was more intrigued by the creative writing process at first, which probably resulted from my vast imagination as a child. My enjoyment for academic writing didn't come until much later, but I am glad to say that I love the challenge that comes with doing a research paper. Despite the love that I have for it, I know how difficult writing can be. Here, I will present some useful tips for you to use in regards to building your skill and confidence as a writer. These are things that I've learned over several years and I've found that they all seem to work for me in some way or another. Keep in mind that I am not a professional writer by any means. I'm still learning myself and am constantly looking for new ways to better myself. I just want this advice to be something that you can look at as a starting point, but you must be willing to learn new things in your own way as well!

I don't want to make this article too long, so this is only the first half of the list of tips that I came up with. The second half will come next week, so stay tuned for that as well!

1. You have to start from somewhere.

Let's face it, the first draft is never going to be the best. You can't let that stop you though! Pick the point in your paper or story that you are most confident in starting from and begin from there. If you get into a mindset that the first draft has to be perfect, you are only setting yourself up for failure. Beginning the writing process may be intimidating, but don't allow that to hold you off from starting.

2. Don't be afraid to get inspired by the styles of other writers.

Stephen King is one of my favorite authors. When I began writing creatively, I often referred to his style as inspiration and I've continued that strategy throughout the years with different writers. This is not something that you want to do with the intention of copying the writer's styles completely. Instead, this tactic can be used to help you develop your own unique style.

3. Make sure to have an interesting beginning.

This can be helpful in both creative and academic writing. If the beginning isn't interesting, readers may lose focus right from the very start. A great way to keep a story appealing is to have a first sentence that grabs someone's attention. In regards to a formal paper, interesting facts, statistics, or descriptions of events can allow readers to understand your topic more thoroughly.

4. Read.

Reading is one of the most important things that a writer can do. Not only does reading allow for one to get inspired, doing so also enhances understanding of languages and new topics. As Stephen King once said, if you don't have time to read, then you don't have the time or tools to write. I cannot stress enough how important it is for anyone to read. No matter what ambitions you have for your future, books are tools that will provide insight to the knowledge that you need.

5. Always keep working at it. Don't just write whenever inspiration strikes once in a while.

Someone once told me that there is a huge difference between the artist that only produces a piece when inspiration strikes and the artist that is always working, no matter what. I actually never thought of that before, but it is so true. In order to improve your skills in writing, you have to keep doing it. Writers block can be a bully. However, it is possible to get through that feeling. Jot down little notes, even if they seem pointless at the time for they may come in handy later. Don't let fear stop you from writing because once you stop, I promise, it is hard to get back to doing it again.

6. Don't compare yourself to other writers too often.

We are all guilty of comparing ourselves to others. This can occur in so many ways, whether it be body image, talent, success, intelligence, etc. The same applies to a writer's style and capability. Someone may say that your writing is comparable to that of a famous author that you may like. Of course, it is fine to take that as a compliment. However, you can't keep yourself awake at night wondering if you'll ever be good enough to be as successful as famous writers. You have to take a moment to realize that you are a unique individual with a specific style and perspective. Guess what? Every writer is! Do not tell yourself that, just because your writing may not be up to par with where you want it to be, means that you will never be successful. I promise you that it will be as long as you are willing to work at it.

7. EDIT, EDIT, EDIT!

Did I mention that you should edit? In all seriousness, the editing process is a writer's life-saver. Remember how I said that the first draft is usually not the best? Well, that's where the magical word of "editing" comes into play. What are some tips to this process? Proofreading is a big deal. Believe me, you'd be surprised how many tiny mistakes that you'll miss while typing up any draft of a paper. Reading the paper out loud after it is finished is also extremely helpful when trying to discover mistakes. This forces you to say every word that you had written out loud, thus allowing you to notice some things that weren't written clearly. If you begin to notice that you are jumbling words around, it probably means that what you wrote could be rephrased. In addition to this, have others read your paper too. They may even pick up on things that you still missed and they can offer some advice based on their knowledge, ability, and perspective. Another thing that has really helped me is to print out your paper and make annotated notes on what you could change. I find that doing that type of process by hand is more helpful for remembering mistakes so that you don't continue to make them again. This may all sound daunting, but depending on your school, you may have the option to meet with a teacher, professor, or advisor to come up with an editing session. That way, you may sit with a mentor and have a one-on-one discussion about what you could do better. I highly advise you to take courses specifically designed to teach you the rules of editing as well. Some courses involve peer-edit workshops which can benefit not only the other people you are working with, but yourself as well. If you understand the flaws to point out in other peoples papers, it will make it much easier to edit your on work as well.

8. Keep an open mind.

You are most familiar with the things that go on in your daily life right? Nothing wrong with that. Unless you have traveled the world or study different cultures for a living, it may be difficult to pinpoint what makes one society unique when compared to another. Keeping an open mind means that you should consider all types of possibilities for stories or papers that you write. Don't stick to one theme just because it is what you are used to. Branch out! Explore new topics. Consider every type of reader that may come across your work, no matter how old they are, what gender they may be, what belief system they have, or what social status they fall into. Words provide endless opportunities so I suggest that you use them wisely.

9. Set aside at least fifteen minutes a day to write.

A professor once advised me to do this and it really helps a lot! When writing so many papers for school, it can be difficult to sit down and get myself to write things for my own enjoyment. Not that I dislike working on academic papers, but they can be stressful sometimes. There are times when I want to write just to allow myself to unwind and relax. Taking some time every day to write, even if it is just for fifteen minutes, not only allows me to have some relaxation time, but it keeps me writing. In fact, before I started writing for The Odyssey, I barely had any inspiration at all. Having something that I know I have to write for every week keeps me going. I'm still trying to perfect my time management skills, though sometimes I can go a bit overboard. Most times, I don't know when to call a quits. So, even though I usually end up writing papers for much longer than fifteen minutes a day, I often use that time frame as a way to tell myself to take breaks.

10. Show don't just tell.

This is something for the story writers out there. I learned this in a creative writing class and it makes a huge difference. My creative writing teacher used to explain that "the bigger the issue, the smaller you write." What does this mean? It really just ties in with the whole concept of showing verses telling. Say that you write a short story exhibiting a character who is going through cancer treatments. What is the big issue in that story? The cancer. But writing "smaller" means that you want to be descriptive enough in your story so that you don't even have to use the word "cancer" for the reader to understand what kind of treatment the patient is going through. This is the beauty of showing. If you were to tell your reader flat out that the patient had cancer, the story may not be as interesting. Could it still work as a story? Sure. But being descriptive is really important if you want to improve your creative writing skills. This doesn't mean that you have to show everything though. Both showing and telling are fine if used the right way. Another example is the famous six word short story that is attributed to Ernest Hemingway: For sale, baby shoes, never worn. Just from those six words, readers can decipher that this story is likely to be about a baby that had died during childbirth or soon after. Does the story mention anything about death though? No. This shows that to write about death, you don't necessarily need to include that word in order for other people to understand.

11. Say what you mean and mean what you say.

I don't recall ever writing about something that supported something that I knew I was completely against. That would be a struggle for me mainly because, as a writer, I believe that I should stay true to what I believe in. Don't use writing as an enabler for you to express some sort of false opinion. You have the right to express how you feel so you should be truthful to others by remaining true to yourself. Every word that you write should have a specific, strong purpose. If not, it is just fluff.

12. Expect and accept constructive criticism.

It is inevitable for someone to critique your work and say, "this just doesn't work," or "that needs to be changed." If you take that advice in a way that makes you believe that whoever critiqued your work hates you and is out to ruin your chances as a writer, you need to stop and re-evaluate your life. Anyone who critiques your work is doing it in an attempt to help you in some way or another. Accepting advice on how to make your paper better is a key step to gaining confidence and pushing away fear that may come with the writing process. If you really believe that someone's suggestions weren't accurate, don't complain about it. Instead, just get another person's opinion.

13. Go back and read your older work.

I used to hate doing this. Recently, I've been forcing myself to try and read my old work more often. This is more of a confidence booster more than anything else. It allows me to remember where I once was in regards to my writing skill and compare that to where I am now. I have grown so much over the years as a writer and I couldn't have become so successful without the teachers I have had who guided me. I can't wait to see how much my style will change within another few years!

14. Write for yourself first and foremost.

You may be thinking that I'm crazy, I know. Who wants to consider writing a paper for school as something to do for yourself? (Well, other than me at least because I don't mind it.) But trust me, whether you love writing or you hate it, allow yourself to view the process as something that will benefit you in some way. I know that it may seem that everything you do in school is done strictly to please your teachers, parents, or professors. But, if you allow yourself to view your growth in the skill level that you have, you may be surprised at how much confidence that can bring you. This is also meant to encourage you to write about what you are interested in. Trust me, the writing process is much more stressful if you decide to take on a topic that you find completely boring.

15. Keep notes of ideas that you think of as soon as they come to mind.

I really need to get better at doing this myself. There have been so many times when I wished that I had written down some random idea that popped into my head but I didn't. It may be helpful to keep a notebook with you. If you don't want to do that, you can always type out notes on your phone. Doing this prevents writers block, especially for story tellers. It is also useful for formal papers as well though, for it will allow you to strengthen any argument that you have to make in a paper much more easily.

16. In academic papers, try to avoid using the word/s "proof / proves" unless you can cite it.

I am still guilty of doing this and sometimes I don't even realize it. Unless you have a Ph.D. or a citation that explicitly states that one thing proves the results of another, using such a word can be too strong. I think it is understandable why so many students use these words when trying to explain their reasoning for it is just something that easily pops into everyone's minds. Writing an argument paper isn't about forcing someone to take your side, rather, it is simply trying to get readers to consider the point you are trying to make. Try to remain as neutral as you possibly can when referring back to the evidence that you found.