STARTING TO WRITE – Lesson 1: Preparing to write

Welcome to the Starting to Write Course. Thank you for at least taking a look at it.

The aim of this Course is to get you writing and reading with energy, to help you avoid some painful mistakes, and to show you how you can rapidly improve your short stories.

I always tell my students two things:

There are no short cuts.

but

There are no wasted hours. 

So, let’s begin.

What do you need to start writing?

Well, you’re looking at these words on some kind of phone or computer – and you could use that. But for lots of reasons, I believe it’s better to write with pen or pencil on A4/US Letter paper. At least for nothing drafts.

I’m calling them ‘nothing drafts’ rather than ‘first drafts’ because they’re not even as finished as first drafts. They are just something you write, when you begin a…