Simply write

I wonder if you know about Robert Louis Stevenson. He lived in Edinburgh in the nineteenth century. His grandfather and his father designed and built lighthouses around the coast of Scotland. Young Robert wanted to build books, not lighthouses. But, if you think about it, a good book is a kind of lighthouse.

Robert’s family didn’t understand him. They thought he was lazy. They said he was wasting his time. Robert Louis Stevenson knew better.

He was learning to write. He always carried two books with him, one book to read and one book to write in. He said that it wasn’t important what he wrote, the fact was, he was learning how to do it.

So, be like him and simply write.

Notice things. Notice everything – how the trees look etched against the sky, for instance, how puddles look when the sun shines after it’s been raining. Notice how people look, the things they say. Note it all down. I keep notebooks all over the house. I write down words other people have written. I write down things about my life too. It might not mean much at the time but it’s amazing what you can pull from it later. I know a girl who makes a scrap book when she goes on holiday. It’s fun to look back on. You can take photographs, but it’s not the same as putting things into words.

Do you write straight on to a computer? Or would you rather chose a really special notebook and write with a pen?

It doesn’t matter either way. The main thing is to write.

Work with words – and learn how to make words work for you.

photo:© Steve Degenhardt - Fotolia.com