The beginning writer should adopt a formula and use it to the maximum effect. That’s the only way to access her deepest wells of power and creativity. That’s the way to find her own style. If that approach was good enough for Shakespeare, it’s good enough for anyone. The good news for the apprentice is that this approach is achievable with discipline and honesty. These two aspects (1) hard work and (2) honesty will take the writer to the very edge of her potential. Remember that Winston Churchill, a man of enormous dignity and accomplishment, wrote that “the price of greatness is responsibility”.
The truth is that well-defined written goals concerning your writing career and the ability to take action despite the negative voices in your head are the most important tools to succeed. So, her first task is to shut out the voices of doubt and failure. We must hold to our values, and be clear about them. Successful people say there is a “quiet magic” in the act of writing goals. And what about the voice? The voice is simply performance anxiety. It is imperative to be aware it lies. One must remember that a moment of “failure” will even come to the greatest artist. Do not fear failure, since it is just another step in the overall process of life. The moment of failure is absolutely predictable. The sense of loss is the human condition that accompanies all effort. Mentors teach that the only way we know how far we can go is by going too far. Stick to that advice. Shape your attitudes to accomplish your goals.
The writer must feel the urge to communicate information or emotion. And try to find her unique answers to the most important questions on human existence. The golden rule in writing is that originality emerges from structure. All around the world there are great similarities in the stories people tell. No matter where you go in the world! This pattern may be the “plot structure” that also applies to our stories and our lives. There is a plot structure for stories and essays. I strongly suggest seeking out this approach for writing. For example, the cultural anthropologist Joseph Campbell found sets of recurring myths patterns which are explained in his bestseller “The Hero’s Journey”. Since the process of writing can be oftentimes confusing and frustrating a structure can give you a clear path to accomplish this challenge task.