The Things Every Writer Needs to Hear

Introduction - @sarsar14

So hello everybody, sarsar14 here! On behalf of all the writers contributing to this book, I want to thank you for picking it up.

Now if you're a writer, like me, you know how hard it is sometimes to sit down and write. You write a little bit, read it over, grimace, hit delete, and start again. It's pretty much a writer's life.

It's even worse when you hit that publish button and you get zilch reads. Or a few reads and no votes. No votes, comments, nothing! It's enough to drive you raving mad! Four reads and no votes and you're like:

"WHAT DID I DO WRONG???"

Other than freaking out and writing with caps lock on, nothing really. You can't force people to vote or comment. Maybe your book isn't the one they were looking for.

Need some encouragement to keep going? Inspiration or helpful tips? Well, you've come to the right place.

These writers are, well, writers. Just like you. We struggle with writers block, not getting as many votes as we'd like, and with just plain writing, just like you. Some may have more experience, some may be beginners. Some may have ten thousand reads and some may have ten. But it doesn't matter. We all have some encouragement to give. And we're giving it to you.

So sit back, relax, and read on. Maybe take notes because I know that these writers have some helpful advice and tips.

And who to start first but yours truly?

Let's see... I started writing when I was pretty young, about seven or eight. At that time, I had wanted to be a painter. Let's just say it didn't take long for me to realize that my talent was not with charcoal or paint, but with words.

Now, I'm not saying that I'm a great writer. I'm not even good. I mess up a lot. I struggle with concentration; it is, like, my worst enemy. I can't concentrate on ANYTHING, be it school, writing, memorization, etc. Reading, yeah. One of the only things I can really concentrate on. That and sleep. I could sleep forever.

Slightly going off topic here (SEE???)...

What I'm saying is we all have talent. We are here, on Wattpad, to show off that talent. Some of us are published authors. Some of us are fifteen year olds (like yours truly) who are on here trying to bloom in a garden full of flowers, each one struggling to stand out from all the others. It's hard to get noticed on Wattpad. Some people don't get noticed at all and end up fading into the background, their dreams crushed because no one took the time to help or notice them.

Dreams are fragile. They're clipped down as easily as flowers. We're on Wattpad to encourage each other! So... why aren't we?

Hate threads, mostly about fanfics and clichés, are popping up a lot around here, getting bashed down by administrators who are trying to keep the peace. Can you imagine if those hate threads were about the books you write?

How about your very own book?

Sure, some books are overused and cliché. Lots of them are fanfics about the same old celebrities or the same old famous books like the Hunger Games or Percy Jackson books. Lots of them have Mary Sues; lots of them have clichés so bad they make your teeth grate. So what?

Yeah, you heard me. So what?

Behind every book; behind every story, is an author trying to express their feelings through the lives of the characters they create. It isn't our right to talk them down with our words because their writing isn't up to par.

'Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.' Whoever said this obviously hasn't lived life. It is one of the biggest lies I've heard.

Words hurt. They freaking hurt, guys. On Wattpad, that's all we have: words. Use them wisely. Use them for encouragement. To lift others up. To help them. To make them smile. Use your words to change a life.

Hold on. I'm not done.

Guys! Stop already with tearing yourselves down! It isn't always other's words that can ruin your writing career. Some people take care of that themselves with their self-hate words. They write something, look it over, and berate themselves because they think that it's horrible. You can't do that. If you're going to be a writer, you can't bad talk yourself. You wouldn't get anything done! You'd keep beating yourself up because you thought it was bad.

Read your words like they're gold. Hey, you wrote them! They can't be anything but gold, because they came from you! You have the ability to write, so do it!

Sure, haters are gonna hate. Heart breakers are gonna break. But you just have to shake it off. Ignore people who call your writing worthless. It isn't.

But (big but here guys), acknowledge those who are trying to help. Accept criticism and deal with it. No one should be giving out destructive criticism, but (another big one) you shouldn't be taking constructive criticism as destructive. Learn to understand the difference. You got to take it, accept it, and manage.

Writing encouragement is kinda hard to do without rambling.

I could go one pretty much for forever, but I should really let the others here put in their share too. Speaking of the others, we have quite a few volunteers! Can I hear some applause? Yeah? Yeah!

If you'd like to contribute to this encouragement book, don't be afraid to PM me! But (another big one) this is only for encouragement. I won't accept any people bad mouthing anyone, and any swears will be removed from your entry (meaning just don't use them, thanks).

I'd also like to add that I can't; and won't, take credit for any of the votes on this book. Unless it's a chapter that I wrote, like this one, I cannot receive any credit for the votes. They belong to the ones who helped me with this book and only them, not me. Just another HUGE thanks to everyone who agreed to help with this. Any and all votes belong to you.

So, yeah. That's about it for my chapter. Why don't you mosey on over to the next one? We've got some tasty tidbits for you all, folks, and you don't want to miss them!

KEEP WRITING EVERYONE!

sarsar14