How to Become a Writer
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
By Laurie Lamson
As soon as I learned how to read, I wanted to be a writer. But long after film school, I was still stopped by fear my writing wasn’t good enough.
Finally, in desperation, I took a City College creative writing class. The teacher said we’d do assignments, read our work in small groups, then to the whole class. I for sure wouldn’t be doing that.
He said he’d give personal comments and suggestions, but no critiques - his goal was getting us writing. After the first class, I sat on the steps outside and cried with relief. This was the compassionate teacher I needed. That class changed my life. And it wasn’t easy, but by the end I did read to the whole group.
A few insights from this teacher:
If you’re called to write, ‘just do it’ – get in the habit. The words will flow more and more easily.
You need to protect your time and space to write. People often take, “I’m writing,” as an invite to interrupt: ‘Oh good, you’re not doing anything important.’
Every time you write, even journaling, your consciousness changes – something from your unconscious is incorporated organically.
You don’t need permission to explore challenging or "taboo" topics. You don’t have to share your writing, and you can always edit later.
I’ve also learned that when you’re in the habit of writing freely, creative ideas emerge naturally. You become more self-aware and coherent. Cognitive dissonance is reduced, so critical thinking improves.
There’s plenty of writing that doesn't require drama, but if you want to craft your creative gems into a transformational story, you’ll need to understand dramatic storytelling.
In summary, a dramatic narrative shares – in an entertaining, playful or intense way – how and why a character (or you the storyteller) pursued a goal, and what got in the way. The more challenging and meaningful the goal for this particular character, the more dramatic. Those are the story details.
Through pursuing the goal, the character or storyteller eventually has a revelation about a blind spot, which gives them a hard-won life lesson that inspires them to change an attitude and/or behavior. This is the theme or universal moral of the story, like "Do unto others."
The more specific the details of the story, the more believable it is, and the more effective at conveying the theme in a visceral, non-preachy way.
By going on the journey with the character, we the reader/audience can get the same life lesson. Storytelling can help humanity evolve; that’s why I see it as a sacred art.
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