A Guide for Aspiring Authors

In order to be a writer, one must form a writing habit. Pick a dedicated time in your schedule where you write. It does not matter how long you write for or what time you select. The key is consistency. Building this habit requires you to take yourself, and your writing seriously.

I recently attended an event at Chapter’s Bookstore, hosted by the Romantic Novels Association, a professional body dedicated to raising the prestige of romantic fiction. At the event, the association’s chair and director, Seána Talbot, spoke about the importance of respecting your desire to write as much as your other commitments.

For students, this might look like setting deadlines for your writing goals just as you would with your assignments, or informing your roommates that you need some quiet time in the same way you do when you study. 

Build a community:

It can be much easier to motivate yourself to do something when you belong to a group with the same interests or goals. If you are not in a literature or creative writing degree, this can be harder to find as a student. That said writing groups you can join as a student still exist. 

UCD Lit Soc hosts regular writing sessions where students from all courses can come together to write and share their work with others. Volunteering with organisations such as Fighting Words also gives access to events with other writing and literature enthusiasts. This is a great way to meet people with the same interests and sometimes  network with others from the industry.

To read the full article on universityobserver.ie, click here