by Dr. Diana Stout

I watch a lot of writer interviews and have seen how they’re asked these questions just as I’ve been asked:

Why do you write?

Where do you get your ideas?

How did you get started?

These questions sound simple enough, expressing curiosity, but they point directly to the heart of creativity, purpose, and the courage it takes to put words on the page and being open to criticism. Our answers open doorways into a mysterious, seemingly secret creative life, and where within our answers the questioner is wondering if they have the courage to be a writer, too.

How Did I Get Started?

Unlike so many authors who say they started writing stories when they were young, in the beginning, I had no such desire. I was a rabid reader.

Instead, I wrote diaries and journals, mostly to vent, but I wrote about interests, desires, and observations, too. Then, I began turning these observations into essays because I wanted to share, and I wanted a byline. More importantly, I wanted a voice. I was young and felt like a nobody, totally unseen and without a voice. Surely, I wasn’t the only one experiencing these things.

As my bylines began stacking up in newspaper and magazines, my confidence as a writer grew. I wanted to write books like those I was reading: romance, thrillers, and various nonfiction.

Also, I wanted the fame of publication and the fortune these writers had. I assumed they had nice incomes to go along with that fame.

I had a lot to learn on that score.

As disappointing as it was in the beginning to learn that many writers didn’t have the income, I thrived within the creativity. I joined writing groups and enjoyed the camaraderie. As editors and publisher wrote comments at the bottom of rejections, telling me they liked my voice and to submit again, I was encouraged to keep writing.

I was close to acceptance and publication for a long time. So, I refused to give up, knowing that one day I would publish a book, and 14 years after writing my first book, I did.

I wrote in different genres, following submission requests and contests. My body of work kept piling up. Most of it was unpublished, but I was placing and winning awards.

Where Do I Get My Ideas?

In the beginning, I followed the adage of write what you know. My early topics were essays and articles about marriage, raising kids, and life in general. Today, my nonfiction books are based on what I taught both in online writing communities and in the university classroom, from fiction and nonfiction both long and short, to creative and business writing, time management, and how to reach your goals.

With fiction, the ideas come from everywhere and anywhere:

• Dreams
• Conversations overheard
• News headlines
• Talk shows
• Social media posts—including the comments
• Reading
• True events and history
• Regular TV programs
• Interviews

Often, ideas come to me in the silence as I rarely have TV or music playing in the background. Another place where ideas appear out of nowhere is when I’m in the shower.

Once I have the initial spark of an idea, I create a fire of What if? scenarios of danger, secrets, desires, and anger or revenge motivation.

An initial idea can start with a character and their impossible desire or as a plot that begs to be deepened in exploration.

The secret is writing all ideas down immediately. One, so as not to forget them, and two, so that the ideas can flow freely rather than damming up in my head. I could live to be 200 and still not have time enough to write out the ideas I’ve collected so far.

Why Do I Write?

Looking back, in the beginning I was searching not only for fame and fortune, but searching for myself, as well. In finding myself, I found a tiny bit of fame, but I’m still waiting on the fortune; it’s coming.

Some writers get lucky and find their true genre right away. My journey took me across the genres, which allowed me to use the techniques of one genre with another. As a result, I became a better writer. While I’ve always been a solid non-fiction writer, finding my fiction genre has taken longer to uncover. After more than five decades of writing, I’m excited that I have finally discovered it’s psychological thrillers. Recently, on another blog website, I wrote, “From Romance to Thrillers – Why I Changed Genres.”

I write every day and look forward to my designated write-in Zoom time with other writers. I write because I enjoy the process and enjoy helping other writers. It’s like Christmas when opening boxes of newly printed books that I’ve written.

How Can You Get Started?

What I tell every new writer and writers who are stuck: Just write.

Don’t overthink, don’t question, just write. Get your thoughts out of your head and on paper, regardless of the project, topic, or what’s required. It’s okay to create messy first drafts.

Write what you like to read. Experiment with it all: descriptions, taglines, dialogue, etc. My first fiction drafts are usually nothing but pure dialogue. Descriptions and emotions, along with action tags, are layered in with subsequent drafts. Find a process that works for you.

Writing is about the rewriting. Writing is like throwing words on the pottery wheel. You’re shaping and molding it into a recognizable format as a story or essay. Yes, all writing has structure. Not sure what that structure is? Read published examples. Read the genre you’re writing. Read the how-to books. Listen to other writers. Join online writing groups. Join critic groups.

No writer’s journey is the same. It’s about finding what works for you. Enjoy the journey. Create your own path or as Ralph Waldo Emerson would say: Go where there is no path.

No doubt, sometime in the future, someone will be asking you these same questions about how you got started.

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About Dr. Diana:

An award-winning writer in multiple genres across multiple media, Diana is a screenwriter, author, blogger, writing coach, and indie publisher through her production company, Sharpened Pencils Productions.

An award-winning writer in multiple genres across multiple media, Diana is a screenwriter, author, blogger, writing coach, and indie publisher through her production company, Sharpened Pencils Productions.

She recently published her first thriller, Harbor House: Deadly Intentions, a gripping split-time psychological paranormal of two women separated by a century yet bound by peril, legacy, and the haunting secrets of Harbor House Island.

Currently, she's completing a time management book to add to her Finding Your Fire series and has 2026 plans for a historical true story based on a mid-1800 event, another thriller, rewriting a couple scripts, and breathing life into what she calls her Nicholas Sparks novel.

Featured image from Pixabay.