You have decided you would like to write but are unsure where or how to begin. Or maybe you don’t think you will be any good at it so don’t want to bother someone like me in case you end up embarrassing yourself?

Well, let me tell you right from the start you will not embarrass yourself by talking to me. That’s not to say that you might not come across someone else who will be a bit off-putting or negative towards your enquiry. In most cases authors are, as long as time permits, always willing to share their experiences with new writers. However, there are exceptions but, unfortunately, there is little you can do about them. As my daughter would say, you have to ‘suck it up, don’t get upset, swallow the rejection, and just move on.’ Besides, if you are going to become an author then you will quickly need to learn how to grow a thick skin as rejection is all part of the job.

The one thing I have learnt over my lifetime, and during the last 35 plus years in this industry in particular, is that genuine people will be generous with their time and knowledge. The art is not to abuse their generosity but to show your appreciation for it. And remember, ‘paying forward,’ makes for a wonderful mantra in life.

So, back to my original point as to whether or not you are sure if you would be any good at writing?

Well why wouldn’t you? If you have a reasonably good knowledge of the language in which you speak and write, then just write.

However, if you are still wondering if writing is for you then why not try entering a few writing competitions. Short stories or poetry competitions are usually the easiest ones to enter. But do try as many different styles as you can as it will give experience in writing different genres and styles.

The writing experience will also show you which genre suits you best. Whether it’s poetry or writing stories that is your thing. And don’t forget, you never know, you might just win. Now wouldn’t that be a boost to your writing ego.

Entering writing competitions gives you lots of writing practice and are the first steps on your writing journey.

So how do you go about  doing this. Well, there are quite a number of competitions held throughout the year. Some offer big prizes, some are just small ones, while others are just for fun. The way to discover these is to search the Internet using ‘writing competitions’ as your search enquiry. You could also search for short story writing competitions, or poetry competitions etc.  Always remember to read the terms of entry carefully and please follow all the rules, including hitting the deadline.

Recently Mentoring Writers launched their 2023 Writing Competition. Entry is free and is open to anyone, of any age, whether already a writer or not. You can enter as many times as you like. There are rules regards the the type of story to be written, number of words, and the subject matter it has to be based on. The winners will be included in an Anthology of Short Stories Book to be published later in 2023.  Each winner will receive a copy of the book and a free FirstWriter Voucher. As the deadline for entries is 30th March 2023 you have plenty of time to write so, why not have a go.

All details can be found at www.mentoringwriters.co.uk Check out the link on the front page of the website. Or you can email contact@mentoringwriters.co.uk placing Competition 2023 in the subject line and we will email a copy of the details to you.

In the meantime:

Please remember all writers had to start somewhere. We all had to take that first step into the unknown writing world. If you choose to join us please make sure you come prepared to work your socks off  but also please keep your expectations within reasonable limits. And if you would like a chat with me as a Writers Mentor then you can also check that out on the Mentoring Writers website or again email for details.

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