Writing, like any other artistic or creative undertaking, is far from an exact science. We ain’t masters of the game. We don’t have a special rulebook. But we do know a thing or two about writing that’s helped us out from time to time. And here’s where we share our secret voodoo methods with you!


Never Give Up, Never Surrender

You’ve though it. I’ve thought it. It’s too hard. I can’t do this. I don’t even know where to begin. I don’t know where this is going. I’ve never done anything like this.

When you write it’s easy to let these little questions, these nagging doubts, deter you from actually getting anything done. Getting over these doubts was the hardest thing I had to do when I finally decided that I wanted to pursue writing seriously. It wasn’t until I realized that I’d never get anything done if I kept listening to these doubts that I finally got over them and started getting down to business. The best thing a writer can do to get past the writer’s block is just to write. Keep writing. Even if you know it’s crap you just have to keep going.

When I wrote my first issue of Twilight it was the first full comic script I’d ever written. I had no idea what I was doing. I had a good idea, thanks to Twilight co-creator Aaron Hall having slightly more experience and confidence in writing scripts. Still, it’s one thing knowing what a comic script is supposed to look like and actually writing one yourself. But I did it. I pushed through. And I got it done. After all, I realized, I could always go back and fix what was broken. It’s gotten significantly easier with each comic script I write.

Then when I wrote my first short story, the doubts came jumping at me again. But I ignored them as best as I could and pushed on. Again when I first tackled writing a weekly article, the doubts came around. And reviews for comics, for music and movies. The doubts were there. Because every time I try something new, writing a script, a weekly column, reviews, I’m jumping headlong into something I have absolutely no experience with. But I pressed on and just wrote.

How else could I figure out how to do it? No amount of reading about how to do something, nor asking others how they do it, will teach half of what you need to know. Nothing is as valuable as experience. And you can’t gain that experience unless you learn how to press past your doubts and fears of failure and just get the bloody thing done.

Remember, if you never try then automatically you fail. So shut those doubts out and write. If you really can’t get anywhere with what you’re writing move on to something else, another story, another article, whatever. Then come back to what you were writing before and try again.

We learn by doing. And we do by trying.