Writing Tips #1

It occurs to me that since I'm rather proficient at the whole writing thing, it would be beneficial to give out some tips on how to write.  After all, it can't hurt to get advice from a totally unproven amateur, right?  No way this could possibly go wrong. 

Anyway, now that I've inspired the proper amount of confidence, let's get to it.  One of the most important things for a writer to do is to, you know, write.  It's all well and good to be talented naturally, but you'll never improve unless you practice.  I'll be honest, this blog is as much a writing exercise as it is anything else.  Writing a few hundred words every day will help you enormously, because you'll be getting better.

What if you're not specifically a writer?  Obviously that advice doesn't do you much good if you don't want to make a living off of your writing.  So, let's say you're writing a paper for a class, and you have no idea where to start?  You're not a writer at heart, so any sort of extensive essay gives you fits.  However, if you really can't get started, it is actually beneficial to do a similar thing as above.  Just start writing down anything that comes to mind, and eventually you'll figure out exactly what you want to say.  Granted, you'll need to do some editing, but it beats staring at a blank computer screen for hours on end, wondering where to begin.  Trust me, we've all been there.