Teaghan.Writes on how to Write as a Beginner

Writing has become a pastime for many during the lockdown last year. One of our very own Her Campus writers, Teaghan, has taken to bringing her writing to social media for friends, family & strangers to read! We sat down with her to talk all about how she got started, what types of writing she likes, and where to find the motivation to start off writing ourselves!

Find some of her work @Teaghan.writes

HCuOttawa: What is your personal favourite style of writing? (Poetry, short stories, fiction, non-fiction, etc.)

Teaghan: My favourite style of writing definitely varies depending on my mood. Some days I enjoy writing fiction because it’s a great way to push myself to be more imaginative than I usually am, and it gets me away from real-life issues when I need a break. On days that I’m less motivated, poetry is my go-to; it’s so quick and easy, and it helps me to get brief thoughts out of my head without me feeling like I need to develop them a ton (like I’d need to for fiction, for instance). When it comes to reading other writers’ work, I’m willing to read just about any style! It can sometimes take me a bit of time to adjust to some peoples’ writing styles, but I have a lot of appreciation for everyone in a creative field. I love trying to piece together what was going through someone’s head when they decided to write a certain story or create a given piece of art, regardless of style. 

HCuOttawa: What inspired you to start writing? 

Teaghan: I’m honestly not quite sure. My mom has told me that I used to read and write a lot as a child (I even wrote a little story and read it to my class when I was in kindergarten, haha), and she was fully convinced that I’d become a writer. I quite stubbornly disagreed, because I never saw myself as someone who was creative enough to be able to produce content consistently. Also, I’ve never been fond of writing deadlines – I love writing when it’s on my own time and terms, but when there’s a restriction imposed (like a deadline, criteria, etc.), I feel super pressured and frustrated – I feel like this is how most people in creative fields feel, based on the other creators I’ve spoken to, lol. This being said, I used to procrastinate often and wasn’t keen on deadlines at all. But now that I’ve learned to procrastinate less, I’m able to produce work at a more efficient rate and writing doesn’t feel as stressful anymore. On a somewhat unrelated note, I’ve always felt like writing is my calling. It feels very natural to me, and I get really excited when I come up with ideas for articles, poems, or otherwise, and I never get tired of studying it – I guess that’s a sign I’m headed in the right direction, lol. 

HCuOttawa: What would you say to people who want to start writing but don’t know how to?

Teaghan: Unless you’re fully illiterate (in which case you likely won’t be reading this article), you know how to write, trust me. You may not know how to write the way you’d like to, but that’s where the practice comes in: if you want to be a writer, it is imperative that you read and write as often as you possibly can. It seems so ridiculously simple, but this really is the way to improve. You’ll pick up new sentence structures and vocabulary as you read, and you’ll have a chance to test them out when you’re writing. If you’re not sure what to write about – which is something I struggle with often, so please please please don’t get discouraged – there are so many ways to find writing prompts that align with your desired writing style. Indigo has a bunch of books with writing prompts, but there are also fun online writing communities like Reedsy, that post weekly writing prompts and hosts writing contests!

HCuOttawa: What is your favourite piece of writing/author (in any style)?

Teaghan: Whoa, this is HARD. I can’t possibly choose one, so here are a few of my favourites (in no particular order):

• The Help by Kathryn Stockett
• The Institute by Stephen King 
• Grief & Loss & Love & Sex by Lara Margaret Marjerrison
• Anything written by the lovely @kelsey.nichole.brooks and Emma Jull (@emmersonsdiary)

HCuOttawa: How do you motivate yourself to write?

Teaghan: First off, I need to be honest: finding the motivation to write can be SUPER hard. Like, ridiculously hard. There have been countless times where I’ve needed to write but couldn’t bring myself to; I would do literally anything but write. However, now that I’m trying to make a name for myself in the writing world, I put a lot more pressure on myself to try my best to write frequently… As I mentioned in my “How to Become a Better Writer in 6 Simple Steps” article, you really should be reading and writing quite often if you’re hoping to improve your craft. I’d feel silly not practicing what I (and so many other writers) preach, so I really try to push myself to write when I have time, and I’ll read to get myself into a writing mindset if all else fails. Don’t get me wrong though, it isn’t always a challenge to find the motivation to write; I’ve had days where my brain is in writing mode all day, and I have to keep a pen and paper nearby to catch every other thought that pops into it, haha. Those are definitely the easier writing days though. 

HCuOttawa: Do you have some tips and tricks about writing the perfect piece?

Teaghan: This is a super interesting question! Honestly, I think the meaning of a ‘perfect piece’ is subjective and will vary depending on your writing style, theme, and overall preferences. For me, I don’t think the concept of a ‘perfect piece’ even exists – I’m somewhat of a perfectionist, so no matter how much I revise or ‘perfect’ a piece there will always be something that I feel I could improve (after all, your writing will improve as you grow and improve your craft, so what you once considered to be ‘perfect’ could perhaps be your worst work in a few years – no pressure, lol). That being said, I think the best kind of writing (or art of any form really), is the kind that’s real and shows vulnerability. In my opinion, the easiest way to accomplish this is to write your thoughts as they appear in your mind; don’t worry about perfecting the grammar or syntax right off the bat, just focus on the thoughts and how they appear and then on translating that onto your page with as few additions as possible (you can always add things later!). I actually read in Stephen King’s “On Writing” that you should always go with the first word that pops into your mind, even if ‘better’, more complicated synonyms of it exist. After all, there’s a reason your mind went to that specific word. Similarly, when I write my first draft, I punctuate it as the rhythm in my mind says I should; if my brain takes a pause, I insert a comma. Simple as that. No matter what you write, you’ll always have the option to revise afterwards, so as a first draft, always focus on just getting those thoughts out! 

HCuOttawa: What inspires you to write?

Teaghan: Reading really great writing. It might seem a bit basic, but the second thought I have (right after “Wow, this is amazingly written!”) after reading anything really good is “I wish I could write like that”. Sometimes I’ll have moments of inspiration where a thought will pop into my head and I just know I need to write about it, but these moments are few and far between when I have too many things going on in my head to begin with (sooooo many responsibilities!)

HCuOttawa: Do you listen to music while you write? If so, do you have a favourite writing playlist?

Teaghan: It really depends on my mood; if I’m having a hard time coming up with what to write and needing to focus, I won’t have music playing because I feel like it interferes with the flow of my thoughts. I have written with music playing quietly in the background before, especially when I write for long periods of time (I think I’d go insane listening to nothing but my keyboard clacking along for hours at a time!) However, when I do listen to music while writing, I typically put on a playlist of songs that I already know because as I mentioned briefly before, I have such a huge appreciation for artists/creators and their work, and if I listen to music that I haven’t already heard before, I find myself focusing more on the song itself and the lyrics than on what I’m trying to get done. A way around this though is to listen to instrumental/lofi music so the lyrics aren’t as distracting; there are a ton of really great lofi playlists on Spotify, so check them out if you need the ~vibes~ but not the distraction like me, lol!

Who else feels like they can jump right into writing after reading this interview? Because I sure do!