Apologies if you’ve already seen this on Facebook!

1. Park your bum on a chair and WRITE! Pen and paper or keyboard, your choice
2. Read a lot: magazines, books, journals, books, cereal packets, books,
3. Join a friendly, supportive creative writing group (see below)
4. Do more writing (ahem, that’s what writers do)
5. Read some more: books, newspapers, books, filmscripts, books, stories on-line, books
6. Mix with people who get it – ignore the detractors (what do they know anyway?)
7. Keep going, write every day if you can. Get good by practicing
8. If you want to be a writer but you’re not enjoying the process, you’re doing it wrong
9. If you’re not serious about being a writer, take up knitting or mud wrestling instead
10. Stop reading daft lists on social media and just get on with writing!

If you’d like to meet some like-minded people who’ve also got the writing bug, consider joining either (or both) our writing groups in Charlestown Arts Centre (obviously, this only works if you’re within range – we’re in County Mayo, Ireland!).

I have been facilitating these groups for a while now, but though illness and people moving away, we find there’s a shortfall in numbers to make it all work, so we’ve opened membership until all the seats are full…

We share creative prompts, do some writing, discuss competition news and submission opportunities, and drink a lot of tea and coffee. Our next meetings are on Monday January 6^th 2020, from 10.30am to 12.30pm, and Wednesday January 8^th, from 7pm to 9pm. No booking required, just come with pen and paper and an open mind.

Find us on Facebook:

 Charlestown Arts Centre Creative Writers