National Encourage a Young Writer Day

Today, April 10 is National Encourage A Young Writer Day! At Yes&, we have an impressive team of writers across our agency that are here to encourage young writers to pursue their goals and develop their writing skills to the best of their abilities.  

Here’s a taste of the collective wisdom. Happy writing! 

• Learn from the best.  

  • Read Strunk & White’s Elements of Style. There are hundreds of books about writing. EOS is the best. Read it annually.

  • Read. Read. Read. Angelou. Hemingway. Morrison. Marquez. Hunter S. Thompson. Shakespeare. Atwood. Baldwin. Oates. Dickens and Dickinson. Classics as well as new books of all genres, even comic books. Movie scripts and cereal boxes. To write well, be well-read. 

• Know your audience.  

• • Know the target audience and how to best reach them. 
  • Think like a reader. Will readers understand your point? Be familiar with your words? Are your sentences too long? 

• Find Inspiration 

• • Keep a journal.  Observe people, and your surroundings. Write about it. Journals are a great way to formulate and record new ideas as they occur to you. 
  • Explore! There are so many mediums; try them all. 
  • Have fun! Writing is your chance to create – whether it’s a magical other world or the truth of something through your eyes.  Share your creativity and thoughts.  

• Write what you know. Write about what you are passionate about.  

• Write. Write. Write.  

• • Letters. Journals. Short stories. Scripts. White papers. Features. Proposals. Letters to the editor. … There are no born writers. Passion + practice = accomplishment. 
  • Be clear about what you’re trying to say. Even the most beautiful or entertaining writing has a point. 
  • Rewrite.  Do-overs aren’t just allowed; they’re essential. Writing is iterative. 
  • Edit drafts ruthlessly. Cut the fat. Cut redundancies. Cut fancy words. Cut. Cut. Cut. 
  • Hone your diction until it’s as sharp as a sushi chef’s knife. “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between the lightning and the lightning bug.” - Mark Twain 
  • To write with rhythm, read drafts aloud. 

• Accept the challenge. Good writing doesn’t come easy. 

• Find your voice. Raise Your Voice. Write.