Launching a Writing Career
Answers to some common questions about how to get started in the writing world.
(This piece was originally published on my blog, SobrieTeaParty.com)
I’ve been WFH since March 16th. It’s been tough, but I’ve found ways to stay sane (ish) during this global pandemic. One of which has been leading writing workshops through Instagram Live. People from all over the world tune in to participate in a writing exercise, followed by a Q&A session. People submitted writing questions and I answered. The questions ranged from “How do I start journaling?” to “How do I pitch to an editor?” and everything in between. Here’s are my A’s to the Q’s:
How Do I Start Writing?
The snarky way to answer this would be, “pick up a pen” or “open your laptop”. The realistic way to answer this is to let yourself write badly. That advice was given to me by Ruth Danon at a non-credit writing course I took at NYU in 2015. Those words of wisdom are repeated in my head almost weekly. It’s easy to get caught up in wanting our writing to be perfect. We all feel that way. The beauty in letting yourself write badly is that you have to get the gunk out. It’s necessary to let the gunk out! Do you think every sentence written by Didion or Hemingway or Angelou was absolute perfection? I promise you it wasn’t. They took it one word at a time, too.
What Are Some Writing Prompts?
There are tons of websites with lists of dozens of writing prompts. You can simply Google it and find enough to keep you busy for years. One of my favorite writing prompts came from Chris Aurilio, my comedy sketch writing teacher at The PIT. He suggested rewriting our favorite piece of existing work. Whether that be a screenplay or a chapter in a book or even a song. Rewriting can be typing word for word just to know what it’s like to write an Emmy-winning show. Rewriting can also mean changing plots, characters, story arcs, and endings. The possibilities are endless here!
How Do I Get Out of Self-Judgement?
Excellent question. When someone figures this out…please tell me how you did it! This is something I deal with ALL THE TIME. Whether it’s comparing my writing style to someone else’s writing style or the fact the someone I know got a book deal and I didn’t. The list goes on and on. The only advice that I have here is to give yourself grace. Only YOU can tell YOUR story. There are dozens of sober bloggers out there, but I don’t let that discourage me because nobody else can tell my sober story. My partner often tells me that done is better than good. This helps me get out of my perfection-seeking mind so I can just put my writing out there.
What’s the Difference Between Editing and Revising? Listicle vs Essay?
Editing can be an all-encompassing term that’s thrown around to mean any sort of change made to a piece of writing. Here’s a quick breakdown:
Line edits are corrections to typos, grammar errors, punctuation, spelling, and anything in that realm.
Revisions mean restructuring a piece of writing: moving paragraphs, rearranging sentence structures, or complete rewrites.
A listicle is a portmanteau (when multiple existing words become one) of the word list and article. It means just what it sounds like…it’s a list compiled of subheadings followed by a few sentences explaining the subheading. This blog post that you’re reading right now is a listicle (so meta!). These are very trendy right now due to the shrinking attention span of today’s readers. Here’s another example of a listicle I wrote.
An essay is a first-person narrative with a clear beginning, middle, and end about a specific event or time period in someone’s life. Essays take the reader along on a journey. Think of it as a mini-memoir. Here’s an essay I wrote for Playboy.
How Do I Write the Perfect Pitch?
A pitch is a few sentences that serve as the summary of an article/essay/listicle that you want to sell to a magazine or website. There’s an art to crafting a pitch. Don’t overthink it, but don’t take it too lightly. Think of this as your elevator pitch on Shark Tank. You have about three sentences to sell your creation to the “Mark Cuban” of your favorite site. Just below the pitch, include links to some of your previously published work (blog posts, self-published posts on Medium, and podcast features count!). This helps the editor get an idea of your writing style and your voice. Also, don’t get your feelings hurt if they don’t accept your pitch or you don’t hear back at all. This how it all works. And yes, it’s absolutely OK to follow up. It’s pretty much required.
Do you Have a Writing Routine or Schedule?
We can write from anywhere which is a blessing and a curse. I struggle with knowing when to “clock out”. I recently joined a shared writing space which helps me maintain somewhat of a schedule and some boundaries for when I write at home. Finding time (and a space!) to write can be beneficial for your creativity. Some folks go to the library or a coffee shop or the park. Some folks do it all from home. My mentor/podcast co-host, Lisa Smith, wrote her memoir, Girl Walks Out of a Bar, by waking up an extra hour each day before going into work as a Manhattan lawyer. It took her 10 years to do this and she says she wouldn’t have done it any other way. Find what works for you!
Do I Have to Write Everyday to be a Writer?
NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. I’m tempted to fill this entire page with “no” so people can understand this. You can write once a week, once a month, or every single day and still be a writer. I’d also like to plead the case that writing means more than typing or handwriting some words. Editing, revising, taking classes, thinking about your angle, reading, and listening to podcasts can all be parts of the writing process. I even consider attending concerts and Broadway shows as writing time because it gets me inspired to write when I get home. Again, give yourself grace and let yourself write badly.
**all photos by Robert Riese Photography
Tawny is an NYC-based writer, public speaker, and event producer who’s passionate about smashing stigmas associated with both sexuality and sobriety. Ruby Warrington dubbed Tawny “The Sober Sexpert.” Follow her on Instagram and Twitter.
Read Tawny’s published words in Playboy, Men’s Health, Huffington Post, The Temper, Audiofemme, SheSaid, Recovery Campus, WorkIt Health, and NY Yoga & Life Magazine. Tawny shared her recovery story on stages all across the world: IOGT World Congress, New York State Recovery Conference, United Federation of Teachers and more.
In addition to writing and public speaking, she’s the founder of the Readings on Recovery™ reading series and SobrieTea Party™ and co-host of Recovery Rocks podcast with Lisa Smith. She’s also a charity volunteer with Road Recovery and an award-winning filmmaker of the recovery documentary, Fixed Up.
