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This episode goes over the basics of what you need to write a story.
The personal podcast for Ian MacTire, writer / podcaster / werewolf. This podcast follows my journey from first draft to published novel and beyond.
If you're a return listener, welcome back, if this is your first time, welcome! I hope you find the information in these episodes to be useful. Also, if you are enjoying these, please leave a review and share with others.
This is Episode 4, titled "What Do You Need to Write a Story". This episode is a break from reminiscing, and is just a really basic "how to get started". You likely already know this, but part of the purpose of this podcast is not only to chronicle my own journey as a writer, but to help other writers out along the way. Since I have no way of knowing how far along in your writing journey you are, I have elected to start at the beginning and go forward.
Before I go any further, for the interest of transparency, all the information I give you is just for your own use. I'm not getting paid to promote anything, I'm not getting a kickback, and if you find something different from what I've suggested that works better for you, rock on! Live your best life!
So to begin, the first thing you will need is an idea obviously. As you already know, everything begins with an idea. If you're wondering how to get ideas, I will address that in a future episode, however chances are pretty good that you already have at least one idea, if not more. So you have your idea, what now?
One of the best things I've found is to at least keep a notebook and some kind of writing instrument nearby. This is handy for when inspiration hits and you get an idea. Before switching to a technical solution, I used to keep a notebook and pen next to my bed in case I woke up in the middle of the night with an idea. Keeping it next to my bed also made sure that I always knew where it was. Notebooks are also good for outlining your story, and even writing the story itself. One of the pros to this is you can usually get notebooks and writing instruments on the cheap, so it can be cost effective. Another is that they keep all your writing in one place because the paper is bound together. Some of the cons to this method is that if you're carrying it with you, it's possible to set it down somewhere and forget about it, possibly losing it, and if you don't happen to have it with you when inspiration hits, you're left scrambling to find something to write your ideas down.
If you're a bit more tech savvy, you can always use some kind of notetaking app. Examples of this would be apps like Evernote, One Note, and even Notes. Some smartphones have a notetaking app already installed (as is the case with Notes on iPhone and iPad), but if your phone doesn't come with one, you can always download one. Keep in mind that these will run the gamut from free to paid, whether it's a one time fee or a subscription fee. I personally use Evernote for reasons I'll discuss in a future episode, but you aren't required to use this particular app, so if you're looking for a technical solution, feel free to experiment and find one that works for you. Some of the pros of this solution is that you're likely already carrying a smartphone, so it's one less thing to carry, and it's always available to you. Some cons of this method include not being able to jot your writing down if your battery is dead, and depending on the app you use, you may not be able to access your writing if it doesn't have any way of backing it up anywhere off your phone, such as the cloud.
If you're someone who has issues with physically being able to write or type, or would prefer to speak out loud, there are also options out there that will allow you to dictate your ideas and stories and transform them into transcripts. Examples include Dragon Naturally Speaking and Otter.ai. Some word processing apps, like Word and Google docs, have this function built in as well, and just like with the previous mentioned note taking and word processing apps, pricing can vary.
As for writing out your actual story, obviously the cheapest and easiest way is the notebook and whatever you choose to write with. However, keep in mind that when it comes time to submit your story to a magazine, agent, or publisher, you will likely need to submit it in some electronic form. If you're just starting out and don't have much of a budget, then this way will work well for the time you spend writing. Since your story will likely go through at least a few rewrites before it's ready for primetime, this could buy you some time to save up to buy a laptop, desktop, or chromebook. If this isn't something you're able to do right away, you can also go to your local library and sign up for computer access. Most libraries have computers that have programs like Word installed, and you would just need to have some way of backing it up, by either emailing it to yourself or copying the file to a flashdrive.
When it comes to computers, you don't need anything too expensive. You can usually get a pretty decent computer for a few hundred dollars, especially if you catch a good sale around the holidays. I will say that having worked retail and seen "behind the scenes" as it were, you probably don't want to buy a computer around Black Friday. Though the prices seem pretty good (especially if you were price comparing before the Black Friday sales), the really cheap computers you get are usually not that good. That said, it is possible to get a good deal for a good price, you just have to be willing to be patient and do your research. As well, if you're just using it for writing, you don't need a lot of processing power and hard drive space, so it may be that you can't afford something better than that Black Friday deal and that's ok. Writing is a hobby that doesn't need to break the bank to be rewarding, and you can always upgrade later.
When buying a computer, another thing to keep in mind is what word processing software are you going to use. Most computers have at least a basic word processor. In Windows, this would be Notepad. On Apple computers, this would be something called Pages. I can attest that Notepad is the most basic, but will get you by. It has minimal formatting options and you can only save it in the .txt file format which is not acceptable when submitting to a publisher or agent. As I'm not an Apple user, I don't know much about Pages, but I believe you can save your Pages document in the same file format that Microsoft Word uses. In addition to the aforementioned examples, other examples of word processors are Google docs, Scriverner, Open Office, and Libre Office. Much like notetaking apps, word processing software can range in price from free to either a one time fee (like Scrivener), or a subscription (like Microsoft Office). As with notetaking apps, feel free to research your different options and experiment to find what works best for you.
Ultimately, whatever you choose, you want it to work with you and not against you. You want to figure out what tools and systems work best at facilitating your creativity, so that they enhance it and aren't getting in the way of it. In a future episode, I will go over my set up and why I chose the tools that I use and how it helps me write better.
Okay, this brings this episode to a close. I hope you found this helpful. If I missed anything, please feel free to reach out to me on my Twitter account, or Instagram account, and let me know. If I missed enough of them, I'll make a second episode to cover what I missed. Stay classy, and keep writing those stories!
This has been another episode of Empty Pages. If you enjoyed what you heard and want more of it, you can follow me at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts from. Please leave me a review, as that really helps me out, and if you do, you might find your review featured in a future episode. You can find me at ianmactire.com, as well as on Twitter and Instagram as @ianmactire. Until next time, I'm Ian, and this is Empty Pages. Stay classy and write those stories!