Adding Your Life Skills to Writing

Like many authors, I came to writing as a second career. Or in my case, this is a third career. If you're just starting out, you may think you have nothing in common with other writers than the desire to write. In actuality, some of the traits and skills you learned in your other job could be very helpful with your writing career. 

My work background is in advertising and real estate sales. It's easy to grasp how advertising can play into selling homes. You use the words and images in advertising to create an interest to purchase a product. In real estate sales, the product is the home and my services. 

So how does my work in advertising and selling homes fit into creating stories? Easy. Stories are a series of word pictures that create a reason for a reader to continue with the story. Just as buyers purchase homes because when they find an emotional attachment. You need to "hook" your buyer as well. 

The style and flow of rooms in a house are the backbones of the lifestyle the buyer wants to achieve. In a story, the way every character interacts with another become scenes that create the plot. If the structure of the house is poorly constructed, buyers will lose interest. If the plotline is flawed, the reader will discontinue his reading. Authors need to follow structure and grammar rules just as builders do. 

Architectural styles change as do writing styles. Some prefer bestsellers that are fresh and cutting edge, while others or perhaps prefer timeless classics. However, both need strong writing foundations. 

So how can your past work skills, assist you in your writing career? Let's take the medical field. You probably have lots of experience using charts and graphs. Use that skill to create outlines for your stories. 

Do you work in an office creating reports and tracking expenditures? Those analytical skills can be used to review scenes and see if they flow the plotline from one midpoint to another until completion. 

Or perhaps you've worked in a restaurant. You know what spices and intense flavorings appeal to the taste buds. In writing, create subtle nuances of the characters and their actions to intensify the story. 

So no matter what work you've done before, it could very well be what you need to be a better writer. And just think of all the people you've met along the way, they too can be crafted and changed as characters in your writing.

You've already been preparing to be a writer. You just didn't know it. The more you write, which includes writing daily, the better you will become as a writer. 

I've put in a lot of sweat and effort in creating my writing in the past few and I've been published in each of these publications. I continue to hone my writing skills and continue to submit to more publications.