“I have a great idea for a screenplay.” I have heard this many times. And they often are great ideas.

Within the human spirit is the need to create. The happiest and healthiest of people are those who are in the process of creating something. Those who do not create vegetate.

Writing, in fact all creative pursuits, is one of the hardest things one can do. But just because it’s hard, it doesn’t have to be strenuous work. Embracing a creative life can be a pleasant, joyful, and integrated part of our whole day, like dinner and meditation. It isn’t for the weak-willed! However, I don’t know much in life that is worthwhile that one doesn’t need to be strong, determined, and put forth effort to have it.

If we have followed our Muse in whichever medium we choose, we have found that it is our True selves that stare back at us from our words on the page or screen, the image in chalk, the colorful food on the plate, the bold or soft lines in our sketch, the object in our painting or photograph. We come to know, through exploration and practice, that this space resides within us and we can ‘drop in’ any time we wish. There is no forcing, no judging, only playfully moving forward in our art.

If you want to improve in your ability to consistently crank out high quality content on a regular basis, there are some steps you can take that don’t have anything to do with physically writing anything. These factors are just as important to producing good content as is the act of physically picking up a pen or opening up a new text document and typing out your thoughts. This article will highlight in more detail what these largely overlooked factors are.

Writing tense doesn’t refer to how tense a writer may feel when writing, but is instead about the tense the story is written in. There are a few no-no’s about this that writers, especially new writers, should be aware of.

One of the major things that distinguishes you from others is your voice. When you write you also have a voice, and it distinguishes you from other writers. In this case it’s the way you write things. And if you write in a pleasant and interesting way that characteristic of your personality, people will be drawn to it, and are more likely to read it. Because of this it’s important to develop a pleasing and readable writing voice.

A novel, and even a memoir, will have characters and dialogue. You want to make sure dialogue is easy to read, sounds natural, and does what it’s meant to.

A writer’s block can be the bane of a writer’s career. But there are ways to overcome it, as I have done myself. Here are the top ways I use in this regard.

Part of creating art is accepting change. I believe that once we find a time or place or materials that feel right to us, that we stick with that to do our creating. I’ve also think it’s good to switch things up. If you write in the morning, try writing in the afternoon. If you paint with watercolor, try sketching with chalk. Creativity changes us, and when we change, how we express ourselves changes too. If we refuse to adapt, we may miss opportunities along the way.

One hurdle creatives must overcome is the thought, given by the inner critic, that there should be no mistakes. A chef will burn a meal, a painter will use a color that distracts the eye in a piece, a writer or poet will use the passive voice or one synonym instead of another, a photographer will print a photograph with the incorrect white balance, and that is alright!

A writer, especially a new writer, is understandably excited and eager to get his/her manuscript to an agent for consideration or self-published. But, it’s imperative you submit writing that shows an agent there’s reason to be interested in you as a promising writer, or make certain it’s ready to self-publish.