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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP, real writers who actually make a living off of it aren't wasting their time writing on DCUM.  But I'm sure you're about to get lots of responses from pompous posters anyway.  [/quote]

haha, this is the funniest thing I have read all week. "Real writers" (including me) are notorious for procrastinating and killing time at places like DCUM, Reddit, and of course, the biggest time sink of all ... writer Twitter.

ANYWAY.

I've done about every kind of writing you can do professionally and am currently making my living as a novelist (traditionally published).

If you were my student, I'd ask you to write your original post over again, without any mention of what others think you should do. It really, really does not matter if the entire world wants you to be a writer. Do YOU want to be a writer? Because they will not be there to hold your hand and bail you out when you're doing the deep work. It has to come from within.

What do you like to read? What kinds of topics are you drawn to?

If your answer is "I don't read much ..." then you need to start. Pay attention to beginnings, midpoints, and endings. If you're interested in fiction, pay attention to characters and setting. Look at the writing on a sentence level. Read stuff out loud. Find the places where it sounds awkward and try rewriting it.

Find a way to make writing part of your daily routine. Even though I am definitely procrastinating today, I know my butt will remain planted in this chair until I get my 1000 words. You don't have to have that as a minimum--maybe 15 minutes a day would be a good place to start. And this is just a minimum, you can always write more. But pick a baseline you can commit to. I also journal daily--very short entries, usually 3-5 sentences. But it is a commitment.

[/quote]

I think this is excellent advice!

I, too, wondered if YOU want to be a writer. Couldn't really pick up on that from your initial post.

I agree with reading as much as you can and developing a critical eye. This includes the newspaper.

I also agree that you should start with journaling.

It can be a lifelong hobby, or it can be a profession. It's mine. I feel very lucky. 
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