I’ve known so many people who go through elementary and middle school, and even part of high school, dreaming of being a writer. It’s a great dream, and it makes sense that so many would have it. We all read, we all stare at pages of books, inspired and captivated by stories that someone else has written, and some of us think, “I want to write like this. I can write like this.”

This is a mentality that I discovered I had in about fourth grade. I remember reading a series that I was more impressed with than most any other books I’d read up until that point. I had read a lot by then already, and at a fairly high level, but this was one of the series that I enjoyed not because it was challenging but because it was just good. It made me see a new way of writing that told a complete tale with detailed characters with back stories and entire worlds crafted around the characters’ lives. It was an adventure book that ultimately led to my love of writing, and I never stopped loving it. However, I did stop thinking I could just do it.

For so long, I wanted to write a book. There were some other professions thrown into the mix here and there (fashion designer, baker, jewelry maker), but, all the time, I wanted to be writing. It wasn’t until I got to high school and had to start thinking about my future that I realized, or thought I realized, that writing wasn’t a possibility for me. I was told all the time that, even if I was good, it’s hard to be good enough in the real world. That’s true, of course, but no one ever told me how to be good enough. I was told, “You’re great at writing, but being a writer isn’t realistic.”

Well, here I am. Writing. Sure, it’s not a novel. It’s not even short stories. But I’m writing, and about things that matter to me. If your dream is to be a writer, it is going to be difficult. Just calling yourself a writer and writing for a few minutes every day isn’t going to cut it, but it is a start. It helps to have faith in your own abilities and the desire to cultivate them further. You’ll be told the truth in high school; it is extremely difficult – nearly impossible – to leave high school and become a successful writer immediately if you’re writing what you love. It’s simply not a practical career, to begin with, at least. However, there are so many outlets for writing that people don’t consider when they’re thinking about pursuing it as a career.

If you’re truly passionate about writing, you can be successful by finding ways to market your skills, even if you’re using them for something unrelated to book-writing. That said, don’t stop writing that novel or short story you’ve always dreamed about; you can make a living by writing without giving up on your dreams. Below are some tips for starting out on your writing path. You also might want to take a look at a list of advice from Stephen King, who talks about what he thinks all writers need to do to succeed.

1.  Start a personal blog

This will give you something to write as often as you’d like, whether it’s a monthly, weekly, or daily blog, and you’ll have an outlet for your thoughts and ideas. Sometimes just writing something down that’s been in your head for a while can help you figure out what you want to do with that thought or what you can turn it into. Sometimes I start writing a blog post about education, and it sparks a thought about a plotline idea for a story. Everything you write can influence you, and if you do it regularly, you’ll be more likely to uncover an idea worth working with sooner rather than later.

2.  Write blogs professionally

Writing a blog for a company or even writing posts here and there as a freelance blog writer for companies will give you great experience and exposure, and they will be outlets for you to publish ideas and maybe get feedback from readers. It can be difficult to land a job as a blog writer if you don’t have writing experience, so having a personal blog already in the works with some posts that you could share as proof of your proficiency and experience will help immensely with this.

3.  Become a freelance writer

Whether it’s for a blog that asks for freelance work, magazines, newspapers, or a website looking for content, take writing jobs whenever you can. You’ll be able to test your limits and be paid to provide content that will help you get more and better freelancing and full-time writing gigs down the road. Freelancers writing for company publications need to have their own ideas before they can publish, as you’ll be sending letters with your ideas to the editors of the publications. However, you can also be a freelancing who writes content for a blog or website that asks for specific topics to be covered. The problem you might face with freelancing is that people do look for experience to determine whether they want someone to write for them. Again, having that personal blog will help, and, eventually, someone will say yes to you, and you’ll be able to use that to market yourself for your next writing job alongside your personal blog.

4.  Get experience in the real world

Writing isn’t just about the technical aspects of how you tell a story or even the details of your story. Both of these things are meaningless if you don’t have a strong message at the heart of your story. Before you can begin writing anything, you need to know what you want to tell readers and why you feel compelled to tell them. If you don’t know that yet, then figure it out. Travel, do things you’re not used to doing, get a job doing something that lets you see a new side of things or a new way of life. Throw yourself into the world to see what it’s really like for different people and in different areas to get an idea of what kind of world you want to write about and what kind of message you feel you need to send.

5.  Writing might not be your only career

Many writers, especially starting out, have another career or job outside of writing or that revolves around writing things other than books or stories. There’s nothing wrong with pursuing your dream to write, but even writing a blog or freelancing probably won’t earn you enough money to be your only source of income. There’s nothing wrong with having other jobs while you’re writing, and, these days, when you can type up a blog post in a relatively short amount of time, you’ll have time to have a well-paying job and write. Whatever you do, though, don’t stop writing. Never forget that writing is your primary objective, and the other jobs are just allowing you to continue doing what you love while still having a solid income.

6.  Attend writing workshops

There are writing workshops for all kinds of writers based on genre or age or both, and joining a group that meets regularly or sharing your ideas in a workshop that’s only happening once is a great way to give your ideas some exposure and get feedback from people who are going through the same struggles that you are.

If you’re seriously considering pursuing writing as a career but you’re not sure how to do that, talk to someone about it. Talk to a teacher or guidance counselor about what you want to do, but do it in a way that shows you know how difficult it will be. Most people will tell you it’s impractical, so you have to make them see why it is a viable option for you. Once you know what you want, make sure other people know too so that they can help you get there in any way possible. Whatever you do, believe in yourself, and give yourself every opportunity to succeed. If you think you can, the people around you will be liable to think so too.

-Hope Swedeen

How do you plan to pursue a career in writing?

It’s the time of year when classes start wrapping up, and teachers assign review work to help you prepare you for tests. If your teachers are anything like mine were, they’ll be asking you to also create some New Year’s resolutions that may or may not have to do with improving your work ethic or motivation after you come back from break. When you’re assigned these tasks, it’s tempting to think the question doesn’t deserve your time compared to the “real” work you’re doing, but if you’re not happy with your performance in one area or another so far this year, it might be worth taking a serious look at some possible resolutions for the New Year. Even if it’s not school related, it’s worth your time.

Having this “assignment” for almost every class always seemed like a nuisance to me. I would be studying for tests, and teachers would be asking me to write a practical New Year’s resolution. What could be the use of figuring out what I should do next year when this year isn’t over and I still have a biology test to study for? Well, the answer is in the question. Next year is almost here, and what we do now is already impacting our success next year. For all intents and purposes, it is next year, and it will be over again before we know it. If we’re not careful, though, it might also be over before we have a chance to improve.

If you’re like me, writing a New Year’s resolution might seem like a waste of time at first, but think about everything you wish you could change about this first half of the year. Maybe you never left yourself enough time to study before a big test. Maybe you didn’t prioritize your homework and aren’t doing as well as you’d like in one or two of your classes. Maybe your challenge lies outside of the realm of school work. Whoever you are, chances are you have room to grow, as we all do, and a resolution for the New Year can actually help, despite what you might think. It wasn’t until I finished high school that I truly realized what a new game plan every year could do for me, but now I set a resolution every year. More often than not, I set a list of resolutions to talk myself into improvement.

If you’ve written down what you need to change about your habits and why, you’re already a step closer to making changes. Sure, there’s no guarantee that you’ll follow through, but at least you have a better understanding of yourself, what’s holding you back, and what you need to do to combat your personal obstacles. Some people say it’s best to set only one resolution, but it depends on who you are. If you’re trying to figure out your own challenges, make a list.

If you’re really striving to change something specific that you already know needs to change, focus on that. If you’re considering writing one of these resolutions (or a list of them), make sure to make them SMART resolutions so that they’re more likely to meet a successful end. In a previous post, I talked about setting goals for a new school year, and this relates closely to New Year’s resolutions. No matter what type of resolution you’re setting, whether it be school-related, work-related, or otherwise, always make them SMART resolutions. SMART resolutions, just like goals, should:

Include specific tasks to be accomplished.

Have a measurable objective and outcome to verify that you’ve followed through on your resolution.

Be realistically attainable so that you don’t set out to accomplish the impossible.

Be relevant to your needs in specific areas of your life, including your school, work and personal life.

Be time-based so that you give yourself a set date to have your resolution(s) fulfilled.

For a great guide with tips and information on New Year’s resolutions, check out this guide created by a Virginia medical center’s staff. It has tips to creating resolutions, common pitfalls, and examples of SMART goals that all pertain to healthy living. Even though your resolution(s) might not deal with being healthier, it’s a great guide to look through for ideas and advice.

-Hope Swedeen

What are your New Year’s resolutions for 2016? How do you plan to follow through on your goals?

As the calendar year comes to and end and schools prepare for winter break, teachers are throwing around that word that no student likes to hear; “test.” We all dread them, whether we think we’ll pass or not, but during the weeks before winter break, we are not only responsible for preparing for tests, we are also expected to keep up with every-day classwork. If you’re like me and countless other students all over, it can be challenging to balance study and homework time, especially when you try to factor in free time as well (which is important, by the way).

If you’re someone who never seems to have enough hours in a day to finish what needs to be done, consider evaluating how you manage your time. You might not manage your time at all, which isn’t uncommon, and this could mean that you simply need to work on planning ahead more often. If you’re someone who makes lists and tries to think ahead, you still might be struggling to follow through on your plans. Whatever the case, it’s always a good idea to evaluate your time management techniques once in a while to see how you can improve them or what you can do to make them more effective.

1.  Find out where you are wasting time

Everyone wastes time, but it’s important to be aware of when you’re doing it so that you can monitor the amount of time you spend distracted from getting things done. If you can figure out what your main distractions are or make a list of some things that you need to prioritize less when you have a lot of work to do, this will help you focus on what’s most important to accomplish.

2.  Create a daily and weekly schedule

If you have a syllabus for your class or you know when you have tests and assignments due, make up a schedule for each week, breaking down assignments by due dates or dates to be completed. If you have sports or clubs, factor those in too. You want to write down as much of your weekly schedule as possible so that you can get a good estimate of how much time you’ll have leftover for work, studying, free time, and anything else each day.

Calendars come in all shapes and sizes, and they’re made specifically for different types of software. If you’re looking for a free calendar for iOS devices, Sunrise Calendar can be used on an iPhone or iPad, and iStudiez can be used on an iOS device, including a computer. It can also be used on windows computers, but you’ll have to pay $9.99 for it. If you’re looking for something for a windows pc, you’ll probably get the best result by using a calendar in your email. Windows Live, for Microsoft Outlook, and Google mail offer calendars that are easy to use, and, as they’re linked to your email, you’ll be able to access them on your phone as well. If you don’t see yourself using any of the options I’ve listed, shop around online for other calendars. There are tons of platforms to use that aren’t listed here.

3.  Create a to-do list and add it to your schedule

In addition to any assignments you might have or anything happening routinely, keep a general to-do list of non-school-related things so that you don’t forget anything you’re supposed to be doing and so that you can factor everything you plan on doing into your weekly and daily schedules. A great platform for creating organized lists is Trello, which allows you to create lists and add or move around items. It can be used interactively with multiple people, so if you have a group project or a study group, you could easily make task lists, tag people on lists and list items, and communicate with comments on tasks. You can create any type of list you want, so if you have a “To-do” list and a “completed” list, you can move items around as you finish them. You’ll also need to sign up using an email, so if you have your calendar linked to the same email, you can get all of your notifications in the same place.

4.  Say “no” to time commitments that you can’t fit in

Unfortunately, there is seldom a time when we can do everything that we want in a given day. Particularly during tests time, you’ll probably find yourself pressed for time with more commitments and plans than you can keep. To avoid the stress of trying to come through on everything, say “no” to some things in advance. Having a schedule will help you with this, as you’ll be able to look at your to-do list for each day and figure out how much time you’ll actually have for extra things. If you find your day is filled, including the free time you’ve set aside, don’t add on more to your day. Just say “no,” and you won’t have to feel bad for either backing out or ignoring your work to do it later.

5.  Figure out what time of day you’re most productive

You’ll want to schedule homework and studying into your schedule at a time when you feel you can accomplish the most. If you work best at night, schedule a few hours spread out in the evenings. If you’re more of a morning person, set aside your morning hours for work instead.

6.  Know your work/study habits.

Just like understanding when in the day you’re most productive, you should get to know your study/work habits so that you can use them to your advantage rather than trying to work against them. If you’re someone who needs a week to work on a lengthy assignment, give yourself a week. If you work better under pressure, spend your week focusing on smaller assignments closer to their due dates and tackle bigger projects as they come. Think about what sort of atmosphere you work best in, and try to find a space like it. You might prefer somewhere quiet, which could lead you to work in your room, but that also might lead to easy distractions or even falling asleep (guilty).

7.  Set Time limits

If you leave yourself with four hours to do work one evening, don’t just add a block of time to your schedule that says “do work.” Make sure that you specify how much time you’ll be spending on each assignment you plan to work on. You could give yourself 30 minutes for math homework and then another 30 minutes to study for a math test, for example. Make sure that you follow your time limits fairly closely so that you don’t burn out doing one thing for too long or end up not having time to do everything that needs to get done.

8.  Be realistic – some things take longer than others

If you have to write a two-page English paper and do five simple math equations, the paper will most likely take you longer. Don’t leave yourself 30 minutes for each task, as you probably won’t be able to finish them both within the same amount of time, and the paper will probably take you about two hours. Instead, think about how long each assignment should reasonably take you, including how long you need to study for each subject you might have a test in, and plan your schedule accordingly.

9.  Set goals

Even if you’ve made a schedule, it helps to have goals in addition to deadlines. If you want to finish an assignment by a date earlier than when it’s due, that can be a goal to work toward. If you set aside a certain amount of time to complete tasks, aim to fit in one other task if you find you have the time. Anything that will help you feel more accomplished and positive will only help you keep working hard.

10.  Don’t think about your entire to-do list. Just focus on the task at hand.

Even though you might have 15 things to do in a week, don’t think of them as a bundled package. If you think of them as individual assignments rather than as clumps of homework each day, you’ll feel much less intimidated by it all. Focus on one thing at a time, slowly chipping away at the larger to-do list, and make sure you’re always thinking “one down!” rather than “14 to go.”

11.  Complete assignments in order of importance

While you have to finish everything at some point, it helps to give yourself some kind of order to begin with. Decide on an order of importance for assignments based on due dates/times, difficulty, or any other criteria, and complete work in that order. This way, you have a plan to stick to and can transition between assignments quickly without too much distraction. That being said…

12.  Give yourself a break between tasks

Switching from one thing to the next right away can be exhausting and easily make you fed up with doing work. Instead, take small breaks when you finish assignments, but don’t let yourself get so distracted that you realize you’re still on Facebook 30 minutes later. The length of time you spend on each task should impact the length of your break, so the longer something takes you, the longer you can justify taking some time to relax. If you’ve just finished 15 minutes’ worth of math homework, you probably don’t need to take a 30-minute break before moving on. As a rule, I allot 10 minutes of break time for every hour spent on an assignment. Try to avoid social media while you’re taking these breaks, though, as you’ll probably find yourself taking a longer break than you might have initially intended.

13.  Don’t procrastinate – start working immediately

It’s easy to get caught up in setting up your work, getting on a computer, or any other pre-homework rituals you might have. Instead of procrastinating, get started on your work as soon as you decide to begin, and don’t let yourself get distracted before you even accomplish anything.

14.  Always take some work with you

If you’re leaving home for a few hours, take some work with you to do if you find you’re not doing anything else. If you’re on a bus or train, you can easily pull out a book or flashcards.

15.  Make time to sleep

Although you need to finish your work, you should always make time to sleep well each night. If you’re tired at school or when you’re supposed to be doing work, you’ll likely be much less productive than if you’ve had a good night’s rest, so don’t forget to add sleeping to your daily schedule in ample supply.

-Hope Swedeen

Do you keep track of your daily and weekly tasks? What calendars or platforms do you use to stay organized and ensure that you're using your time efficiently?

When you have a break from school – whether it be a three-day weekend or a full week off – you have the opportunity to do anything that you want during those free days. You can catch up on some TV shows you’ve gotten behind on, spend time with friends, get a little extra sleep, and pretty much anything you find you don’t have time for in your average week. Consider, though, what it would benefit you to be doing in your free time. Yes, everyone needs a break, and I am all for making the most of whatever free time I have. This Thanksgiving break, I hope that everyone spent time with their loved ones and had much less stress to deal with (school-related stress, at least) than usual. At some point during Thanksgiving break, though, I hope that everyone made time to keep up with school work.

I know it’s an unpopular concept – doing work over break – but, whether we like it or not, the work will still be due at the end of break whether we get it done or not. Maybe you didn’t have assignments due the first few days after break, but if you did, and you found yourself struggling to make time to get it done during the holidays, consider using a different approach to finishing schoolwork when your next break rolls around. Following a few suggestions, you just might find that completing your work over break isn’t as much of a drag as you thought.

1.  Make a to-do list

I cannot stay organized without lists, and I have one for every type of “to-do.” I have homework lists; shopping lists; wish lists; books, movies, and songs lists; and pretty much every type of list you can think of. It might seem lame, but lists really do help to keep everything going on in your mind organized. I forget that I have to do entire projects all the time, and if I didn’t have them written down, I’d honestly just not finish them. While your memory might not be as bad as mine, it wouldn’t hurt to make a list of assignments that you need to finish over break so that you have an idea of how much time you’ll need to spend doing work.

2.  Create a homework schedule/plan

After you’ve made a list of assignments, think about when you should try to finish them. If you have something due the day you get back to school, work on that first. If you have a project or paper that you know will take you a few hours or days, start that earlier in your break so that you don’t have to work for hours on end the night before it’s due. You also might find that your family has part of your days off already planned for you, so you’ll need to fit your work schedule to fit their plans as well. That said, homework is always a great excuse if you don’t want to participate in any particular family activities, especially if you’ve already planned out your homework schedule and try to stick to it for the rest of break. This will also ensure that you have some time to spend on your own during your days off.

3.  Do a small amount of work each day

It’s tempting to spend your entire break doing whatever you want and ignoring all homework and responsibility, but don’t give into the temptation. If you’re stuck doing all of your work the night before classes start again, you’ll be burnt out before your break is even over. This makes going back to school that much harder because you’ll already be looking ahead to the next break. Instead, plan a feasible work schedule, and stick to it. Set aside two hours or so each day depending on your work load, and make sure that if you skip a day, you make up for it gradually rather than letting it pile on to your last day. I like to schedule my day before school begins again as a completely free day, if I can, so that I don’t have to worry about doing work on my last day of freedom. Even if I do end up having to finish some work, it shouldn’t be more than I can handle, as it’s only “leftover” work that I didn’t end up fitting into one of my other days.

4.  Stick to your sleep schedule

You might be someone who goes to sleep 4 hours later over break than you would on a school night, but consider cutting down on your night owl tendencies. It’s difficult to wake up at a normal hour when you’re sleeping at irregular times, and by waking up later, you’re cutting out part of your days. Even if you try to get your work done at night, you might not be as productive as you could be in the morning. Consider going to bed and waking up at or around your normal times, and try to get some work out of the way in the morning so that you can enjoy the rest of your day.